Tag Archives: Google Nest

What is Wi-Fi 6E on the Nest Wifi Pro?

Earlier this month we announced our latest mesh Wi-Fi system, Nest Wifi Pro. With a new design, faster speeds and simple set-up, Nest Wifi Pro is a solid foundation for your smart home, supporting up to 100 devices per router. And it’s officially available today.

One of Nest Wifi Pro’s biggest perks is that it uses Wi-Fi 6E, the most advanced Wi-Fi technology in over 20 years. But what exactly is Wi-Fi 6E and how does it improve your connection? Let’s dig a little deeper.

New, open radio band

Wi-Fi 6E is an extension of Wi-Fi 6 (hence the “E”). Unlike previous Wi-Fi generations, it can access a wider and less crowded radio band — 6 GHz — for even faster speeds and performance. With the ability to access this new band, as well as the standard 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio bands most Wi-Fi systems use, Nest Wifi Pro has a true tri-band connection. As a result, it offers speeds up to two times faster than Wi-Fi 6[7128ae].

Less latency and faster connections

Wi-Fi 6E is still early in its adoption, so it’s not overly crowded. With less network congestion, Wi-Fi 6E improves your speed and reduces your chance of interference, making connections faster and smoother than before. With more room to operate, 6E can also handle multiple high-bandwidth activities, like streaming 4K movies or taking video conference calls from home — or all of them at once.

We like to think of 6E as driving in the fast lane on a super highway, providing a clearer and more direct path to get you where you want to go.

Works with all devices

Even though Nest Wifi Pro is built with advanced Wi-Fi 6E technology, it’s still compatible with older devices like laptops and phones. That’s because it can access all three radio bands, allowing it to easily connect to your existing devices while setting it up to support the next generation of technology.

And with Matter, coming soon via software update, you’ll enjoy the advantages of the new standard for in-home connectivity — like access to more smart devices, more customization and expanded coverage for your home.

Nest Wifi Pro retails at $399.99 for a three pack, $299.99 for a two pack or $199.99 for a one pack. Check out the Google Store to learn even more about Nest Wifi Pro and to order yours today.

Reimagining the future of Google Home

When we built the Google Home app nearly 10 years ago, our average user had fewer than three devices. Now the average US household has 25 connected devices and it’s growing fast. While more of our devices are connected to the internet today, we’re still far from a truly smart and helpful home. Devices are hard to set up, they don’t always perform when you need them to, they don’t all work well together and there are multiple apps to navigate.

So we set out to imagine what it would take to make the smart home as simple and reliable as the light switch on your wall. We envisioned a future where your smart home is easy to navigate and reflects the unique needs of your home. Where you could control everything in one place, from any surface, and where all your compatible devices work together to be more helpful.

We believe that Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard, will help to address many of these challenges. And, we think that the Google Home app can be the single best place for you to set up, control and automate your compatible devices. Not just for your Nest devices but all your devices, including every Matter device and the 80,000+ devices that work with Google Home today.

With updates on Matter for Android and Nest devices, and a new and improved Google Home app, we're taking a big step towards that vision. Whether you have a few smart lights or are a smart home enthusiast with dozens of connected devices, the Google Home app will improve your smart home experience. The new app will be available in Public Preview first so you can test out the latest features, share feedback and help us shape the future of Google Home.

Fast Pair with Matter

Setting up a smart light bulb can feel like it requires an engineering degree. With Fast Pair for Matter, this will literally become plug and play. Your Android phone will automatically detect a Matter device and help you securely set it up quickly. Matter setup and app linking will be available by default on billions of Android devices with Google’s launch of Matter support later this year. We are even working directly with top device makers to ensure we have support across as many Matter-supported devices as possible. We’re also ​​updating our existing Google Nest smart speakers, smart displays and routers to control Matter devices.

Your home, your way

With the rapidly growing number of compatible devices in people’s homes, it was clear to us that there was no one size fits all model to organize the home. That’s why we’re making customization and personalization a core principle for the new Google Home app and why the first thing you see in the app is the Favorites tab.

For me, I care most about making sure our doors are locked and viewing our security cameras, while my wife loves quick access to the thermostat. With favorites, you can your own personalized view of their devices, actions and automations that matter most. And this also includes being able to favorite all of your Nest cameras so you can view your live streams, right when the app opens, no additional taps required.

Spaces make it quick to access devices grouped by important categories like your lights, cameras, thermostats or network devices in one simple view. Next year, we will be adding even more customization options with custom spaces. For example, you can create a space for your cat that groups together all your compatible pet cams, cat feeder, vacuum and air purifier.

And we can’t forget to mention the media mini player, that allows you to see what’s playing in your home. You can quickly adjust the volume or access the remote when you want to change the channel.

A better, more familiar, camera experience

The Nest app made security cameras accessible and easy to use. We wanted to honor that by combining the best of the Nest app with the best of Google Home app. The result is a completely refreshed Nest camera experience that works for both battery cameras and wired cameras like the new wired Nest Doorbell, that’s launching today in the U.S. and Canada. The new Nest camera controller also allows you to quickly find important moments and do a detailed scrub so you can get to the critical 10 seconds in the clip. You can scroll through hours of video history in seconds and thanks to machine learning capabilities on Nest Cams and Doorbells, important events will be labeled and organized by type, such as person, package, vehicle, activity or animal.

Over the last year, we've focused on building the right camera experience in Google Home app for our latest Nest cameras and doorbells and over the next year we are committed to add support for our legacy Nest cameras too.

View of Nest Camera improvements showing the new view and how to scrub videos

Nest Camera improvements showing the new view and how to scrub videos

A helpful, more automated home

While smart devices can now do more on their own, the real helpfulness happens when they all work together — regardless of who made the device. When I’m away from home for the day, all my compatible lights automatically turn off, my Nest Thermostat goes into Eco mode, and my smart locks auto lock. When I connect my smart water meter to my Nest speakers, it announces when my plants need some love and water. This is why we’re making home automation front and center in the new Home app with the new automation tab. We’re also expanding Household Routines to support more of your smart home devices as starters and actions so you can create automations like these, more accessible, more capable and easier to set up.

We also understand that many of our most advanced users want to create even more powerful home automations. Early next year we plan to launch a new script editor, which will offer more than 100 new features and capabilities to fit your unique understanding of your home and what you want it to do.

Home is everywhere you are

There are times where using your phone to control your home isn’t convenient, like if you’re on a run and want to adjust the temperature in your home or when you want to check in on your Nest cameras from your computer. We want to ensure your home experience is unified and available everywhere you are — from your display, tablet and phone to your TV, watch and laptop. That’s why we are bringing the Google Home app to Wear OS and the web.

The new Google Home app for Wear OS, that we gave you a sneak peek of on the upcoming Google Pixel Watch at Google I/O earlier this year, will be rolling out to Wear OS 3 devices over the coming week. You will be able to turn off the lights, adjust your Nest Thermostat, get notifications from your Nest cameras and more — all from your wrist.

In a few weeks we’ll also be rolling out a new camera experience on Google Home for the web that lets you view all your Nest camera and doorbell feeds. Onhome.google.com you’ll be able to easily check in on live views in full screen, zoom in to see more details, view camera status, and more all from your web browser.

Google Home app on Wear OS and on Web

Google Home app on Wear OS and on Web

Thank you for the feedback

As we build a more helpful home, we want to thank everyone who's given us feedback to help us get there. We are listening and are far from done. We appreciate you being on this journey with us, and we’ll continue to focus on getting the experience right. The new app on iOS and Android will be available first to users in our Public Preview program in the next few weeks.

Get a faster connection with Wi-Fi 6E on Nest Wifi Pro

There are days when our home’s Wi-Fi feels a bit crowded. One family member might be using it to take virtual meetings, while another streams their favorite show, and another downloads the latest game. And they all rely on a fast and reliable connection.

Today, we’re introducing our latest Wi-Fi system, Nest Wifi Pro, with Wi-Fi 6E technology. This new advanced mesh Wi-Fi system helps make all those home connections faster, more reliable and simpler to manage.

