Google Wifi
The best way to blanket your entire home with Wi-Fi
If you want to extend fast internet to every corner of your home, the Google Wifi is the best device to do it. You just need two things:
This is because, unlike most routers, there's no web-based interface and the new Wi-Fi system can only be set up and controlled via the new Google Wifi mobile application. Once set up, the Google Wifi will stay connected to Google at all times and will log into your Google account each time you want to manage it.
Google says the Wifi doesn't collect user activity data, like what sites you're visiting. By default, it appears to collect only hardware-, app- and network-related information. However, you can turn this off in the Privacy section of the settings.
Still, a constant connection to Google is required. That's a dealbreaker for some. Not all home mesh Wi-Fi systems, which use several "satellite" devices to extend the Wi-Fi signal, require a connection to the vendor in order to work -- the Eero does while the Netgear Orbi doesn't. Most home routers don't require this at all.
But that's not something most people will care about, plus it will keep the device secure from hacking via regular automatic updates. So if you're cool with this setup, Google Wifi has the best balance of ease-of-use, performance and price yet.
It's really easy to use: It took me about 15 minutes to set up all three units using an Android phone. The whole process was self-explanatory, and dare I say, fun.
And fast. In terms of data throughput it tested well for a dual-stream AC1200 router, with a top sustained Wi-Fi speed of more than 470 megabits per second.
The nature of Wi-Fi, however, means that each time you extend the signal wirelessly, signal loss will occur, which basically means slower speed. You can mitigate this by placing the satellite units around the first router unit. To avoid this completely you can connect the units together using network cables.
Coverage and reliability is great: As a single unit or as a system of three units, the Google Wifi passed my 48-hour stress test with flying colors. During the test I set it to transfer lots of data between multiple wireless clients (four laptops in this case). The Wifi did this without any disconnections. The system also had excellent signal hand off, allowing you to walk around your house, seamlessly connecting from one unit to another without getting disconnected from the internet. I tried this while making a call over Wi-Fi and the conversation wasn't affected at all.
Google claims the system is constantly analyzing the air space to figure out the cleanest channel and the best Wi-Fi band (5GHz or 2.4GHz) for a client to connect to. I used it in a home with many other routers and the Google Wifi network remained stable, which definitely adds credence to its claim.
