Google Nest Wifi Pro 4 pack Costco $369.99

[ATLga]

https://www.costco.com/google-nest-wifi-pro%2C-wi-fi-6e%2C-4-pack.product.4000053084.html

June 4 to June 18.

 

[ATLga]

https://www.costco.com/google-nest-wifi-pro%2C-wi-fi-6e%2C-4-pack.product.4000053084.html

June 4 to June 18.

Looking for any real world input on these. I have a family member that is hours away and this would be the easiest set it a forget it system I can think of that doesn't break the bank either. I'm aware of perceived privacy issues using G, also I've read the bad reviews going back to when these first came out, particularly the throughput. G finally got that sorted out with firmware updates. I haven't personally used them so don't know if they provide good speeds, etc. Use case is a 5000 sq ft house with large outdoor area that includes pool and guest house by the pool. Gig internet service. Probably wouldn't need all four of the units that are in the pack but it can be shelved till needed. Wired backhaul too.

 

[Tech Junky]

If it's like anything else at Costco they're probably cheaper in store. For the pro/6E model it's a decent price.

Wired back haul should keep the speed up but, if they have 1ge ports it defeats the 6e option or 160mhz bandwidth.

 

[ATLga]

If it's like anything else at Costco they're probably cheaper in store. For the pro/6E model it's a decent price.

Wired back haul should keep the speed up but, if they have 1ge ports it defeats the 6e option or 160mhz bandwidth.

House has gig service so no problem there. Most likely 160 would be turned off too since it requires wpa3 and that’s problematic with some of the clients.

 

[L&LD]

160MHz does not require WPA 3.

 

[Tech9]

Looking for any real world input on these.

@Viktor Jaep can give you real world experience.

It's one of the better engineered home "mesh" Wi-Fi systems.

 

[ATLga]

160MHz does not require WPA 3.

I’ve read that it does on these units though for some reason. Apparently it’s not well documented but there are multiple comments in various online sources that say it has to be set to wpa3 for 160 to work.

 

[Tech Junky]

Google Nest Wifi Pro Review: A Wi-Fi 6E Blunder | DKT

Google's latest Nest Wifi Pro Wi-Fi 6E mesh router is a joke if you take the "Pro" notion seriously. But it's not all bad, either.

dongknows.com

Shows support for WPA/2/3 Just set it up to support both 2/3 for the PSK and be done with it. WPA3 was only a certification requirement in the last couple of years to move things forward when it comes to securing things.

Just like more junk devices it's configured from the phone app. KISS at its most basic.

 

[ATLga]

Google Nest Wifi Pro Review: A Wi-Fi 6E Blunder | DKT

Google's latest Nest Wifi Pro Wi-Fi 6E mesh router is a joke if you take the "Pro" notion seriously. But it's not all bad, either.

dongknows.com

Shows support for WPA/2/3 Just set it up to support both 2/3 for the PSK and be done with it. WPA3 was only a certification requirement in the last couple of years to move things forward when it comes to securing things.

Just like more junk devices it's configured from the phone app. KISS at its most basic.

Dongs review is one of many that I read. Lot of good reviews too which is why I asked for some real world use input. Maybe Viktor will jump in here when he sees his mention. Was also aware of the phone app setup but it’s a household that already uses the Home app for some other google devices.

 

[Tech9]

Avoid Don'tKnow's website. Not a good source of information.

 

[Viktor Jaep]

@Viktor Jaep can give you real world experience.

It's one of the better engineered home "mesh" Wi-Fi systems.

@ATLga ... what would you like to know?

I have a 4-set Google Pro wifi mesh sitting behind my GT-AX6000... I got it solely for the purpose of ease-of-use for my family's purposes, for all our smart-home crap, and because this mesh stuff just works without any configuration needed. It lets them control devices, turn lights on/off, etc.

The downside is that the interface to manage the wifi is done through the google home app, and it's EXTREMELY simplistic. You really don't have a lot of choice to do anything... but I guess that's OK for those who need a set-and-forget kind of setup. I think it's excellent for integration with the smarthome components, as they all integrate really well with the google home app.

