Google Wi-Fi Nest Review: All you need to know

And as it happens for several products made in Google, in Italy we are "the last to know things". In fact announced in October 2019, Nest Wi-Fi is finally available in Italy after 7 months and tries to bring inside the panorama of Router Mesh, something unique, different and particular.

Please note: remember that Nest Wi-Fi does not have a modem and therefore must always and in any case be connected via LAN cable to your main Modem which will in turn connect to the ADSL or Fiber network you have available.

Nest Wi-Fi is a product conceived and designed for all those looking for an easy, complete, immediate to use and flexible wi-fi system for all needs. Being a Mesh system, it takes advantage of all those features that distinguish these appliances:

• easy and immediate configuration
• creation of a facilitated wi-fi network
• few steps to access
• very few advanced settings

You buy Nest Wi-Fi, pull it out of the box, attach it to the socket and through Google Home application in 5 minutes you are connected with its newly created network and the ADSL line that we already have at home.

To all this is added a truly minimal design, perfect for any environment and any decor and an aesthetic refinement that we do not find in any other competing mesh system. Now, mind you, it is a rounded cube and without any particular element but it is precisely this flat effect and the white color that make it sober and technological at the same time.

Compared to the Google Wi-Fi that we reviewed in 2018, the step forward in terms of aesthetics is enormous and the matte finish and plastic processing that seems almost soft to the touch is also very much appreciated.

Before getting to the technical aspect, there is another element that must be considered as uniqueness in today's Mesh panorama. Google has literally combined the concept of Google Home (the cash desk with voice recognition system and home automation control – photo below) to that of router.

A brilliant idea, simple to implement but very effective. In practice, by purchasing the Router + satellite package, you will have a Wi-Fi system with two separate access points where, the satellite is at the same time a signal repeater, a music box, a smart speaker and a home automation access system for all our devices configured within the Google Home application.

The concept is in fact fantastic and completely changes its approach compared to the previous Google Wi-Fi while offering the same footprint and the same network functionality and flexibility of use.

But why, in my opinion, Google did the math without the host? The reasons are many and to start by analyzing the functionality of the satellite, but first you need to know the cost of the product to get a precise idea of ​​how to place everything on the market.

Nest Wi-Fi costs € 159 in Italy but I'm talking about the Router only, or the only component that allows you to have a Wi-Fi network disconnected from your operator's modem. Each satellite costs 139 € if purchased separately: you can save a little by choosing the package Router + Satellite at a cost of € 259.

The problem is that only satellites have the integrated Google Home system and therefore, by purchasing the Router only, you will not have any advantage and, still, the Router only at the price of 159 € is a choice that makes no sense being more expensive than many other excellent routers that have much more functionality.

So the € 259 package is the only choice that makes a minimum of sense if you are interested in this type of device. The provision of a speaker and microphones for recognition of the command OK Google even the Router, not only would have been much more interesting, but would have made the purchase of the Router only much more sensible, as well as allowing to have an additional home automation access point.

Please note: Nest Wi-Fi satellites can also be used with the Google Wi-Fi system of 2018 by adding them as satellites and thus also expanding the network coverage within your home.

Having clarified the point above, which is essential to understand the rest of the review and the criticisms that we will move towards this product in relation to its price, I will tell you about the positive aspects and which largely take up what I said at the time in the review. the Google Wi-Fi system.

Google as always finds in the initial configuration, in the quality of the application and in the service, the real added value. The application is not only very clear and graphically excellent, but it is also intuitive, immediate, done really well and with all the imaginable possible information we may need.

Above the Google Home app with all the basic options for Nest Wi-Fi

The app indicates the connection status of all the modules and also checks their positioning, perhaps suggesting their displacement if the signal was poor. Of all the features I described in the video, the one that makes the difference is the possibility to integrate Nest Wi-Fi with third-party home automation accessories.

Among the many products that I tested, the only one that was compatible at the moment was the lighting system Philips Hue which I have been using for some time and which I have recently expanded. In practice, the Nest Wi-Fi allows you to control all the lights by totally skipping the official application. Why? Imagine a family or an office with many people:

• Without Google Wi-Fi: Everyone must download, set up and configure the Philips Hue application by physically clicking the button on the Philips router.
• With Google Wi-Fi: you will have a web page integrated into the application where access all the lights without configuring anything. You just need to be connected to the Google network.

