We know that keeping you safe online means continuously protecting the security and privacy of your information. That’s why protections are automatically built into your Google Account and every Google product. Safe Browsing protects more than 4 billion devices, Gmail blocks more than 100 million phishing attempts every day, and Google Play Protect scans over 50 billion apps every day for malware and other issues.

This month, Aotearoa’s Scams Awareness Week 2020 aims to increase the cyber resilience of Kiwis, and at Google, we see the safety of our products as driven by three core principles: keeping your information secure, treating it responsibly and putting you in control. We’re continuously putting these principles into practice, and wanted to share our newest security and privacy protections. 

Proactively protecting you with high-visibility security alerts

When your security is at risk, time is of the essence. We work to make it easy for you to act fast if we ever detect a serious risk to their Google Accounts. Over the years, we’ve developed new ways to notify people about these issues and helped significantly improve their security. In 2015 for example, we started using Android alerts to notify people about critical issues with their Google Accounts, like a suspected hack. Following this change, we saw a 20-fold increase in the number of people that engaged with these new notifications within an hour of receiving them, compared to email.

Soon, we'll be introducing a redesigned critical alert and a new way of delivering it. When we detect any serious Google Account security issue, we’ll automatically display an alert within the Google app you’re using and help you address it—no need to check email or your phone’s alerts. The new alerts are resistant to spoofing, so you can always be sure they're coming from us.  We’ll begin a limited roll out in the coming weeks and plan to expand more broadly early next year.

Following the announcement of Nest Mini, Google continues its hardware roll out with the release of Nest Wifi. Homes weren’t built for Wi-Fi, so when we introduced Google Wifi in 2016, we built it to work for anyone, in any home. With Nest Wifi, we’re taking everything Kiwi’s love about Google Wifi and making it even better, a powerful router that provides Kiwi homes with strong, reliable Wi-Fi.  And, you can add additional routers to create a mesh network (and only one needs to be hardwired to the modem) if you need more coverage.

Keep it all connected

The Nest Wifi router plugs directly into your modem, forming the basis for a strong and powerful home network. Nest Wifi is more powerful than Google Wifi, delivering up to two times the speed and up to 25 percent better coverage. And if you’ve already got a Google Wifi network, you can easily add Nest Wifi to it for additional coverage.

Simple setup and control in the Google Home App

Setting up Nest Wifi is easy. Plug it in and download and open the Google Home app, which will guide you through setup in minutes. Once you’re set up, you can manage your network in the app alongside your other supported connected devices.

The app makes it easy to share your Wi-Fi password with guests, prioritise devices (like when you’re on a video call), test the speed of your network, set up a guest network or change your password. 

You can also manage separate homes in the app. I’m the tech expert in my family, so I also manage my parents’ network. This way, when I get a call that the Wi-Fi isn’t working, I can quickly check what’s wrong or let them know if they need to call their internet provider. 

My sons are in high school, so while I want them to go offline at certain times during the week, I don’t mind if they stay up later on weekends, playing video games or streaming their favourite shows. With Family Wi-Fi features in the Google Home app, I can easily set my sons’ devices on a Wi-Fi schedule, pause the Wi-Fi to their devices at any time and block adult content on their devices. 

Designed for your home 

Many routers are hidden in a closet or cabinet, where the signal is blocked and can be reduced. Nest Wifi has a beautiful design with soft, rounded edges and unobtrusive lighting. It’s meant to be placed out in the open, where it’ll perform at its best and will naturally blend into your home.

Nest Wifi is built using sustainable materials. The enclosure is made from 45 percent post-consumer recycled plastic.
 

Peace of mind

With Nest Wifi, you’ll also never have to worry about whether or not your router is up to date. We automatically push security and performance updates to your Nest Wifi devices, to help keep your network safe and working at its best. Nest Wifi has been designed with your privacy in mind and per our privacy commitments. 

Nest Wifi will be available for sale in New Zealand from 14 October 2020. You can get a Nest Wifi router for RRP NZD $299 at Noel Leeming, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, PB Tech and more retailers in the coming months. From late October, Orcon will provide a Nest Wifi to new customers without a homeline, at no additional cost.

“Orcon customers are always looking for the best, the fastest, and the highest performing technology. Nest Wifi ticks all the boxes. Customer Satisfaction scores of Orcon customers using Google Wifi are markedly higher than those without a mesh solution, and with the latest and greatest Google Mesh solution in Nest Wifi, we expect even higher satisfaction scores.” said Taryn Hamilton, Chief Executive of Orcon.