Wifi Bird’s Nest Pro is Google’s newest mesh router. In keeping with the company’s trend of simplicity, this grid system is easy to set up and easy to manage. But the moniker “Pro” doesn’t seem appropriate given the lack of advanced features and settings—it really just refers to Google adopting Wi-Fi 6E. The newly opened 6 GHz band offers plenty of untapped bandwidth and you don’t have to be a pro to take advantage of it.
After a month of using the Nest Wifi Pro, I was both impressed and disappointed. Those looking to upgrade to Wi-Fi 6E will be sorely tempted by the price: the Nest Wifi Pro costs $199 for one router, $299 for two, or $399 for three. That’s a relatively affordable price for a tri-band mesh with 6GHz support. Nest Wifi Pro is also simple, easy to use and reliable, but it feels simple compared to other devices grid systemand the speed is obviously average.
Keep it simple, silly
Photo: Google
Minimalist, shiny capsule design that looks a lot like a giant pixel buds The carrying case (the company’s wireless headphones) and the router come in four colors: Snow, Fog, Linen, or Lemongrass. They are small and unobtrusive enough to fit on shelves and windowsills and should match any decor. I tried three white packs (er, Snow).
All three devices are identical, with two Gigabit Ethernet ports each. Each can cover up to 2,200 square feet and connect up to 100 devices. My backpack comes with a 6.5-foot Ethernet cable, and setup is as simple as plugging it into my modem and scanning the QR code on the bottom of each device. When you add routers (Google calls them points), you’ll get an indication of the coverage of your chosen location. I added one to the living room at the back of the house and another upstairs. I had to move the latter a bit before it turned green and said to me, “Great connection.”
The Nest Wifi Pro is Google’s first Wi-Fi 6E router, and it’s a tri-band system, so the familiar 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands are combined with the 6GHz band. As we go through the frequency bands, the potential speed increases but the range decreases, so 6 GHz provides the fastest speed but the shortest range. (Ours How to buy a router The instructions go into more detail.)
The Nest Wifi Pro uses the 6 GHz band for back-to-back transmission, which is how the router and the point send traffic back and forth. As I’ve noted with other 6E Wi-Fi systems, the 6 GHz band is short and doesn’t penetrate walls and other obstacles very well, so your router should perform at its best. with line of sight or through a wall or ceiling. To enjoy that high potential 6GHz speed, you need devices that support Wi-Fi 6E, and there aren’t many at the moment. However, switching backhaul to the 6 GHz band will leave the 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz bands free for your device. A wired backbone, if you can run Ethernet cables around the house, will provide the best performance.
Performance and coverage turned out solid in my testing. My house is about 1,600 square feet, and the Nest Wifi Pro provides a strong Wi-Fi signal everywhere, including my backyard. Our family of four regularly plays games, video calls, and streams with everyone online simultaneously, and we haven’t experienced any lag, buffering, or hiccups in our several weeks of testing. Downloading a 30GB game took 15 minutes.
