GOOGLE WIFI

Google Wifi has become something of a poster child for the new wave of home networking systems that do away with routers and Wi-Fi extenders and instead rely on multiple Wi-Fi points. These “mesh” systems make it easier than ever to get reliable Wi-Fi coverage over a large area.

It’s not the fastest option out there, but for pure simplicity and ease of use, it’s certainly worth a look, especially if you find it discounted. Google is pushing the Wifi as a standalone replacement for existing routers. Most mesh systems of this sort can work with just one wifi point, but as individual routers go they’re not the fastest or most feature-rich, so would seldom be our first choice. That’s also the case with the Google wifi. As such, it’s the two-node pack that I’m reviewing and would recommend you consider.

On the underside is the power socket, which is a Type-C USB port, along with two gigabit Ethernet ports. These are designed so that one is for WAN (your connection to the internet or your modem) and one for LAN (for other wired devices within your home).The WAN port can be used for wired backhaul. Wired backhaul effectively means you won’t be wasting half your Wi-Fi bandwidth with your nodes talking to one another; all the inter-node communication will instead be done other Ethernet. Plug the node into the end of the cable and it will seamlessly continue your Wi-Fi network. This is great if you have large distances to cover (adding Wi-Fi to a garage or workshop, for example), and effectively allows you to extend your network in a way that won’t result in slower speeds in far-away places.