Very Quick
"This could be a good thing for some and that was indeed one reason why I purchased this system (because my wife wanted something that she could fix when I was gone and she knows zero and cares zero about computer networks) That said, I think there is a limit to how simple one can or should make something that is fundamentally technically complex."
"Now this is rather a pain since, if you like me, don't have multiple ethernet networks in your house and have only one its pretty well near impossible to run a cable from the main wifi-point (in the kitchen in my case) all the way over to the remote one (in the art studio)."
"You can see which devices are connected to which wifi points and how much bandwidth they are using (each device also automatically connects to the nearest wifi point in real time)."
"Second, unpack and plug in power of your first Google WiFi router and connect it to your chosen stand alone cable modem via ethernet cable."
"IN BRIEF + devices are attractive and work well (once set up) + the Google Wifi app does facilitate certain tasks + it was relatively simple to add another user as a network manager + wireless speeds are better and more consistent than with our old router + any of the access points can be used to connect a wired device via a LAN port + you can still use a networking switch downstream from access points + guest Wifi setup is straightforward - you need to have a Gmail account to set up and manage your network - setup can be difficult if you wish to use any of the advanced options (see below) - you can't force a firmware update to the access points, which might be necessary for advanced networking options (IP address, DHCP, DNS, etc."
"I tried the overpriced UB - UNIFI MESH W-Fi system before this and that was really nice but my T-Mobile Wi-Fi calling didn't stay connected on my iPhones when I was home and at the time that problem seemed like a huge problem to me LOL, now its not that bad to be honest and that is where I will go back to if Google Wi-FI does not work out."
"If you're really serious about gaming or you like to tweak every last setting on your equipment to get the best performance possible, you probably want a different setup, a gaming router and network extender may suit you better."
Google WiFi system, 3-Pack - Router replacement for whole home coverage (NLS-1304-25) (Click to Compare Deals)
Quick
"This could be a good thing for some and that was indeed one reason why I purchased this system (because my wife wanted something that she could fix when I was gone and she knows zero and cares zero about computer networks) That said, I think there is a limit to how simple one can or should make something that is fundamentally technically complex... upon clicking this takes you to a verbose help article which i am compelled to paste here in it's entirety so as to save others like me a lot of wasted time: "Bridge mode Most people won t need bridge mode, but for those who do, we ve outlined some recommended setups below... If you are only using a single Google Wifi point andDouble NAT is causing problems, you have two options: Enable bridge mode on your ISP-provided modem/router (RECOMMENDED) Enable bridge mode on your primary Wifi point (NOT RECOMMENDED" OK!"
"assuming they are not wired to anything to pass packets back (as I describe above that makes no sense to due to power cycle issues), you can hook a device to a remote unit's network jack (there are two of them) and have it use the network.... So it would look something like this (forgive the horrible ascii drawing) Router <----network---> port 1-Main-Wifi-point- port2 ---<other network>-- Remote-Wifi-point The idea here is that the Remote-Wifi-point has to get its IP-Address from your Main-Wifi point... Now this is rather a pain since, if you like me, don't have multiple ethernet networks in your house and have only one its pretty well near impossible to run a cable from the main wifi-point (in the kitchen in my case) all the way over to the remote one (in the art studio)."
"Despite having a beefy router/modem combo Netgear unit, it just wasn't able to give a reliable connection to our living room tv; enough that we just were not able to stream netflix or other apps without giving us headaches... You can see which devices are connected to which wifi points and how much bandwidth they are using (each device also automatically connects to the nearest wifi point in real time)... I haven't tried another mesh system so for all I know anther system would be working just as good, but google products have always left a good impression on me and this one doesn't disappoint!"
"The key is getting a strong signal everywhere so that speed is not compromised when weaker areas are attempting access in whatever capacity/form ie Iphone, Netflix, gaming etc... He also said the standard extenders are garbage because in order to benefit, they need to have a strong signal to them to begin with then the user has to manually connect to it time and time again... Second, unpack and plug in power of your first Google WiFi router and connect it to your chosen stand alone cable modem via ethernet cable."
"IN BRIEF + devices are attractive and work well (once set up) + the Google Wifi app does facilitate certain tasks + it was relatively simple to add another user as a network manager + wireless speeds are better and more consistent than with our old router + any of the access points can be used to connect a wired device via a LAN port + you can still use a networking switch downstream from access points + guest Wifi setup is straightforward - you need to have a Gmail account to set up and manage your network - setup can be difficult if you wish to use any of the advanced options (see below) - you can't force a firmware update to the access points, which might be necessary for advanced networking options (IP address, DHCP, DNS, etc. ) - app error messages are not verbose or helpful, and troubleshooting options are limited - each access point only has one LAN port (also no USB connectivity, which admittedly is rare) - only manageable via an app (and a device that can run it) - still lacks some advanced customization options, though future updates might address this IN DETAIL Because a couple devices on our home LAN have static IP addresses (including an Amahi home server), I wanted to minimize frustrations by simply changing the default IP address of the Google Wifi LAN (192... I read that forcing the device to reboot via the app might help push the update, so I tried that and left it alone for about 20 minutes, after which point it actually updated and I was able to make the DHCP changes in the advanced settings panel."
