Google Nest Wifi Router Gets Wi-Fi 6E Upgrade

Google is giving its Nest Wifi router a Wi-Fi 6E update, which the company says will let it “handle several high-bandwidth activities” at once.

The Nest Wifi Pro will come in packs of one, two, or three. The $399.99 three-pack can handle homes up to 6,600 square feet. For smaller spaces, a two-pack is $299.99, while a single device will set you back $199.99 and cover up to 2,200 square feet.

Pre-orders start today(Opens in a new window) and the devices will be in stores on Oct. 27.

(Credit: Google)

As we outline in our Wi-Fi 6E explainer, the technology taps into the 6GHz band the FCC opened up access to in 2020—quadrupling the amount of airwaves available for routers and smart devices. Wi-Fi 6 is limited to the 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrum, but Wi-Fi 6E-compliant devices have access to all those juicy 6GHz airwaves. 

“Designed with our many Wi-Fi needs in mind, each Nest Wifi Pro can accommodate nearly every connected device in a typical home,” Google says. “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.”

Nest Wifi Pro also supports Thread, a networking protocol designed for smart home connectivity. There’s 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,” Google says.

With the launch of the Matter smart home standard, meanwhile, the Nest Wifi Pro router will function as a Matter hub, too. The Connectivity Standards Alliance today released(Opens in a new window) a Matter 1.0 standard and certification program, and Google says Matter “will be available by default on billions of Android devices” later this year.

Besides its internal Wi-Fi smarts, the Nest Wifi is getting a glossy makeover with an egg-like shape and four earth-tone color options: Snow, Linen, Fog and Lemongrass. The idea, Google says, is to produce a visually appealing router that blends with the home rather than being “tucked away into a cabinet or closet, stifling…signal and performance.”

Google promises easy setup with the Google Home app; we found it simple when reviewing the Google Nest Wifi back in 2019.