You might notice that we include both WiFi 5 and WiFi 6 models. The models featured here, from Eero, Google Nest, Netgear, and TP Link, are among the best mesh routers based on CR’s latest testing, listed in order of Overall Score. We measure how well they perform on a range of criteria, including how fast they transmit data at a variety of distances (also known as their throughput), how easy they are to set up, and how well they protect your privacy and security. Pretty handy.Įvery year, Consumer Reports tests dozens of wireless routers. So if you bought a couple of Echo Dots over the holidays to help do things like set kitchen timers or control the smart lights in your bedroom, these can be turned into mesh router satellites with just a tap of the Eero app. If, for example, you’re fully enmeshed in the Amazon Alexa smart home automation ecosystem, you might be surprised to learn that devices like the Echo Dot can now also function as satellite units for the company’s Eero line of mesh routers. These might not have all the bells and whistles of their more expensive counterparts, but they provide a real value for many people.Īnother way to cut down the price of a mesh network? By utilizing devices you already own as satellite units. In fact, nearly half of the 54 mesh routers in our ratings cost $250 or less. While the best mesh routers used to routinely cost around $500, today you can buy reliable models for less than half that. The Nest Wifi also supports the newest WPA3 encryption standards - Google Wifi doesn't.You might, for example, place the base station in the main living room and then strategically place additional satellite units in a home office, bedroom, or dedicated home theater-anywhere a reliable WiFi connection is critical. It did upgrade the antennas in the Nest Wifi, boosting it up to a 4x4 configuration that's capable of simultaneous MU-MIMO transmissions that are more robust than the 2x2 Google Wifi. That doesn't mean Google hasn't made any improvements over the years. Google opted not to include support for it in the Nest Wifi, but the newer Nest Wifi Pro debuted at the end of 2022 with Wi-Fi 6E - a name for Wi-Fi 6 devices that can broadcast in the newly opened 6GHz band. Wi-Fi 5 has been considered out of date for several years, since the faster, AX version of Wi-Fi called Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) started rolling out in 2019. That AC bit tells you that both Google Wifi and Nest Wifi support Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac). With the more capable Nest Wifi, those numbers jump to 612 and 431Mbps - about average compared to other other mesh routers we've tested. In our own lab, we clocked the Google Wifi with top wireless transfer rates of 451Mbps at close range and 201Mbps at a distance of 75 feet. Like with all routers, those AC1200 and AC2200 speed ratings are derived from optimized, lab-based speed tests that don't take factors like distance, obstructions and interference into account, so your actual top speeds will likely be a lot lower. If you're looking for a more up-to-date mesh system from Google, the company debuted its first Wi-Fi 6E router, the Nest Wifi Pro, at the end of 2022. While both the Nest Wifi and Google Wifi are ancient in router terms - and use the older Wi-Fi 5 standard - they still perform well for the price. Rather than calling it the Google Wifi 2, Google called the system the Nest Wifi, which matched the company's efforts to rebrand the Google Home Mini smart speaker and Google Home Hub smart display as the Nest Mini and Nest Hub. Then, at the end of 2019, Google unveiled a follow-up. The system tested well and quickly earned a spot as one of CNET's top recommended routers. ![]() Like other mesh routers, you connect one Google Wifi device to your modem and then scatter the others throughout your home to spread a speedy Wi-Fi signal from room to room. Back in 2016, Google made its first foray into mesh networking with the Google Wifi, a pucklike, three-piece mesh router system.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |