Google Wifi Reviews

by CWB722

I wish I knew what happened. Initial install was easy last year and my coverage seemed great for a few months. But then GoogleWifi would report the system offline and it really wasn’t. Then GoogleWifi would prompt for a retest which I did. This happened randomly every other month or so- inconvenient but acceptable. Now the worst has happened. I upgraded my iphone 7 to an iphone 11. When I tried to login to GoogleWifi on the new phone, it would not recognize the new phone. It asked me to reenter my email and password. Still no recognition. I asked to reset the password. Google emailed me that there was no account associated with my email. I called and spoke to support. There is no product associated with my email-HUH?? I have been using the mesh network for over a year- this is my only email. So now I am literally locked out of GoogleWifi with no way back in. When the system goes down there will be no way to reestablish it, unless maybe if I unplug and restart the whole thing from scratch with a NEW email address. GARBAGE!!!!!!

by Sl4mmy

I think Google WiFi is great: easy to setup, great performance, lots of features (there’s a lot I wish they would still add, but it’s already pretty great). But GoogleWifi itself is terrible, so I’m only giving it one star.

First off, the UI seems simple at first, but it turns out you have to click A LOT to get anything done. Want to delay a schedule after it’s already started? You have to switch to the third tab, then go into Family, then click on schedules, then.... Actually, most of my complaints are around schedules. Why can you only delay a schedule by 30 minutes? How come when you delay a schedule that repeats the following night it causes the schedule to automatically start 30 minutes later the next night? Instead of (or in addition to) just setting start & stop times, why can’t you also limit the total amount of time spent online per device per day (or per schedule)?

There’s a lot of potential here, but I’ve had this long enough now and I can’t say I’ve seen any real momentum behind GoogleWifi. Is this just another 20% time project that escaped the Googleplex only for ongoing development to be abandoned quickly thereafter?

by Bboczeng

Just to name a few:
1) force you to wait 3 minutes between restarted . Of course google knows this is ridiculous. Restart time depends on your device (modem) and would it take 1 min to fully start up? No. Google just want to make sure you hit the highest possible threshold for restarts so if you had further issues , it must not be a restart problem (to help their customer services)
But come on, P99 of users should finish their restarts in 10 seconds . It is wasting everyone’s time if I need to re-setup the device due to other settings issues (not related to restarts)
Basically, google it thinking that we are all idiots who can not even properly restart their devices.
2) can not activate Xfinity through the WiFi router. In the worst case , a typical WiFi router allows you to connect to it with your laptop via its default SSID and password . There you can change settings and even activate services like Xfinity.
Google WiFi, on the other hand, can not. It assumes you somehow setup the internet connection without it and just use it to expand your WiFi coverage .
So, even if I got google WiFi, I can not connect to it. You can only interact it with GoogleWifi . And if Xfinty asks first time users to activate its service , google WiFi would simply fail to setup.
I need to get back my old Ethernet desktop to set the entire thing up, even if WiFi and modem are properly connected.
What a useless toy it is ??

by Stevepetersonsmail

I have had google Wi-Fi for a couple of years. It worked well for a long time. I have On-hub as the main point, one wired Google wi-fi point and 3 other wireless google Wi-Fi points. In November of 2019 the kept showing offline on GoogleWifi . And some would flash red. After countless network resets I deleted the entire network and started over. Some of the points were difficult to add and took multiple tries. Eventually I got them all working and GoogleWifi showed excellent mesh coverage and speed. The next day and ever since it shows all the google Wi-Fi points offline. Even the wired one shows offline. The network seems to be working fine most of the time but GoogleWifi is not. We still have certain Wi-Fi points that periodically turn red for a few minutes then go back to blue. I have had to turn off the Wi-Fi on my phone several times and use cell data because the Wi-Fi connection is wonky. Come on google - get these issues fixed. I’m a couple weeks away from getting rid of the whole set up and going to a Ubiquiti system.

by Atomx66

We live in an area with extremely poor cellular reception and depend upon WiFi calling to make phone calls at home on our mobile phones. Unfortunately, you can only prioritize a single device for up to four hours, which only guarantees a connection to WiFi calling for that single device for that set period of time. Otherwise, the three adults in our home who need a dependable connection to WiFi calling are sometimes not connected to that service while the kids' phones are (the kids almost never make phone calls, so WiFi calling is not as important). There is no way to prioritize the adults' phones permanently, and we sometimes miss important phone calls because Google WiFi randomly assigns priority to other devices. It is so frustrating that I am actively searching for other systems that allow me more control over device prioritization. Too bad, too, as the system is great in all other areas.

by Dilnel

Goggle Wifi was great when I first got it but recently it’s seems to be getting bad.
I have 5 pucks and never had an issue. If anything, my unit in my garage was weak but still good. Now nothing has changed and I try to run the mesh test and all points are failing.
I ran a WiFi scan using another app and found that google Wifi is locking into channels that are in use around me as opposed to locking to an open channel.
GoogleWifi and system does not allow you to change the Wifi channel so this is not good and really creating an issue as it is now knocking my cameras offline.
I am hoping this is just a software bug that is fixed soon and my system will go back to normal. I hate to think that I may have to go to a competitor and spend more money after spending plenty on google Wifi.

by Azsunandcactus

Excited to install my new network and download GoogleWifi to take advantage of its features. Unfortunately after rose colored glasses wore off GoogleWifi just shows offline all the time. Even though the WiFi is working. Really annoying because I thought I was having internet problems. Tried to delete GoogleWifi and factory reset. Still some issues. Hopefully whatever it is, gets corrected and soon!
Update: did a factory reset and started to add all 19 of my devices and halfway through the same issue. This is just unbelievably dumb.

by HLM_Fim

When I first tried to set up the Google Wi-Fi I downloaded inadvertently the wrong app. I thought it was the right one since the search brought it up first not realizing I needed to go through the rest of the apps to find the correct one. I’m pretty much a novice when it comes to something like this. The support person that I was able to get a hold of had no idea what I was trying to do since it was not GoogleWifi for Google Wi-Fi. He was patient but was not able to help because I could not get the Google Wifi app to install. I reconnected my old router downloaded the correct app and installed it very easily. It was a breeze. The only problem I have is trying to watch Live stream which our church broadcasts their services through. I’m not sure what’s happening. It just keeps refreshing the first 15 to 20 seconds of the feed over and over again. I am able to watch it without any problem using the iPad. So far that is the only issue I’ve had. There are three Wi-Fi points with 11 devices connected. Cary was the support person and he did a great job and was very patient with me.

by Pauliejes

Please add support for iPhone X. I have to use your application multiple times a day, at this point I'm very sad every time I open it and have to look at wasted real estate. It took more than Ten years to get rid of Two, One centimeter tall bars. It shouldn't take more than a week to fill all these beautiful new pixels that we have worked so long to achieve. I completely understand that making iPhones look better is low on the priority list here, but I'm begging. If that's too much to ask, it's ok, but I at least need a few more administrative controls over my network. I'm taking dev tools, I'm taking more informative diagnostics, I'm talking automated task control. If you'd like help, I'd be happy to send in my résumé. I could get a nice summer internship, and pay for more WiFi points.

Thanks in advance!
- Paul

by Ceres 7

We have 7 schedules with 20+ devices setup in GoogleWifi . They all seem to be working and pausing the internet at the appropriate times (good) but GoogleWifi always now says they are not paused (bad). It's very hard to know if the schedules are actually working without checking all the devices which is impractical. Also it would be great if I could temporarily enable the internet for a device that would stay in effect until the next schedule change. Currently I have to disable the schedule or remove the label from the schedule to create an exception and unfortunately these changes are permanent and I have to remember to restore them later. Temporary exceptions for a specific device would solve most of these issues.

by Lamiller0622

I love how simple and easy this was to walk me through setting up the WiFi meshes. I doubted its ability to actually improve our internet but after running many tests it has undoubtedly improved our WiFi speed 7 times on a good day when compared to our old connection. Some rooms which were so shotty in the past now have amazing connection thanks to the meshes. As for GoogleWifi . I love its ability to customize settings for the devices used, including prioritizing devices connection and testing individual speeds of all devices. One issue my MacBook always had was it kept telling me that another device kept occupying its IP. After painfully looking through Apple support and renewing the DHCP license constantly with no success I discovered I can give it a dedicated IP through the google WiFi device. Problem solved. Super helpful

by Garlic Ball

Let's face it, there are lots of Parents who sit around on Friday evenings drinking Vodka and Sunny D because their spouses drank all the real orange juice. And, after a few Sunny D and Vodkas, lots of times that Parent will jump online to write a review or two. So, about GoogleWifi, as we know, all Parents like to pretend that they are concerned about their kids screen time but in reality, they don't because the phone is like a freaking babysitter. I'm not one of those Parents, and I'm here to tell you that A) never mix Sunny D with anything, and B) GoogleWifi will give you terrific control over your kids screen time. Pausing the internet is as easy as taping a button. You can also (sipping some vodka and sunny, hold on please).......... You can also schedule internet time so your 13 actually has to put the phone down. Get GoogleWifi !

by Marjblo

So our home is three levels on a steep hillside to give you an idea. Originally we operated with Apple AirPort Extreme (last version) on second level plus a 4th gen airport time capsule on the first floor network connected to the extreme. Unfortunately this was not an ideal solution and with apple exiting the product line we looked for the best alternative. Reviews directed us to orbi. We ran with the orbi solution for over three months. Almost daily failures/issues. Horrible tech assistance. Decided that we would ditch the orbi and replace with google. Wow, what a difference. Not one single issue. Provides consistent service throughout the house and even outside. No issues with neighboring WiFi systems affecting our system. An apple family thanks google for this awesome system.

by AAArmenta

I did a fair amount of research about devices like these prior to settling on the Google WiFi and I can say it exceeded my expectations. The reviews I read seemed to all concede that the mesh devices available on the market are all pretty solid but Google hit the nail on the head due to ease of setup. I made a mistake by placing one of the access points just a bit too far from the base station which made GoogleWifi kind of wig out. Once I fixed my mistake and went back into setup it took all of 10 minutes to set up three. Setup is rather generous because you don’t really have to do anything you just keep clicking next and GoogleWifi sets it all up for you. Anyone in a large home, or a moderate sized older home with tons of walls like myself, should get this. It’s truly an amazing product.

by David.88

I’ve been using the Google WiFi app with my ASUS OnHub since Jan ‘18—first with Spectrum cable and now with my Google Fiber service—and it’s been fast and reliable despite my 25+ devices, simultaneous 4K streaming, and the crowded radio-signal environment of an apartment building.

Side note: I’d definitely recommend the ASUS OnHub over the Google WiFi model for its better performance and range.

I’ve only had a couple issues with GoogleWifi . First, theres an issue where devices connected to the Guest WiFi network are shown as having a “wired” Ethernet connection or just inconsistently display whether a device is connected to the Guest network. This doesn’t appear to affect performance or functionality in any perceptible way, but it’s obviously wrong info (e.g. my iPad for guests shows as having a wired connection).
My second issue is that GoogleWifi doesn’t automatically update network information in real-time. I have to either restart GoogleWifi or navigate to other parts of GoogleWifi and then come back to get the latest network info.