Nest Wifi, its predecessor the Google Wifi, and the Nest Wifi's successor, the Nest Wifi Pro, are a line of mesh-capable wireless routers and add-on points developed by Google as part of the Google Nest family of products. The first generation was announced on October 4, 2016, and released in the United States on December 5, 2016. The second generation, distinct in being released as two separate offerings, a "router" and "point", were announced at the Pixel 4 hardware event on October 15, 2019, and was released in the United States on November 4, 2019. The third generation was announced on October 4, 2022, two days prior to the Pixel 7 Fall 2022 event. This generation returned to a single model, doing away with the "router/point" variants, and was released in the United States on October 27, 2022.
The Nest Wifi aims to provide enhanced Wi-Fi coverage through the setup of multiple Nest Wifi devices in a home. Nest Wifi automatically switches between access points depending on signal strength.
History
First generation
Android Police reported in September 2016 that Google was preparing to introduce a mesh-capable wireless router with enhanced range, along with its October 4 date of announcement and US$129 price point.[3][4][5] Google Wifi was officially announced on October 4, 2016, with expected availability in the United States in December.[6][7][8] The device became available in the United States on December 5, 2016,[9] in the United Kingdom on April 6, 2017,[10][11][12] in Canada on April 28, 2017,[13][14] in France and Germany on June 26, 2017,[15][16] in Australia on July 20, 2017,[17] in Hong Kong and Singapore on August 30, 2017,[18][19][20] and in Philippines on June 26, 2018.[21]
The first generation Google Wifi features 802.11ac connectivity with 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channels, 2x2 antennas, and support for beamforming. It has two gigabit Ethernet ports, and contains a quad-core processor with 512 MB RAM and 4 GB flash memory. Wi-Fi access can be controlled through a companion mobile app.
In 2020, Google relaunched the first-generation Google Wifi, with minor hardware changes and at a lower price.[22]
Second generation
The second generation of the product was officially announced at the Pixel 4 hardware event on October 15, 2019, renamed as Google Nest Wifi as part of the company's shift towards its rebranding of all its smart home products to the Google Nest name. It adds a smart speaker equipped add-on point. Internally, a few changes were made, such as a quad-core 64-bit ARM CPU 1.4 GHz and a machine learning hardware engine for both the router and point, as well as IEEE 802.15.4 Thread support. The router has 1 GB RAM and 4 GB flash memory and supports AC2200 4x4 MU-MIMO whereas the point has 768 MB RAM and 512 MB flash memory and supports AC1200 2x2 MU-MIMO.
^Higgins, Tim (December 13, 2016). "Google Wifi Reviewed". SmallNetBuilder. Archived from the original on November 7, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
^"Tech specs". Google Wifi Help. Google. Archived from the original on November 7, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
