With Nest Wifi Pro, Google is bringing the next generation of its own mesh WLAN system with router and access points. Central innovations are support for Wi-Fi 6E and the cross-manufacturer smart home standard Matter.
Wi-Fi 6E with 6 GHz< /h2>
Set the second generation of Nest Wifi (test) like the first to Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) with dual band for 2.4 and 5 GHz and 300 Mbit/s (2.4 GHz) and 867 Mbit/s (5 GHz), the third generation now offers Wi-Fi 6E direct, the latest WLAN radio standard, which, in addition to 2.4 and 5 GHz, also offers a frequency range at 6 GHz that is less congested than the other frequency bands. Google has not yet announced which transmission rates the new system supports on which frequency, but only a total speed of up to 4.2 Gbit/s. In addition to WLAN, each access point offers two Ethernet ports with 1 Gbit/s. According to Google, a single router can cover an area of up to 120 square meters, a system of two provides coverage of up to 220 square meters.
Google Nest Wifi Pro (Image: Google)
Home app for configuration and youth protection
To set up and configure the mesh system, Google uses the Google Home app, to which the device is added. Here you can also do a speed test, set up your own guest network with a separate password and share the WiFi password with others. Parental control settings in the Google Home app can also be used to define Wi-Fi schedules and block access to certain websites. The app also shows each device connected to the network to easily identify and block suspicious devices.
Threaded to border router for matter
To support Matter in the future, the Nest Wifi Pro also supports Bluetooth Low Energy and the Thread mesh network technology, which is used as the transmission protocol for Matter. This also turns the Nest Wifi Pro into a border router, which serves as an interface between the thread network and the user's local network, to which the smartphone is connected, which does not itself control a thread. This also makes it possible to control Matter-enabled devices while on the move.
Uniform design without smart speaker
After the second generation of Nest Wifi router and access point were no longer identical, but the access point also acted as a smart speaker with Google Assistant, the third generation router and access point are identical again and only the cabling with the router for the Internet connection determines role in network.
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Google Nest Wifi Pro (Image: Google)
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Google Nest Wifi Pro (Image: Google)
Pre-order starts today
In Germany, a single Nest Wifi Pro costs 219.99 euros. However, to be able to use the mesh technology, two or more devices are required. A Nest set consisting of two Nest Wifi Pro costs 329.99 euros, which is significantly cheaper than buying them individually. A set of 3 is not offered for the time being. Google Nest Wifi Pro can be pre-ordered from today, delivery and availability in stores should be guaranteed from October 27th.
Google only offers the color variant in Europe “Snow”, a “soft cotton white”, according to the company, but which has a high-gloss surface. Color variants of “Snow” (white), “Fog” (light blue), “Linen” (beige) and “Lemongrass” (green-yellow) were previously leaked in the USA.
5 years of security updates
As with Android smartphones, Google now also promises a guaranteed provision of security updates for the WLAN router. For the Nest Wifi Pro, Google guarantees security updates for at least 5 years from the date the device is listed in the Google Store USA.
ComputerBase received information about this article from Google under an NDA. The only requirement was the earliest possible publication date.