
They can hear commands from about 15 feet away, and can be individually used for music or grouped together digitally for a homewide sound system on the cheap. Inside, the extension has a microphone array, a 4.8-watt amplifier and a 1.6-inch speaker that radiates the sound 360 degrees. The router lacks a USB connector or a power switch, while the extensions do without any wired connection, so they can't be used as cabled access points the way Netgear Orbi hardware can. With minimalist connections, the router has a pair of Ethernet ports, a power plug and a thoughtful cutout to route the cables. Wi-Fi 6: What It Is and Why It's Better.On the other hand, the gear lacks the latest WiFi-6 technology.
Google nest wifi router Bluetooth#
They both have Bluetooth and 802.15.4 Thread mesh networking built in to efficiently connect with low-power home-automation devices. On the other hand, the 2x2 extensions top out at 1,200Mbps.

While the router's 5GHz transmissions uses a 4x4 setup, its 2.4GHz band uses a 2x2 design, creating a maximum throughput of 2,200 Mbps. The Nest WiFi devices should fit into a variety of home decors, thanks to Google Home’s evolving design language.Įach Nest WiFi device has four internal antennas that work with the electronics to create a self-healing 802.11ac network. The beamforming tunes the transmitted signal to suit the receiver and can connect with up to 100 clients per device my two-pack has the potential to link 200 devices. It does have proactive band steering that sends the data to the least congested channel and the preferred extension. Unlike the triband network topology of Netgear's Orbi systems, the Google Nest WiFi mesh system uses a dual-band approach that does without Orbi's dedicated back channel for moving data between the extension and host router. The good news is that the previous generation of Google WiFi gear can be used as extensions with Nest WiFi to extend the network's reach but without the audio abilities. The Nest WiFi is able to accommodate up to 32 extensions, and all but the smallest homes will require an extension or two. After that, each additional extension costs $149, a $50 savings compared with the Netgear Orbi Voice speaker extension. The Nest WiFi three-pack increases the coverage to 5,400 square feet for $349. By comparison, it took three of the older Google WiFi disks to fill roughly that same space. The router and an extension two-pack, which is enough to fill to 3,800 square feet, costs $269. On its own, the router sells for $169 and can cover 2,200 square feet, according to Google.

Size: Router - 4.3-inch (diameter) x 3.6-inch height Extension - 4.0-inch (diameter) x 3.4-inch height Memory/Storage: Router -1GB/4GB Extension - 768MB/512MB Ports: Router - Two Gbps Ethernet, power Extension - None Wi-Fi Spec: 802.11ac/dual-band mesh kit with speaker extension
