That’s potentially great news, because ADT Command earned a spot in our top five smart home security systems. And our home security experts believe that Nest technology will only make ADT better. As for looks, our Nest Wi-Fi system came in the matte snow color (white), and you also have the option of mist (pastel blue) or sand (a light, peachy brown) if those colors match your decor better. We like options. Here’s a quick look at the base price of the various Nest Wi-Fi kits and devices you can buy. On the other hand, the NETGEAR Orbi’s base price skyrockets past the Nest Wi-Fi system. But the Orbi comes with far more Ethernet ports than Nest Wi-Fi does: Orbi has a total of six Ethernet ports versus Nest Wi-Fi’s total of two—and you’ll need one port for your modem. So that might make the Orbi worth your while, especially if you can find it at a discounted price and need a wired connection for that gaming PC. That said, if you already own Google devices or want a mesh system to blanket your entire home with a strong Wi-Fi signal, Nest Wi-Fi is a pretty solid deal for the price. Both the router and the point feel quite solid, as do the provided Ethernet cable and power cords. We had no trouble plugging either device in, and both devices come with a groove on the bottom to allow your cords to seamlessly run to your outlet. And the router and the point both come tucked in the packaging, almost like two eggs in a nest. (Pun intended.) While that might seem like a small thing, we’re ecstatic that we didn’t struggle to fit these back in the box. That’s key if you have to pack your electronics up for a move. Once we downloaded the Google Home app, setup was also pretty much a cinch. We already had a Google account, which made things even simpler, and we don’t think it was too difficult to figure out what to do in each step since Google guides you through the setup process. One feature we loved about the setup was that Google gives you a summary of your network name, password, and the devices you set up when you’re finished. So if you forgot to write down your network name or password, no worries. You’ll get a reminder at the end. That makes Nest Wi-Fi a wash for gamers like us, but for others the thoughtful features Google added may outweigh the bad. And it’s cool that both the router and the point light up when in use—but the point’s lights change from orange to blue depending on whether your mic is turned off. The Nest Wi-Fi router comes with two Ethernet ports, and one of those ports is automatically dedicated to your modem. Now, if you only need one wired connection, you’re all set. But if you’re a gaming household like we are and need two wired connections for a couple of gaming PCs that don’t have Wi-Fi cards, well, you’re out of luck. We get it—most of us use wireless devices in this day and age. But gamers and home offices with desktop computers are not a small enough minority that we think limiting the Ethernet ports to two is a smart move. What does that mean? Your devices don’t have to wait as long to get a signal from the router, so your websites, mobile games, and videos will load faster. You should also see less buffering while watching Ozark and less lag while playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Enter beamforming. Beamforming lets your router detect where your connected devices are, then beams a stronger Wi-Fi signal in the direction of your devices. That means your devices get faster and strong Wi-Fi signals—and your Wi-Fi coverage area should be larger too. Beam us up! Along with being more secure than other security standards, WPA3 makes it easier for devices without displays, like your smart light bulbs and smart home hubs, to connect to your Wi-Fi through a technology called Wi-Fi Easy Connect. Remember those QR codes on the bottom of the Nest Wi-Fi router and point? Scanning those QR codes lets you set up your Wi-Fi network so it automatically connects both of those devices. Intrigued? We’re right there with you. You can read more about Wi-Fi Easy Connect and other WPA3 features on Wired. Turns out, Nest Wi-Fi stood strong, and we can confidently give it a four out of five stars for surviving our stress test with fairly minimal dips in download speed. Here are the devices we connected and the programs we ran during each stress test:
Desktop: World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth, YouTube, Spotify, Discord, Steam, and Chrome Laptop 1: World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth, Spotify, Discord, Twitch, and Chrome Laptop 2: Slack and Chrome Cell phone: Streaming Zumbo’s Just Desserts on Netflix Also connected but not in use: A second cell phone, a separate Google Home device, and a Vivint security system
So you can rely on Nest Wi-Fi to deliver good download speeds even when you have visitors hogging your Wi-Fi connection. We’d be interested to see how well it does in a basement—but unfortunately houses in Florida don’t come with those, so we’re unable to test it. Since we have a Samsung Galaxy S10, our story didn’t end here. We were able to download the Google Home app, and we have to say using it was mostly a breeze, with only a few hiccups. We thought the interface was intuitive enough, though we could see some folks who are less familiar with Google apps struggling to find certain settings and features. Speaking of finding settings, it took us a hot minute to figure out how to turn down the Google Assistant volume through the app. It wasn’t readily obvious, but turns out you need to go to your main dashboard and select the Wi-Fi point, then tap the speaker icon in the top right to get to the volume controls. And when you’re done having fun with the Google Assistant’s dad-level puns and Easter eggs, you’ve got access to quite a few helpful commands too. Devices compatible with Nest Wi-Fi We’re hoping to hear more about what this means for anyone using Nest or ADT devices. But for now, ADT customers get access to Nest Aware. This service records events in your home and saves them for up to 30 days. Our home security expert, Mindy Woodall, says that “Nest Aware is your gateway to all of Nest’s coolest features.” That includes face detection, 24/7 recording, and activity zones. Plus, your subscription to Nest Aware applies to all your Nest devices. When setting up our Wi-Fi network, we named it “ReviewsRouter2.4” and “ReviewsRouter5” to designate which band, 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz, it was. But the period in “ReviewsRouter2.4” gave some of our devices trouble when they tried to connect. Once we renamed it to “ReviewsRouter24,” the devices connected with no problems.
