Google Nest Wifi Mesh WiFi System Review

1. Introduction2. Google Nest Wifi3. Google Nest Wifi Administration Interface4. Google Nest Wifi Analysis5. Closing Thoughts6. View All Pages

 

The packaging is reassuringly clean and wholesome. The Nest Wifi devices will sit unobtrusively alongside your abstract wooden owl sculptures, if the box image is anything to go by.

Inside can be found two rather cute round power supplies for the two units, plus a ribbon Ethernet cable for connecting to your broadband.

The units are attractively rounded, like two very large chewable Mentos mints. We'd recommend not eating them, however.

The two Google Nest Wifi units look very similar. The router has a Google “G” on the top and the satellite doesn't, whilst the latter has a speaker grille on the bottom plus four field microphone holes on the top.

The satellite is also subtly smaller than the router, but both otherwise have the same rounded appearance, which we prefer to the more angular original Google units. Both devices will look at home on your shelf at, well, home.

Only the router has Ethernet ports. They are both Gigabit Ethernet, with one for the WAN broadband connection and the other for a wired LAN device. This is far fewer than many mesh WiFi devices, particularly NETGEAR's Orbis. There aren't any USB ports either, for attaching external storage or printers.

Overall, then, the Google Nest Wifi is short on physical features. The devices are meant to be as unobtrusive as possible, whilst providing a satellite that offers Google Home. Next, let's look at setup and management.

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