"Basically what I am saying is use basic logic, if devices worked before installing Google Wi-Fi and now they don't work or partially work its highly likely due to double NAT (Network Address Translation) OR your devices only use the 2... I tried the overpriced UB - UNIFI MESH W-Fi system before this and that was really nice but my T-Mobile Wi-Fi calling didn't stay connected on my iPhones when I was home and at the time that problem seemed like a huge problem to me LOL, now its not that bad to be honest and that is where I will go back to if Google Wi-FI does not work out... To Google, I took the time to tell you in detail where your deficiencies are, both here in this review and directly to you, it is my sincere hope you add a way to turn off the NAT for multiple nodes or figure out why DMZ is not functioning the same as a true bridge and make it work so it does."
"Technically there is enough bandwidth for the Xbox which doesn't use all that much, but the other devices are using much more... The app is easy to use and you can check on your network from your phone from anywhere (which is how I realized the power got knocked out at my house before I got home one day)... If you're really serious about gaming or you like to tweak every last setting on your equipment to get the best performance possible, you probably want a different setup, a gaming router and network extender may suit you better."
Less Quick
"Based on speeds alone, I'd say the Google gets 3 stars because I have heard of much better speeds from mesh dual radio systems but still, 43MBps at the far reaches of the mesh is plenty for streaming video... This could be a good thing for some and that was indeed one reason why I purchased this system (because my wife wanted something that she could fix when I was gone and she knows zero and cares zero about computer networks) That said, I think there is a limit to how simple one can or should make something that is fundamentally technically complex... Since I have already a VERY high performance Ubiquiti router, this review was important to me because it meant that I can implement Google Wifi as a wifi mesh solution only and not disturb my very high performing core wired network or routing... upon clicking this takes you to a verbose help article which i am compelled to paste here in it's entirety so as to save others like me a lot of wasted time: "Bridge mode Most people won t need bridge mode, but for those who do, we ve outlined some recommended setups below... If you are only using a single Google Wifi point andDouble NAT is causing problems, you have two options: Enable bridge mode on your ISP-provided modem/router (RECOMMENDED) Enable bridge mode on your primary Wifi point (NOT RECOMMENDED" OK!... Well for starters the router functionality itself will become the bottle neck in your network quite easily if you have traffic of a typical house (50=-75 devices including IoT, security cameras, mobile devices, consoles, HiFi, Smart TVs, etc... It should be noted that unlike setting up an Apple device where you know there will be that one screen during setup that asks you permission to turn on reporting back to Apple, with this Google Wifi there was no such screen or notification during setup."
"They use basically a Manet network, the idea (for all you non-network folks and maybe even some that have never heard the term) is that multiple units will all appear as the same wifi network... Well if you have to set two of these just a bit too far apart, but you happen to have a hard wired connection, then they can pass off packets over the wire making the distance evaporate... which means you basically can't use that feature if you don't want to march out to where you have these things everytime the power blinks out... assuming they are not wired to anything to pass packets back (as I describe above that makes no sense to due to power cycle issues), you can hook a device to a remote unit's network jack (there are two of them) and have it use the network.... Turns out that its "not" a software bug, but a feature :o So basically you *can* link a remote google wifi with your main one, its just you can't do it over your lan... So it would look something like this (forgive the horrible ascii drawing) Router <----network---> port 1-Main-Wifi-point- port2 ---<other network>-- Remote-Wifi-point The idea here is that the Remote-Wifi-point has to get its IP-Address from your Main-Wifi point... Now this is rather a pain since, if you like me, don't have multiple ethernet networks in your house and have only one its pretty well near impossible to run a cable from the main wifi-point (in the kitchen in my case) all the way over to the remote one (in the art studio)."
"* So I've had this for over a month now and it, amazingly, has solved all my previous issues without adding/causing me any more problems... Despite having a beefy router/modem combo Netgear unit, it just wasn't able to give a reliable connection to our living room tv; enough that we just were not able to stream netflix or other apps without giving us headaches... I do have something called a "double nat" which isn't he best according to my xbox, but so far it hasn't given me any issues and I have had absolutely no lag/jitter when playing... You can test the internet speed in your home, the connection quality between point, and even the connection to every individual device currently accessing the internet. You can see which devices are connected to which wifi points and how much bandwidth they are using (each device also automatically connects to the nearest wifi point in real time)... I haven't tried another mesh system so for all I know anther system would be working just as good, but google products have always left a good impression on me and this one doesn't disappoint!... Also, I don't mean to talk bad about another product, but the orbi system had an alarming amount of negative reviews about constantly dropping connection while google wifi had almost no reviews relating to that issue."