Faster speeds for your entire home

So what exactly is Wi-Fi 6E? As its name — 6 “Extended” — suggests, it's a big upgrade from Wi-Fi 6. While Wi-Fi 6 was built on the same heavily congested radio bands used by Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6E uses an entirely new (and less crowded) 6 GHz radio band. Much like driving in the fast lane on the highway, the 6 GHz band provides a faster and more direct path to the most reliable internet connection.

As a result, 6E offers speeds up to two times faster than Wi-Fi 6. The first of our Wi-Fi routers to enable 6E, Nest Wifi Pro is set up to support the next generation of phones, laptops and other devices operating on more advanced technology.

Nest Wifi Pro is built to constantly analyze your network performance and optimize your connection to keep it fast and avoid congestion. And it knows how to prioritize high-bandwidth activities like video calls and streaming.

Simple to use

It’s simple to set up your router using the Google Home app, which will show you easy step-by-step instructions to get your network up and running in minutes. The app is also the best place to monitor your network, whether you want to run speed tests, share your password or set up a guest network.

To avoid those frustrating connectivity disruptions, Nest Wifi Pro proactively scans for and diagnoses connection issues and notifies you in the app with any steps you need to take. Using Google intelligence, it can even automatically fix common problems, like recovering a lost connection.

And at no additional cost, you can better manage your kids’ connections. In the app’s Family Wi-Fi settings, you’ll find parental controls like Wi-Fi scheduling, which allows you to restrict Wi-Fi access during moments like bedtime or dinnertime, and simple ways to block unsafe content.

A woman uses her Pixel phone to monitor her Lemongrass-colored Nest Wifi Pro sitting on top of a book on a bookshelf.

Safe and secure out of the box

With so many connected devices, home networks can be susceptible to unauthorized downloads and router hacks. We built safety and security measures directly into Nest Wifi Pro, at no additional cost, to help protect your connection. For example, in the Google Home app, you can see every device that’s connected to your network to help you easily identify and pause any that might look suspicious.

Automatic software updates also keep your Nest Wifi Pro running smoothly, helping protect your router and network from security threats.

Foundation of your smart home

Designed with our many Wi-Fi needs in mind, each Nest Wifi Pro can accommodate nearly every connected device in a typical home. And it has the speed and capacity to handle several high-bandwidth activities at the same time, like taking video calls while watching 4K videos and streaming your security cameras. One router has the power to cover up to 2,200 square feet alone.[01e12e]

Nest Wifi Pro also includes a built-in Thread border router so you can connect all your Thread smart devices to your home network — and save energy, thanks to Thread’s low power mesh.

Shortly after Matter, the new smart home protocol, launches, you'll be able to use your Nest Wifi Pro router as a Matter hub, too. It will control and connect to all your Matter-enabled devices, making it that much easier to manage and add devices to your smart home in the future.

Four Nest Wifi Pros lined up on top of a desk in four different colors: Linen, Snow, Fog and Lemongrass

Beautiful and sustainable design

Let’s face it, many Wi-Fi routers aren’t that attractive with their long antennae and blinking lights. Because of this, they’re often tucked away into a cabinet or closet, stifling their signal and performance. Nest Wifi Pro was built to fit in with your home, offering a beautiful high gloss finish inspired by ceramics.

Color was an important consideration when designing the Nest Wifi Pro. These devices are available in four, natural earth tones — Snow, Linen, Fog and Lemongrass — to inspire a tranquil environment and blend with any style. Snow is a soft cotton white that easily fits in with your other Nest products. Linen, a new neutral color to our hardware lineup, brings warmth to any room. Inspired by nature, Fog is a muted, restorative hue that matches cool-toned decor, while Lemongrass provides a burst of color and energy.

We've also considered sustainability at many levels, from how the product is made to the materials we used to build it. It’s a sustainable home networking choice, built with over 60% recycled materials based on product weight.

Nest Wifi Pro retails at $399.99 for a three pack, covering up to 6,600 square feet. It’s also available at $299.99 for a two pack or $199.99 for a one pack to accommodate homes of all sizes. It will be available online and in stores October 27, with pre-orders beginning October 4.