Google Nest WiFi Router (2nd Generation)
$119.99
$169.99
29% off
Reference Price
Condition: New
Style: 1-Pack
Top positive review
177 people found this helpful
The improvement is not where you think it is. Totally worth, so simple!
By Ramon GT on Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2020
Tips: 1- Do not be affraid of installation, it was very simple. The routers and the points -or 2 routers in this case- create a mesh by themselves wihtout any user intervention. The app guides you through the process. As a tech guy, this was so easy I feel guilty :p 2- This mesh will improve your WiFi speed across the house for any internet service up to about 600-700 Mbps, I daresay. WiFi has its limitations, anything above that is wishfull thinking due to the harware constraints of our current phones and devices. But... the real improvement is not the "speed" itself (read below). 3- This is the 2 router pack, not the classsic "router" and "point/Google assistant" pack. I chose this one expressly since the routers have ethernet LAN RJ45 jacks (ports), which the "points" lack, because my house is already wired with LAN ethernet cable and I already have plenty of "hey google" things around =) Note: you will need proper harware to get anything above 50 Mbps, e.g.: Cat. 5e or Cat. 6 cable , and if you use an ethernet switch make sure it is Gigabit compliant, otherwise stick to the standasrd WiFi mesh, you'll be surprised: this WiFi mesh will be faster than a 10/100 cable or a "Fast Ethernet" switch. 4- It is fast, indeed, but take note: since the mesh talks in both directions, there will be a natural minimal speed loss when connected to a "point" (or the secondary "router" in this case). E.g.: when the mesh is connected wirelessly (pure WiFi mesh), I get 100 Mbps near the router and 50-70 Mbps near the "point"; but when wired (ethernet backhaul between the 2 routers) I get 80-100 Mbps near the "point". I think this is expected, completely normal due to the 2-way wireless communication between both mesh devices. 5- My ISP installed a coaxial Modem/Router combo unit in my house, I was affraid of the dared double-NAT menace, but to my relief they got allong surprisingly well. Actually, I kept my original WiFi network and the new nest mesh network up simultaneously for a couple days, while migrating everything (the easy and recommended way would have been to disable the old WiFi network and use the same SSID name and password on the new one, but I wanted to experiment a little). Anyhow, although they seemed to work fine together, I decided to turn off the ISP Modem/Router's WiFi radios to avoid any possible interference. WiFi can be grumpy when crowded. 6- I chose the newest "Nest" WiFi mesh routers over the previous "Google" WiFi mesh or the Nest points because they have: a) faster WiFi conection (AC2200 vs AC1200), b) bigger area coverage (205 m2 vs 140 m2), c) more antennas (4x4 vs 2x2) and d) the capability of transmitting data to multiple devices simultaneously (MU-MIMO vs no-nothing). THIS is paramount. The improvement is noticeable when the kids are watching video streams and playing games while I hold to that important zoom meeting. (Note: The Nest points do have MU-MIMO, too, but lack the extra speed and extra coverage of the Nest routers. In exchange, they double as Google assistant speakers, so choose your potion) 7- Get both apps, Google Home and Google Wifi. They seem to be migrating everything from Google WiFi to Google Home, but meantine get both! Google WiFi gives some extra options such as a speed test of all connected devices or information about the connection type between points, wired or wireless. In conclusion, the real "speed", the improvement over a standard WiFi network is not measured in Mbps by Speedtest, it's not even the extended coverage or the transparent, automatic handling of WIFi when moving around the house without hiccups nor the beamforming technology which sends the WiFi signal straight toyour device: it's how it handles devices and distributes bandwidth, making each device in my house faster individually, all at the same time, keeping my data transmission speedy and steady when the kids are squeezing the WiFi signal and my internet bandwidth. The only thing I would have wished for is WiFi 6 support (future proof). Otherwise well done, Google. I'm impressed. I have spoken.
Top critical review
11 people found this helpful
Surprisingly Crappy Equipment from Google.
By John Webb on Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2024
My Google AC1200 Mesh Wifi Router finally died. I went through two weeks of it dropping wired/wifi connections. First if was just in the late afternoon (due to heat from afternoon sun). As the days went by, it became more random until I was needing to reset the router every few minutes. Turns out it's recommended to replace the Google routers/points every few years. SIgh. So I order a new AC2200 Mesh Wifi Router to as a replacement. The first "head-smacking" moment came with the Google Home app (iOS). There was no option to delete the old router which interfered with setup up the new router, so I was force to "Delete House" with my other devices (second router, Nest Thermostat, Chromecast speakers, etc) and start from scratch. The next realization of poor design came when I went to add the device. I had unpacked it and plugged in power, the cable from the Google Fiber jack, and the cable to my cables switch. The Google Home app wanted a picture of the QR code on the router. Turns out they've now made the QR code smaller and put it UNDER where the cables plug in. So I had to juggle unplugging the cables, holding the router, holding the phone, and trying to get it all steady enough with enough light to snap the QR code. It took many attempts. Plugged the cables back in and setup said I had good internet connection. I had internet through my wired connection. Let me say that again: I had good internet connectivity through my wired connection with the new router. The next step in the install process was to setup the Wifi network. This seemed really simple with entering the SSID/Name and password (used my old one) in the Home app. Things were looking good. The app then said it needed to "configure the Wifi network" and started "working". At that point, the *wired* connectivity stopped (!!!). The Home app then announced that the wifi was configured. I could see the SSID for the network and could log in with my phone and laptop -- but there was no actual data transferred. It showed that the Wifi connection was good but the devices were not able to connect to the Internet. And none of the wired devices had internet connectivity either -- even though they did prior to "configuring" the Wifi network of the router. I repeat the steps several times. In my research, I found TONS on online complaint about connectivity issues with the Google routers. I've decided to give up on this Google AC2200 and go with a different brand of mesh routers (TP-Link). I work from home so good networking is critical to me. Since I need to have the network working tomorrow for my job, I'm going to buy replacements from Best Buy (even though it's more expensive than Amazon). I was not encouraged about the Google produces when *all* the Google stock my local Best Buy had on the shelves were "Refurbished" and "Open-Box" components. Going with a different brand is definitely the way to go. Google, I'm surprising disappointed. Your other "products" seem so good.
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