Nest Wifi’s fantastic range extender doubles as a Google Assistant-powered speaker, but do you really need it?
Google announced its second-generation wireless router just a few weeks back, and now the Nest Wifi is available at all your favorite retail destinations. Nest Wifi comes in three different colors to better match your home’s decor: Sand, Snow, and Mist. While Google isn’t yet supporting the new Wi-Fi 6 standard on its routers, it does have a much faster 4×4 5GHz radio setup and support for AC2200 speeds.
Now, a router isn’t necessarily a cut-and-dry purchase. There are a few variables you should consider, and we’re here to help with that. Folks with smaller homes or apartments (read: anything under 2,200 square feet) can comfortably pick up just the Nest Wifi router by itself, which will set you back $169.
Sometimes your home is just a bit too big for a single router, either because of the square footage or because of a multi-floor design. Basements, too, often have trouble with Wifi signals because of their tendency to be built with wireless signal-killing blocks. In these cases, grabbing a Nest Wifi router and a Point extender pack is the best way to guarantee you’re going to get the extra coverage you need. B&H sells combos with one or more Point extenders, depending on how much coverage you need.
That Point wireless extender even doubles as a killer Google Assistant-powered speaker for issuing commands for your router, such as turning the Wifi off on your kids’ devices at bedtime, or for setting simple timers and other Google searches. Being a speaker, it’s another great addition to the other Google Assistant-powered devices in your home and can add music to whatever room it’s in via Google’s whole-home audio options in the Google Home app.
While Amazon does not currently sell the Point range extender because of its seemingly never-ending feud with Google, it is selling a rather interesting package that no one else is currently offering. This 2-pack of Nest Wifi routers is $299, or $30 more expensive than the package with a router and a Point. While you’ll be losing the speaker functionality that the Point gives, what you’ll be gaining is pure speed.
Here’s the deal: the Nest Wifi Router features a 4×4 5GHz radio configuration inside, while the Point range extender only features a 2×2 configuration. This means that devices connected to the Point will effectively see half the speed on the 5GHz network that they would if they were connected to the Nest Wifi Router itself. As such, folks with a need for speed that also need the extra range available from a mesh system can just pair two Nest Wifi routers together, making this the best possible package for those wanting the best of both worlds.
So what will it be? Extra speed by using two Nest Wifi routers, or an extra Google Assistant speaker wherever a Nest Wifi Point is installed? Either way, this is the best Wifi system from Google Nest you’re going to find.
Speaker or speed, the choice is yours
Nest Wifi
From $169 at Amazon
From $169 at B&H
One, two, three, or four?
B&H and Amazon are your two best places to get Nest Wifi, but each website has different bundles. Amazon features the router by itself, or a router 2-pack for the best speeds possible in large homes. B&H offers bundles with one or more Points, which are range extenders that feature a Google Assistant-powered speaker built-in.
Nest Wifi vs. Google Wifi: Which should you buy?
