I was in the same situation as others who have reviewed this product. We have a 2 story home and a finished basement. Prior to googles mesh system I had to have two routers to get a "decent" signal throughout my home. I tried extenders but they were worthless. I had to have several wireless networks setup. So you would have to switch networks if you wanted a decent signal in the basement. Once I hooked up this system I had a strong signal from top to bottom of my house. You will notice the difference in internet speeds in my picture once I switched over to google wifi (June 14).
People have complained about loss of flexibity and tweaking since they have to use their phone to configure the google network. I have no issues with doing anything I did prior to using this. I work from home and connect to my employer via VPN with no issues. I can view network traffic, turn off internet for the kids and see how many devices are connected at the click of a button on my phone. No longing into the router from my desktop or my phones tiny browser. When you walk from one level to the next, I can see which google router I am connected to. It automatically switches to the closest one as advertised.
Bought a new home and setup internet service. Didn't have a router so was looking to purchase one. Google WiFi works great. I have 100 Mbps service from my ISP. On WiFi using the 5 Ghz band, which Google WiFi chooses automatically (it chooses between 2.4 Ghz or 5 Ghz band, whichever signal is better, providing you have BOTH bands available), I get full speed (speedtest.net shows 110 Mbps down, 6 mbps up) as if I was on a wired connection. I was surprised, because I thought I would get around 60-70 Mbps, not the full speed offered. I thought I would have to get a crazy expensive gaming router with 20 antennas that looks like Sauron's helmet from Lord of the Rings to get those speeds, but Google WiFi does that for $170 less and it has cool sci-fi-ish looks.
Tips and advice:
1. To get full WiFi speed, make sure your device (PC, laptop, tablet, phone, etc.) has both 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz bands. If you don't you'll be stuck at around 30 Mbps to 70 Mbps.
2. A SINGLE Google WiFi covers 1500 ft. Make sure you're within that range, or get more to create a mesh network so you fall within WiFi range. My home was 1300 ft. so I only needed one.
3. The Google WiFi router only has two ethernet ports, one of which is used to connect to the modem. If you need more wired ports, buy an ethernet switch and connect the router to the switch.
4. When WiFi first connects, it will likely connect you to the 2.4 Ghz band. Don't freak out. If you have a 5 Ghz band and the signal is good, it will connect you within 24 hours. It connected me to 2.4 Ghz band the first time I connected for a long while, but the next day when I started my PC again, it was now using the 5 Ghz band.
Adding the wifi points to the OnHub router allows you to create a mesh network that covers your entire house while allowing your laptops, smartphones, tablets, and other devices to seamlessly switch between the closest access point with the best signal. Google OnHub and Google WiFi points use technology called Network Assist to provide the fastest possible speed. Behind the scenes, Network Assist automatically helps to avoid Wi-Fi congestion, and transitions devices to the closest Wifi point for the best signal.
The network is then controlled through the Google Wifi app. Use it to share the Wi-Fi password, see what devices are online, and prioritize them for better performance. It also has Google Wifi’s family control which allows devices on the network to be paused. The Google OnHub and Google WiFi points work together to create a strong, dependable wifi network for you and your family.
The attached video from our YouTube channel -Smart Home Tech- shows the step by step setup process and some speed tests.
Ok, so our old router was SUPER old. Maybe 10 years old. Probably anything made now is lightyears better than it. We were having issues with it since we've added many devices over the last couple of years. We have one three smartphones, two tablets, one WiFi PC, a wireless printer, a Google Home, a Google Home mini, two smart bulbs, one smart plug, a WII U, and a Roku. I read the router could be the problem, so I bit the bullet and ordered this.
I just LOVE how easy this was to set up. Our house is a 1400sf L shape, with the kitchen and dining on the short side of the L and the bedrooms on the long side. We have the router in the living room where the cable modem and Ooma router are, in the corner of the L. I was worried that the signal would not reach my room, which is the farthest, but I usually get the FULL signal there. It literally took me five minutes to set it all up.
Now all of our devices are working well and I LOVE that I can shut off the wifi to devices individually (hello TEEN and PRETEEN children!) and have a separate Wifi signal for guests without having to give any passwords (the app handles it). I wish I needed another one because that's just how cool it is. I can't compare this to any other mesh-type systems out there, but I'm completely happy with this.
Google wifi has replaced Apple Airport in my home, and it is amazing! I have speeds I've never seen before, and no more wifi dead zones. My Tivo, which connects wirelessly and which has rarely gotten more than 50% ("marginal") connectivity, finally has 100% connectivity! I'm extremely pleased with this product. However, I'm taking off one star because Google's advice on how many wifi spots you need is confusing. They say that an apartment that is 1500 square feet or less only needs one access point. But the set-up instructions advise you to not set up an access point that is more than one room away from another. Although my apartment is about 800 square feet, it contains several thick (concrete, not sheetrock) internal walls. A single Google wifi point was not able to reach through two walls from my office (where my cable modem is) to my bedroom (although it did so better than the Apple Airport Express did). I had to return the single unit and order the set of three. Once I set these up, each no more than one room away from another, they worked amazingly well. Just be aware that you may need more units than Google claims.
Feature Product
- A new type of connected system that replaces your router for seamless Wi-Fi coverage throughout your home, helping eliminate dead zones and buffering
- Network Assist technology keeps your connection fast by always selecting the clearest channel and fastest band for your devices ; WiFi throughput: 1200 Mpbs
- A simple app gets you set up quickly and allows you to see what's connected, prioritize devices, and pause the Wi-Fi on kids' devices
- A single Wi-Fi point covers up to 1,500 sq. ft., a set of three covers homes up to 4,500 sq. ft. Wi-Fi points work together so you can add more if you need additional coverage
- 24/7 phone support from Google; 1-year warranty.Material: Plastic
Description
Enjoy a fast signal in every room, on every device. Google Wi-Fi is a new type of connected system that replaces your router for seamless coverage throughout your home. It is a standalone whole home mesh system which does not promise compatibility or interoperability with other 3rd party Wifi systems. But compatible with all Wifi client devices.