In my scenario, the entire google pro wifi mesh system is at the mercy of everything running on my AX-6000... so yeah, the entire family + devices must traverse over my VPN to get out to the internet... they are protected by skynet... they are protected by diversion... and they have no earthly idea.

 

[Tech Junky]

Most of us around here use AP's if we've graduated from items off the shelf at the local store.

The only perk of bigger names w/ the ability to roll out newer tech at scale quicker than other companies is just that. 6E has been slow to roll out and most at this point are just waiting for BE / 7 since it will be able to handle 320mhz channels. Translates to 3-5gbps per client with the right setup. The issue right now with some companies rolling it out are going to be port limited to 10gbps in the best case scenario but advertising up to an absurd 40gbps over wifi.

Nest / Netgear / etc. rolling out pucks / mesh though are for the simple deployment. In comparison to actual APs though they're disappointing in performance compared to slightly higher end SMB level hardware. Putting a 2.5/5/10GE port on them unleashes the full potential compared to consumer oriented gear stuck at 1GE.

@ATLga for your intended audience and not wanting to field support calls from family it should work fine. Finding first hand accounts though around here in Asus land probably won't happen from a large sample pool though. As long as it's a simple setup w/o anything hyper personalized it should work fin and if it doesn't then take it back to costco and find something different.

 

[sfx2000]

I've done some testing on Google Nest Wifi...

As I see it... the SNB forum audience is not what this device is targeted - there's very little control here.

That being said - it's decent, easy to set up, and it does default to IPv4/WPA2 - you need to turn those on...

Upside of the Google Nest Wifi devices is that they integrate with Google Home, and this goes over the WAN side as part of your Google Account. This means you have secure access to the management function over the internet. You can check in and see what's attached, and reboot both the primary and secondary nodes in the mesh.

This is perhaps the right MESH system you can send over to your 70 year old mom, and be comfortable that it just works..

 

[sfx2000]

Shows support for WPA/2/3 Just set it up to support both 2/3 for the PSK and be done with i

I'm a proponent of encouraging folks to enable WPA2/3 - folks should use it if they can. I'd like to do WPA3 only, but with the IoT devices in the house, that's a conditional thing.

 

[Tech9]

and it's EXTREMELY simplistic

This is the idea. Most users don't know what an IP address is.

folks should use it if they can

IoTs with mostly cheap Wi-Fi complain with PMF enabled, required by WPA3.

 

[sfx2000]

IoTs with mostly cheap Wi-Fi complain with PMF enabled, required by WPA3.

google nest devices - if you enable WPA3 - they'll do WPA2/3 mode, and PMF is optional there - they do PMF if the client station supports it - I've seen /collected the PCAP's

Nice thing is that in 2.4GHz - they do 11n native - no VHT/HE modes, and no ability to change things.

 

[Tech9]

If they do plain 11n on 2.4GHz with WPA2 only - good enough. I'm sure Google doesn't want extra troubleshooting calls. Other manufacturers advice to make 2.4GHz as compatible as possible for IoTs even if other options are available, like Asus here:

[Wireless Router] How to improve compatibility of IoT device with ASUS WiFi 6(802.11 ax) router? | Official Support | ASUS Global

 

[sfx2000]

If they do plain 11n on 2.4GHz with WPA2 only - good enough. I'm sure Google doesn't want extra troubleshooting calls. Other manufacturers advice to make 2.4GHz as compatible as possible for IoTs even if other options are available, like Asus here:

Google Nest is QC-Atheros

I've been chasing down a bug in Broadcom's WL driver - in WL_2 it goes into a place where Intel, Mediatek, and Espressif in my debug can go into a very dark place because of TurboQAM.

Yes, this is a potential security issue with Broadcom.

 

[Tech9]

Google knows. In my own experience Qualcomm based Wi-Fi products are better.

 

[ATLga]

Thanks everyone for the feedback.
To reduce calls about these, I would definitely be setting them up with 160 off and wpa2 only. Lots of iot devices in the mix and an airport not far away too.