It’s an easy-to-use router replacement that eliminates Wi-Fi dead zones and works right out of the box.
On the list of Things That Are Often Annoying, dealing with Wi-Fi definitely makes the top three. This year, several companies pledged their products would make Wi-Fi faster, more reliable, and easier to set up – and the latest is Alphabet’s Google Wifi, which starts shipping to customers through Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and the Google Store today.
Three and a half years ago, an internal team at Google started what was known as “Project Kerouac,” an initiative to improve the at-home Internet experience. The group surveyed hundreds of households to better understand what kinds of frustrations people had with their wireless connections. Google Wifi is their hardware solution.
It’s not Google’s first router. OnHub, aimed at simplicity and created alongside TP-Link and Asus, was launched last year. But Google Wifi is the first networking product designed, marketed, and sold entirely by the Google, without the input of a third-party partner.
I’ve been reviewing Google Wifi in my one-ish bedroom apartment for about a week. The router replacement made my bottom-tier Internet subscription actually bearable – so far, I’ve experienced both better coverage and faster speeds.
Google Wifi isn’t for network tinkerers who are comfortable with highly technical interfaces and prefer granular system controls. But it *is* a great option for those who live in a space with Wi-Fi dead zones or want a low maintenance router that works right out of the box.
BuzzFeed News; Google
What the heck is a mesh network?
Google Wifi, which is sold as a one-pack ($129) or a three-pack ($299), works best as a group. One device is sufficient for smaller, open spaces between 500 to 1500 square feet, but multiple devices are ideal for larger homes (between 1500 to 4500 sq. ft.) or narrow apartments. When you set up more than one device, Google Wifi creates what’s called a “mesh network,” which, for a lot of people, means better, faster wireless Internet.
Here’s how it works. Most homes have a single router. Physical obstructions, like walls or large furniture, often interfere with the signals a router emits and signal strength also fades over long distances. But in a mesh network, multiple routers placed around your home work as a sort of relay team that bounces Internet from one access point to the next, improving Wi-Fi everywhere, not just the area by the router.
A mesh network allows a strong connection to travel farther than a typical single-router system. If you buy a single Google Wifi, you’ll miss out on the mesh network experience, but you’ll still benefit from the device’s network automation features.
People usually rely on range extenders (such as this one) to bring Wi-Fi access to hard-to-reach areas, but these often halve Internet speeds and, because they create two separate Wi-Fi networks, aren’t effective for moving from one space to the next.
Products like Eero, Luma, and, now, Google Wifi are bringing mesh networking, a technology typically managed by a fleet of IT professionals in large spaces like airports, to normal humans like you and me.
Google / Via blog.google
Google Wifi doesn't look like a traditional black router, either.
Each Google Wifi device is small enough to fit in your hand. It doesn’t have a row of flashing icons down its side or unsightly antennas poking out the back. Instead, Google Wifi has a sleek, all-white body, save for a glowing TRON-esque light strip down the middle.
Its look and feel is very similar to that of Google Home, the company’s voice-activated smart speaker. While Google Wifi doesn’t work directly with Home, users will be able to use the IFTTT recipes designed for Google’s older OnHub routers*, to connect the two devices.
By giving Google Wifi an elegant design, Google hopes that users will keep them out in the open, which alone can improve Wi-Fi performance.
*Customers with existing OnHub devices will receive an over-the-air update that adds mesh networking technology to their routers, too. But they’ll need at least one Google Wifi device to create a mesh network.
Nicole Nguyen / BuzzFeed News
Google Wi-Fi is so easy to set up.
Installing and maintaining Google Wifi is simple. Out of the box there are two cables (one USB-C power cable and one ethernet cable), the router itself, and a power plug. It’s a pretty simple order of operation. The Google Wifi app (available for both iOS and Android) walks you through setup, step by step. Getting two devices up and running took less than 10 minutes, and it was completely painless.
Nicole Nguyen / BuzzFeed News
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