Table of Content
- Google Nest Wifi vs Google Wifi verdict: Should you upgrade?
- Can Google Fiber provide me with support if I use my own router?
- Similar apps
- If I use my own router and decide I’d like to use Google Wifi down the line, can I still get Google Wifi?
- Migrate Google Wifi to the Google Home app
- And step away from the router.
All functionality for the WiFi app will be migrated over to the Google Home app, plus some. Google has been making a transition to the Google Home app for all its smart home devices ever since the Nest brand was formed. Now, the Google WiFi app is going away for good and you'll manage all your devices from one central location.
Wi-Fi 6 is a new Wi-Fi standard, with many Wi-Fi 6-ready devices already available in the market. Wi-Fi 6 allows for 30% faster speeds on Wi-Fi 6-enabled devices , and for more devices on a single network without slowing down Wi-Fi speeds. Wi-Fi 6 also improves battery life and provides greater security with WPA3. Scrolling through 24/7 recording on the new Google Nest cameras, quite frankly, sucks. If you scroll through more than a couple of hours of footage, the Home app’s feed inevitably breaks, showing either a blank screen or an error message.
Google Nest Wifi vs Google Wifi verdict: Should you upgrade?
Wired internet is generally faster, allowing you to get the highest speeds available, but it’s not always possible or practical to plug in many devices (think of how many cables you would need!). And, some devices may not be capable of going as fast as your internet can . You shouldn’t have to choose between speedy internet and using wireless devices anywhere in your house. That’s why with Google Fiber, you’ll get Wi-Fi that can handle whatever you’re doing wirelessly.
If I try to do the same thing in the Home app, I only get the option to "disable" the schedule, which is not what I want to do as I'd have to remember to re-enable it later on. Incidentally, in the Home app, I see the appropriate options on the schedules that are not currently active. Unsure if this is a difference in the apps or a bug, but scheduled group devices pauses work inconsistently between the 2 apps. It can only be enabled in Home app, and it works very well. Yeah I have an OnHub router and a 1st gen Google Wifi point and I get notifications from the Home app for new devices. Once you make the transition to the new Home app, you will no longer be able to access the Google WiFi app.
Can Google Fiber provide me with support if I use my own router?
If the Wi-Fi network you're trying to migrate is one you use regularly, make sure your Google Wifi is plugged in and connected to the Internet. You can check the light on your Wifi device or find the device in the Google Wifi app to understand your current network status. In some cases, you may have been notified by email or in the Google Wifi app to migrate a former network that is still in your Google Wifi app.
That’s why with our 2 Gig plan, you’ll also get a Wi-Fi 6-enabled Google Fiber Multi-Gig Router and a Google Fiber Mesh Extender. All of these problems together, and the timeline we’ve observed, really puts a bad taste in my mouth. It soures the experience of using these products in the day-to-day, and makes me much more hesistant to recommend Google’s cameras. While I do want my older Nest products to work in the same app as the new one, there are some obvious security and functional bits that would take time to get right with that process.
Similar apps
When you move to the Google Home app, you’ll need to add others as home members in the Google Home app to give them access to your Wifi settings. That band-steering worked particularly well when we tested both systems, so this seems to be one of Google's strong suits. With three years of development separating them, Google Wifi and Nest Wifi come with different hardware capabilities. For starters, Google Wifi is an AC1200 mesh system, which means that the combined top speeds of its 2.4 and 5GHz bands is 1,200 Mbps. With Nest Wifi, that speed rating jumps up to AC2200, so between the 2.4 and 5GHz bands, you're getting a more capable access point. Google Wifi devices are all identical, so you can use any of them as your system's router.
Migrating your Google Wifi devices and settings to the Google Home app is not reversible. The Google Wifi app will be shut down and will only be able to be used to factory reset Wifi devices. If you want to make changes to your network, including to anyfeatures or settings, use the Google Home app. Oh, and speaking of those Nest Wifi Points, Google built a microphone and a speaker into each one.
I spent some time looking at the differences between the old WiFi app and the new Home app. Google is asking its customers to make the transition from Google WiFi to the Google Home app by July, when the WiFi app will be gone for good. The audio quality is surprisingly good for a glorified router. The 360-degree sound is on par with the Nest Mini and an improvement on the older Google Home Mini I was previously using in the bedroom where my Nest Wifi Point now resides. A particularly welcome change is the subtle LED indicator light, which is now a small dot instead of the large pulsing ring wrapped around the Google Wifi pucks.
Make the transition from the Google Home app before July, when the app will be removed and support will no longer be offered. If you can't find your internet network, make sure it is online. You can always reset your router if you are having trouble finding the network.
However, you might want to hold on to your old router in case you want to switch back. If you have 1 Gig, you are welcome to use the router that works for you. If you have 2 Gig, you’ll need to use the Google Fiber Multi-Gig Router at this time. Google Fiber does not charge extra for Wi-Fi with any plan.
Unfortunately, there’s no Google OnHub support, so if you have one of the old TP-Link or Asus mesh routers, you won’t be able to include them on the same network. As well as the drop in coverage and network speed, the Nest Wifi Points also lose out on the ethernet ports found on the regular Nest Wifi . That means you can’t backhaul your mesh network from a Point.
It’s going to take some time to clean up this branding mess. Eventually, the old Nest products will be replaced by newer models with Google logos. While Nest was releasing its own branded devices, Google launched smart speakers and displays in its Google Home line. The original Google Home speaker launched in 2016, followed by the mega-popular Google Home Mini.
Use the Home app to control on/off, volume, playback, inputs, and more for your connected streaming and media devices. The Home tab gives you shortcuts for the things you do most, like playing music or dimming the lights when you want to start a movie. Control it all with just a tap or two – and get to the good stuff faster. The Feed tab highlights important events in your home in one place.
The original Google Wifi was widely praised for its simplicity in extending network coverage between rooms through multiple units. Google says the Nest Wifi is better in every way, with higher specs and some optional new smart home features. Follow the steps to migrate the Wi-Fi network to the Google Home app. Make sure to choose your friend or family member's home when asked what home to migrate the network to.
And, if you'd rather disable the voice controls altogether, you can flip a physical switch to turn the microphone off. Google’s been working on this change since 2019, when it launched the Nest Wifi routers — which could only be configured in the Google Home app. But at the time, the Google Home app still didn’t offer many of the features that the Google Wifi app did. Google had promised that it would support both apps until it had updated the Home app to include all the features offered in the Wifi app, which it says will be the case once June rolls around. If you had managers in the Google Wifi app for managing your networks, they would be removed during the transition phase.
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