"The key is getting a strong signal everywhere so that speed is not compromised when weaker areas are attempting access in whatever capacity/form ie Iphone, Netflix, gaming etc... He also said the standard extenders are garbage because in order to benefit, they need to have a strong signal to them to begin with then the user has to manually connect to it time and time again. If the user is in their room on their iPhone and they leave, go down stairs then they lose the connection to the extender, have to reconnect to the main WiFi router and so goes the story... Second, unpack and plug in power of your first Google WiFi router and connect it to your chosen stand alone cable modem via ethernet cable... I took my second WiFi router and put it in my master bedroom as this is a familiar dead spot and is a location that was a great perimeter point of reference to create a triangle line effect with regards to covering the entire house... The Result: So, just to see how strong the signal was, I ran a test from the google app, then from my son s Xbox and finally from my cox at home app just so I had an unbiased result with real congruence... Now, I am finally benefiting from the speed I purchase, don t have to reconnect to different extenders and DON T need my entire house rewired for data access."
"IN BRIEF + devices are attractive and work well (once set up) + the Google Wifi app does facilitate certain tasks + it was relatively simple to add another user as a network manager + wireless speeds are better and more consistent than with our old router + any of the access points can be used to connect a wired device via a LAN port + you can still use a networking switch downstream from access points + guest Wifi setup is straightforward - you need to have a Gmail account to set up and manage your network - setup can be difficult if you wish to use any of the advanced options (see below) - you can't force a firmware update to the access points, which might be necessary for advanced networking options (IP address, DHCP, DNS, etc. ) - app error messages are not verbose or helpful, and troubleshooting options are limited - each access point only has one LAN port (also no USB connectivity, which admittedly is rare) - only manageable via an app (and a device that can run it) - still lacks some advanced customization options, though future updates might address this IN DETAIL Because a couple devices on our home LAN have static IP addresses (including an Amahi home server), I wanted to minimize frustrations by simply changing the default IP address of the Google Wifi LAN (192... The app gave me the option to do this (once I was through the initial access point setup -- I wish it were baked into the auto configuration, as it would simply things), but the changes I tried to make in-app wouldn't stick... After doing a little reading online I determined that my Wifi devices shipped with an older firmware -- one that didn't yet support this advanced functionality (which apparently began with v... I read that forcing the device to reboot via the app might help push the update, so I tried that and left it alone for about 20 minutes, after which point it actually updated and I was able to make the DHCP changes in the advanced settings panel... 1) to set up the network, but once we established the mesh wireless network with the same SSID/password of my previous (now uninstalled) network, my phone wouldn't join it, even though my wife's joined it instantaneously. In fact her phone immediately received an option from the network to share the password with my device (an interesting feature), which seemed pointless because our devices were using the same (i."
"Cons: If you have more than one unit you are forced to use NAT on the main unit, thus making your entire network a NAT, which in many cases causes it to be a sub-NAT if your router is not bridgeable... I unplugged them, reset them over and over and nothing fixed it until I also reset them and put them back on my Apple Airport Extreme that was hooked directly to my AT&T modem, BAM the schedule started to work... Basically what I am saying is use basic logic, if devices worked before installing Google Wi-Fi and now they don't work or partially work its highly likely due to double NAT (Network Address Translation) OR your devices only use the 2... I tried the overpriced UB - UNIFI MESH W-Fi system before this and that was really nice but my T-Mobile Wi-Fi calling didn't stay connected on my iPhones when I was home and at the time that problem seemed like a huge problem to me LOL, now its not that bad to be honest and that is where I will go back to if Google Wi-FI does not work out... To Google, I took the time to tell you in detail where your deficiencies are, both here in this review and directly to you, it is my sincere hope you add a way to turn off the NAT for multiple nodes or figure out why DMZ is not functioning the same as a true bridge and make it work so it does. There are / will be a LOT of customers that have smart devices in their homes that don't understand why suddenly some of their stuff stops working and will just give up and send your devices back. I personally think you could have done a better job being compatible with devices, it almost seems like some stubborn decisions were made on your part to force NAT and 5 Ghz on your users Google?"
"The main access point is in place of the old router, and then there is one is the basement room near the TV with the Fire Stick, and the third is in a bedroom at the other end of the house. I probably could have just used two to cover our space, but it was a 3 pack and I had all three up and running in about 20 minutes... I am not entirely sure how the prioritization works, because I have noticed some hard lag spikes when other devices are downloading or doing a lot of streaming. Technically there is enough bandwidth for the Xbox which doesn't use all that much, but the other devices are using much more... Overall if you just want great coverage across your space, a simple setup and don't want to tinker with a lot of network settings to get it to run right, this is a great product for you. The app is easy to use and you can check on your network from your phone from anywhere (which is how I realized the power got knocked out at my house before I got home one day)... If you're really serious about gaming or you like to tweak every last setting on your equipment to get the best performance possible, you probably want a different setup, a gaming router and network extender may suit you better."