A must have if you live in a vault like me. My house is the opposite of an open concept. In other words, it has tons of walls that block Wi-Fi singles. We have blazing fast internet in the front of the house, but our bedrooms are dead zones. I've tried several brands of repeaters, which all have only provided marginally improved reception. I decided to give the Google WiFi system a try because I was tired of my wife nagging me about how frustrated she is with our Internet. To say that this product exceeded my expectations is an understatement. I am absolutely wowed by the results. Our Internet is now blazing fast no matter where you are in our house, and we even get great reception in our garage!
Installation couldn't have been easier. Just install the app on your smart phone and follow the easy directions. I had it up and running in less than 10 minutes with zero problems. The app has many cool features, like being able to pause the Internet to certain devises and check the system performance in each room. The system is a little pricy, but worth every penny and more.
Easy setup. Good speeds throughout the house.
We have a 1700 sq. ft. 1960's single story home. Our internet comes into one corner of the house in the living room. Bedrooms are on the opposite side of the house with plaster walls in between. Our Apple Airport Extreme was good getting the wifi halfway, but we lost the signal in the bedrooms and got nothing in the opposite corner of the house. Using a Netgear extender with the Airport Extreme didn't help much.
Installed the Google mesh and now we are covered.
Main puck in the living room gets 110 Mbps download and 11 Mbps upload. (no change from Apple router)
Office gets 75-85 Mbps download and 11 Mbps up. (more reliable now, no dropped wifi on our Nintendo Switch)
Bedroom now gets 75 Mbps down and 11 Mbps up. (where before we were getting next to nothing or dropped signals.)
For a basic user I think this system works great. I can assign IP addresses to my connected devices. I can prioritize what device gets the bandwidth. I can lower or turn off the LED on the pucks in the bedroom so it's not glowing. I can see what device is currently using bandwidth and how much.
I was hesitant at first about ordering this because of all the reviews that say the features are limited, but if you just want to set up wifi that covers the house and you want some basic router features this system is perfect for 95% of the people out there.
Will update this is anything changes.
I recently upgraded my Xfinity service. As part of that, they included a modem with built in WiFi so I sold my Apple Airport. The Airport worked well enough but I did need to get 2 WiFi extenders to cover the dead spots in the house. The WiFi built in with Xfinity's modem is miserable. I have many devices in the house and a few of them have an app that will let me know when they are disconnected. This happened often. Not only that but when the Wifi was connected the service was slow and spotty. I know it was the WiFi since my wired devices worked well.
I did some research and found that Google WiFi had good reviews. I though about buying the 3 pack since I needed extenders with the Airport but figured I would give one a try and buy more if it worked well.
The install was about as easy as it gets. Download the app, scan the QR code, name the SSID and password. Done. I connected some devices and ran some speed tests. I have 200M service and was getting tests of up to 150M which is 2x my best test off of the old WiFi with the same service level. Not only that, I have great coverage throughout the whole house so no more extenders needed. The house is 3000+ square feet, 4 levels with the WiFi in the basement. Could not be happier. This is the best WiFI unit I've ever had (and I've had quite a few).
We live in an apartment in New York City that has solid walls that have stumped all network extenders to date. I purchased this set of 3 in the hopes of finally getting decent wifi in our bedroom and I'm very happy to report that it works! It's crazy that a few walls can drop my wifi speed from 68 Mbps to 0.5 Mbps over about 25 ft but that's what was happening *with* extenders (tried Apple and TP-Link.) I installed one of the Google Wifi routers and the bedroom speed was still terrible but after installing all 3 (yes, instead of a 4500 sq ft home I needed 3 in an 1100 sq ft apartment), we now get speeds of around 40 Mbps, sometimes better, in the bedroom. So I am *very* satisfied and pleased that this works as I needed it to. The app is a nice feature too, to know just how many devices are on our wifi system (can't hurt these days) and also to be able to pause devices when some of us need a break from electronics! Also happy I could turn off the lighting since one is sitting on our dresser and we didn't really need a night light.
We live in a sprawling Florida 1-story home. At right under 3K feet, I decided to buy the 3 pack and set them up in strategic spots to create good coverage. The Google Wifi system was easy to deploy and took the place of Linksys RE6250 which did not provide near the coverage we needed.
Very impressed with the form factor which is a nice modern, minimalist design and am impressed with the iOS application that I use to monitor the network. Setting up the devices was as easy as plugging one of them into my cable modem, downloading the application, scanning the QR code on the bottom (or typing the code in manually), naming the network and then plugging each node into a power source and waiting for the network to discover them. I was up and running in less than 10 minutes.
Been running well for almost a week with no blips and great coverage that even goes out on the lanai. My 85 year old Mom was having issues with inconsistent Wifi on her iPad while in her room at night. Extremely frustrating for her when my efforts to use a wifi extender were just not enough. I LOVE this Google product. Reminds me of Google Glass in way - packing and deployment. Follow the easy-to-understand and visual instructions and you should be up and running in no time.
I had no issues with deployment and not a sneeze since. I can log onto the application on my phone and see how the network is doing, set up a guest network or do an "family pause". The speed of our network is super fast too ... I did not notice any degradation from these devices.
5 stars.
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