The Google Nest Wifi Pro is quick, attractive, and simple to use.
But this time, don’t anticipate having built-in smart speakers.
Even if the Google Nest Wifi was introduced in 2019, it is still a fantastic choice.
However, since it doesn’t have Wi-Fi 6, it is really beginning to age.
Enter the Google Nest Wifi Pro, which improves upon its predecessor in a number of ways, including compatibility for Wi-Fi 6E.
One of the most obvious shortcomings in the Nest Wifi was its inability to handle Wi-Fi 6, thus the switch to Wi-Fi 6E is much appreciated.
But not all of it is an enhancement.
The built-in Google Assistant speakers included in the Nest Wifi Pro’s predecessor are removed.
Is the new Google router’s gain worth what it has given up?
In our evaluation of the Google Nest Wifi Pro, let’s find out.
$199.99, £189.99, or €219.99 will get you one Google Nest Wifi Pro device.
$299 / €329 for a pair of Google Nest Wifi Pro.
Price: $399.99 / £379.99 for three Google Nest Wifi Pro units.
A successor to the Nest Wifi is the Google Nest Wifi Pro (2nd gen).
The Nest Wifi Pro is a mesh router, just like all of Google’s earlier models.
In essence, a mesh router distributes your network equally throughout your home or place of business using many nodes.
Additionally, it considerably lowers the weak spots that traditional routers are known for.
Although the Pro can support up to 2,200 square feet per router, it can still be quite helpful to have more than one router in a smaller home to lessen
The Nest Wifi Pro differs significantly from its predecessor in a number of ways, the most notable of which being the support for Wi-Fi 6 and 6E that was already noted.
It has a theoretical maximum speed of 5.4Gbps, which is more than twice as fast as the theoretical maximum speed of the Google Nest WiFi.
Remember that actual speeds are by no means anything close to that.
Actual control over how the router connects each device is not something you have.
The tri-band router alternates between the 2.5GHz, 5GHz, and a single 6GHz frequency automatically.
It’s also important to note that the 6GHz spectrum is largely used for inter-node communication.
Although it is possible to directly connect suitable devices to the 6GHz band, as we’ll discuss a little later in this review, you’ll probably be better off on the 2.5 or 5GHz bands.
The design of the Nest Wifi Pro differs significantly from that of the Nest Wifi from generation two.
The 2019 Nest Wifi included a central router that served as the network’s brain, supported by additional Nest Wifi devices or less expensive extenders referred to as Nest Wifi Points.
The Points were Google Assistant speakers but lacked ethernet access.
All of that is done away with by the Nest Wi-Fi Pro.
If you have many devices, you can use any one of them as your main router and the others as extenders.
The nodes are somewhat more than five inches height and slightly more than three inches broad, making them slightly larger than the WiFi Nest router and larger still compared to the Points. While the Nest Wifi hardware has completely rounded edges, the Pro has slightly boxier design but still has rounded corners.
The built-in Google Assistant speakers are among the luxuries that are removed from the Google Nest Wifi Pro, which also adds a tonne of new functions.
The absence of smart speaker capabilities is another significant shift.
None of Google’s Pro-tier routers can be used as a substitute for a Google Nest speaker because they lack an audio setup similar to the Nest Wifi Points.
The Nest WiFi system did have ports on the main routers, however they were simply ethernet connections.
The guaranteed two ethernet ports per node, however, open up more opportunities because of their ethernet ports now that the nodes are always the same.
First, you may set up a wireless backhaul with the Pro for those who desire quicker communication between the nodes.
By doing this, the nodes can communicate without the need for the 6GHz frequency.
Additionally, bridges and other wired smart home devices can benefit from the additional ports.
The majority of mesh routers available are available in neutral shades like grey, white, black, or a combination of these.
Google uses real earth tones, but in a totally different way.
There are four colours available for selection:
Snow (seen), Lemongrass, Linen, and Fog.
The price of the Google Nest Wifi Pro ranges from $200 for a single router to $400 for a three-pack.
The Wifi Pro is available from major stores including Amazon, Best Buy, and Google directly in all of its variants.
With the Nest Wifi Pro, Google aims to offer a 6E-capable router at a more reasonable price than the typical $400 to $1,000 range.
If you need Wi-Fi 6E support but are on a tight budget, you’ll discover that the Pro offers comparable performance and functionality for less money.
Multi-Gig support is the only unaddressed elephant in the room.
The Pro’s ethernet connections are limited to one Gigabit, which won’t be an issue for the majority of us.
If you want to make the most of your ISP, individuals with faster connections might want to think about switching to another router.
