It did upgrade the antennas in the Nest Wifi, boosting it up to a 4x4 configuration that's capable of simultaneous MU-MIMO transmissions that are more robust than the 2x2 Google Wifi. That doesn't mean Google hasn't made any improvements over the years. Google opted not to include support for it in the Nest Wifi, but the newer Nest Wifi Pro debuted at the end of 2022 with Wi-Fi 6E - a name for Wi-Fi 6 devices that can broadcast in the newly opened 6GHz band. Wi-Fi 5 has been considered out of date for several years, since the faster, AX version of Wi-Fi called Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) started rolling out in 2019. That AC bit tells you that both Google Wifi and Nest Wifi support Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac). With the more capable Nest Wifi, those numbers jump to 612 and 431Mbps - about average compared to other other mesh routers we've tested. In our own lab, we clocked the Google Wifi with top wireless transfer rates of 451Mbps at close range and 201Mbps at a distance of 75 feet. Like with all routers, those AC1200 and AC2200 speed ratings are derived from optimized, lab-based speed tests that don't take factors like distance, obstructions and interference into account, so your actual top speeds will likely be a lot lower. Watch this: Nest Wifi puts Google Assistant into your router That lets you use the things like smart speakers, with the full intelligence of the Google Assistant just a quick voice command away. Oh, and speaking of those Nest Wifi Points, Google built a microphone and a speaker into each one. The Nest Wifi router features those same two Ethernet jacks, but the Nest Wifi Points don't include Ethernet jacks at all.

That gives you the option of a direct, wired connection to any Google Wifi device in your home, and it lets you wire your Google Wifi devices together for faster speeds, too. Google Wifi devices each include an Ethernet WAN port and a separate Ethernet LAN port. That's not the case with Nest Wifi, which features a dedicated router and smaller, separate range extenders - those Nest Wifi Points. You can connect any of them to your modem to serve as your network's router, and you can use any of them as range extenders in other rooms of your house. With the Google Wifi, each device is identical. That brings up another key hardware difference. None of them include built-in smart speakers. If you're looking for a more up-to-date mesh system from Google, the company debuted its first Wi-Fi 6E router, the Nest Wifi Pro, at the end of 2022.Īll Google Wifi devices are identical, so you can use any of them as your system's router. While both the Nest Wifi and Google Wifi are ancient in router terms - and use the older Wi-Fi 5 standard - they still perform well for the price. Rather than calling it the Google Wifi 2, Google called the system the Nest Wifi, which matched the company's efforts to rebrand the Google Home Mini smart speaker and Google Home Hub smart display as the Nest Mini and Nest Hub. Then, at the end of 2019, Google unveiled a follow-up. The system tested well and quickly earned a spot as one of CNET's top recommended routers. Like other mesh routers, you connect one Google Wifi device to your modem and then scatter the others throughout your home to spread a speedy Wi-Fi signal from room to room. And with both still available from major retailers, you'll want to be sure you understand those differences before you buy in.īack in 2016, Google made its first foray into mesh networking with the Google Wifi, a pucklike, three-piece mesh router system. Though Google Wifi and Nest Wifi are both mesh systems from Google that make the same basic pitch - steady, reliable, whole-home Wi-Fi - they come with some key differences.

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