Above the Google W-Fi application with more controls and more advanced options to manage Nest Wi-Fi too

So if on the Smart side we also have more than what we could ask of an application for the control of a Mesh system, on the other hand, when you want something more on the configuration side, you are quite stuck. Obviously I'm not talking about DNS management and the like, but for example about network Guest.

In fact, although easily configurable, this cannot be limited in bandwidth and connection time; you cannot set a home page to open to everyone who connects and you cannot completely control access to it. In conclusion, in a professional environment, Nest Wi-Fi is difficult but not a defect: simply a choice linked to the type of product and the context of use to which it is addressed.

On the other hand, for the immediacy and completeness, all the part relating to device control, family management and settings that limit the connection are very good. on certain devices connected to the router, with days and time slots that can be programmed with extreme intuitiveness. Excellent for families with children.

Analyzing instead the satellite with the audio system, I must say that you notice the higher quality than the Google Home. Not only is the audio good (it is not a loudspeaker attention! Good is meant as a whole but it is certainly not enough to hear good quality music), but the microphones have a really high sensitivity and they can hear us even at a distance, in a low voice and or even while we have music at full volume.

In addition, the circular LEDs under the satellite are very pleasant and are colored according to what we do. Orange if the microphones were deactivated (via physical button), blue during audio calls with Google Duo and white for music and volume.

Before talking about the coverage and potential of this Nest Wi-Fi, it is correct to make you understand the test scenario which is certainly very particular compared to most people but which really allowed me to put the new Nest Wi-Fi under stress and be able to draw the relevant conclusions.

To make this test even more critical is the fact that, having tried and used the Google Wi-Fi of 2018 in the same test scenario, I hardly found any difference in performance, coverage, signal and network quality.

Final note: I return to underline how the above data are the maximum possible today in Italy for home networks. If your ADSL does not exceed 500Mbps in download / upload, you will still exploit the full potential of the infrastructure, considering however the Wi-Fi power of the satellites lower than that of the main Router.

Two years later, therefore, Nest Wi-Fi brings a concept of integration with Google Home that I liked a lot but does not bring real technical advantages despite the general hardware specifications are better.

To further complete this review I want to make a small list of that that I didn't like also taking up some points analyzed above:

1. Router that alone makes little sense by not having built-in speaker and microphones
2. The Router has only 2 LAN ports, few in general, but limiting if we think that satellites do not have any type of LAN connection. To give you an example, in the Google Wi-Fi of 2018, each satellite had 2 LANs and therefore it was possible to connect other devices such as consoles, TV or printers by cable. On Nest Wi-Fi you cannot do this and you will have to use the Wi-Fi line which, of course, will have lower performance.
3. The power goes from Type-C of Google Wi-Fi 2018 to Jack owner of Nest Wi-Fi (non sense).
4. Signal strength and network speed practically unchanged compared to 2 years ago
5. Important cost in relation to the flexibility offered by the product which has almost no real expandability.
6. Indication on the network speed to which you are connected via cable in the application that could be misleading by making you believe that it is that of the Wi-Fi network, which obviously is not.
7. The Google limit remains in the home automation approach, which is much slower than Alexa as a response and reception time for "Home" commands.

Having reached the conclusions, I hope I have given you a complete examination of the product and that you have all the elements that allow you to evaluate the purchase or not of the new Mesh Nest Wi-fi system.

I have not listed the complete technical characteristics that you can still find on the official website, but I have focused on the general experience and capabilities of the product. If I had to think of a typical buyer, I would say that it is suitable for those who want a "ready" solution, easy to configure, aesthetically very pleasing and a user who uses Google as their preferred system for managing their home automation and smart digital life. A person who will never go looking for advanced settings and who may only have needs related to guest network and family control.

For everyone else, a Google Wi-Fi is better, maybe with 3 satellites for € 199 and a Google Home for € 49. You will spend less, you will have a wide coverage and the same software settings.