Google’s latest routers aren’t just routers. Or rather, if you buy a standalone Nest WiFi for $149, what you get is an AC2200 MU-MIMO router that Google says offers 25-percent better coverage than the older Google WiFi.

But if you buy a 2-pack or 3-pack you get that same router plus an access point (or two) with built-in smart speaker capabilities.

Basically Google says each Nest WiFi Point can do everything a Nest Home Mini smart speaker can do… plus it can expand your network coverage.

Google says a 2-pack can cover a 3,800 square-foot home, which should be good enough for the vast majority of homes in the United States. And the system is expandable, so you can add access points down the road.

Like Google’s earlier routers, a key selling point is simplicity — you set up the routers by plugging them in and then running a Google Home app on your phone, which will guide you through the setup process.

Google says the app will also let you manage multiple households, if you’re the resident IT expert in your family, for example.

The Nest WiFi comes in white, blue, and pink color options (Google calls them “snow, sand, and mist,” and each model has an enclosure made from 40-45 percent post-consumer recycled plastic.

Pre-orders start today, with the nest WIFi set to ship November 4th. There are three pricing options available at launch:

  • Nest WiFi for $149
  • 2-pack for $269 (1 Nest WiFi + Nest WiFi Point)
  • 3-pack for $349 (1 Nest WiFi +  Nest WiFi Points)

Support Liliputing

Liliputing's primary sources of revenue are advertising and affiliate links (if you click the "Shop" button at the top of the page and buy something on Amazon, for example, we'll get a small commission).

But there are several ways you can support the site directly even if you're using an ad blocker* and hate online shopping.

Contribute to our Patreon campaign

or...

Contribute via PayPal

* If you are using an ad blocker like uBlock Origin and seeing a pop-up message at the bottom of the screen, we have a guide that may help you disable it.

Subscribe to Liliputing via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 9,547 other subscribers

One reply on “Google’s Nest WiFi combines mesh networking, smart speaker tech”

  1. “Google says a 2-pack can cover a 3,800 square-foot home”

    I have a <600 sq ft home. If anything I'd choose a device with *less* area coverage, to reduce congestion in my apartment building and to on the margin reduce the (albeit not major) risk of someone hacking my network.

    It feels like Google has bundled two things, now three things, into one product

    1. turnkey router with automatic updates backed by a company known to take security seriously (compared to some of the run of the mill router companies who have a track record of leaving devices unpatched and having horribly bad UI using outdated technologies)

    2. mesh networking to cover a massive area, like a huge house with outdoor areas

    3. smart speaker/voice assistant

    I'm the type of user who only wants 1 but it seems Google has no plans to cater to that. I guess everyone else is living in 3,800 square-foot homes…

Comments are closed.