GOOGLE WIFI ROUTER REVIEW

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As a family who lives in the middle of nowhere, we don't have access to any sort of good internet. There is no cabled access, no dedicated lines, no high speed anything, so it's very important to at least have a router that's doing a good job distributing the WiFi we do have. (read more)

We used to have an Apple router, but once Apple stopped making them (a couple of years afterward), we noticed our router was acting oddly, and our internet kept getting slower and slower.

This was a big deal for a connection that boasted a 1.5MB download on a GOOD day.

There is a decimal between that 1 and 5, did you see it?

We needed something better. Something that could help us improve our coverage and help us eek out any little extra bit of speed possible.

It was during this search that I came across the Google WiFi router.

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AN OVERVIEW

You have a some options when you purchase Google WiFi. There is a single router pack, and a three router pack, which is the route we took. 

The single router is recommended for houses up to 1500 square feet. Three routers can comfortably cover 4500 square feet of space.

​Perfect for you folks who have basements, or people like me who have out buildings.

While three routers is overkill for our 1700 square foot home, we do also have a shop where my husband does manly things, so we figured we could put one of the routers out there to expand the coverage.

At this point we haven't done that since he doesn't do much office work stuff in the building. It's more hammer and nails, less web and streaming.

Instead we just stuck one router in the living room, one in our bedroom, and one in my oldest son's bedroom since he is furthest from the main router (the one plugged into the Ethernet cable).

Now you know our set up, but let's talk general set up.

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PLUG AND PLAY

It's that easy. 

Just plug the router in to your ethernet cable and a power source, download the app on your iPhone or Android, and follow the prompts.

​If you buy the three router package, make sure all of the routers are plugged in; Google WiFi will test each connection individually. Only one router needs to be plugged into an ethernet cable and a power supply. The others only need to be plugged into power source.

Once in use, the app performs connectivity tests on a constant basis, which is how I found out my 8 year old had taken the router out of my 11 year old's room this morning.

Why he did that, I'm not sure. He's a conundrum.

The message screen let me know the router was offline. It also let me know that it had recently updated, and that my device pause (while the kids do their school work) was in full effect.

Now that you know how easy set up is, let's talk features.

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IT'S A ROUTER
​AND SO MUCH MORE

Is Google WiFi a router? Yes, it absolutely is. So in case you were thinking it was just a way to amplify what you've already got, no, it's much more than that, though it does amplify, especially in the three pack.

It wasn't until I got this router that I realized just how many devices we had hooked to the WiFi. 

I mean, I knew we had an average of three online devices per person, but when I saw that we had 19 devices online, I was like, "Whoa, what the heck?"

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You forget about things like your Nest, your printer, and your PS4. I still don't know what "Android" is down on the next picture. Maybe my Alexa?

You also realize that you might not have renamed things when you passed them down from one person to another. It's something I need to do, I guess, at least so I can decipher all this better. 

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PRIORITIZE DEVICES

This might be something that only happens when you live in the sticks, but at our house, around 9 p.m. every night, the internet bogs down.

You can't watch shows, you can barely surf the web, and if my husband is working from home or I'm trying to make a blog post for the next day, it can get really irritating. 

But, this little feature solves that (sorry kids). All you do is go in and select the devices you want to prioritize for internet service. I tell the router that mine and my husband's computer are first priority, and everything else can go hang. :) 

When the kids come in complaining that the internet is slow, we just look at them, all wide eyed and innocent, and say, "Yeah, it's slow for us, too. Sorry dude."

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DIAGNOSTICS

One click gives you an anytime test on your internet speed, Mesh (I guess how well the routers are talking to each other), and WiFi points. 

So, if one of your points was unplugged by a child, you'll know about it. If one of your devices seems to be getting slower data than the others, you can figure it out.

​If your internet is running slow, you can screenshot it to send on to your provider so they can tell what's happening. 

It spits out the numbers after a minute or so, and you can see exactly what's going on with your speed. 

Side note, we are THRILLED with this speed, absolutely thrilled. I have people ask me, "Is Google WiFi good for gaming?" I can tell them that my husband plays Battlefield 1 on a regular basis and he's never had such good connection out here in the middle of nowhere, Texas.

If you're not thrilled with your speeds and you have the ability to troubleshoot your service, you can mess with it, then just tap the "redo" button and test it again.

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SAFE SEARCH

This is something I really love about the router. It's not just about giving you good internet speed. It's also about helping you control what goes on with the internet in your house. 

You can assign certain devices to certain people. For example, I have assigned my kid's devices to labels under their name. From there I can turn on SafeSearch, which blocks a ton of sites I don't want them to see. 

One click, and Google is doing its best to make sure my boys don't stumble onto the wrong things.

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PAUSING AND TIMERS

Not only does Google WiFi help me keep my kids searching safely, but it also lets me restrict their internet use completely. 

We homeschool, and the mornings can be a bit of a fight some days, so instead of arguing about watching YouTube Kids for "just five more minutes, Mom!" I just tap the pause button and shut it down.

It means they have no internet, at all. Not specific apps, not texting, nothing, it's gone.

Only mine is still there. :) 

As I type this, my 11 year old has been lolly gagging with his school work for a few hours, but my 8 year old finished in good time. Two of us have access to the web right now, one of us is still doing math.

Slowly.

When he's done with school work and cleaning his room/chores, I turn it back on. 

If you read my post about OurPact, you might think these things are redundant, but I'm going to disagree. OurPact is different, so feel free to read that post.

Google WiFi is limited to your house, but encompasses every single online device. OurPact is limited to your tablet devices (phones/tablets). So, in theory, my son could still go in his room and play on his computer, even if I have OurPact enabled on his tablet.

Not that he'd ever do that, little angel.

With Google WiFi, the parameters you set are only in effect when you're on that WiFi connection.

I really like OurPact for so many reasons, but I feel like it's beneficial to have both. One allows great overall control in the house, the other is very specific to your child's device, letting you know which apps are installed, blocking specific apps, etc. 

Make sense?

Aside from just tapping the Pause button to pause or resume internet service, you can also set a timer. If you want their internet to turn back on in four hours, you can do that, or you can set your own length of time, whatever you want.

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You can use this service even if you don't have "Google Home" or whatever it is you talk to and say "Hey Google". All you do is go to On.Here. Any devices you have that can be controlled through Google WiFi will show up. You can then control those devices through the browser, or through the specific device app on your phone. 

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WIFI FOR GUESTS

GOOGLE HOME

I'm not really sure how this would come in handy. I guess I feel like if I've invited you to stay at my house, I must like you enough to give you the WiFi password. 

But then, now that I think about it...

What if you had a baby shower or something? What if you played host for a close friend, but she has close friends you don't really know? 

Do you really want to give out your WiFi password? Especially if it's all complicated? 

Just create a guest WiFi, give it a password you can easily remember, like "dontoverstayyourwelcome" and hand it out like halloween candy, knowing you can go in and change it again the moment the mood strikes.

​This might also be good for VRBO owners, maybe?

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IF YOU NEED A ROUTER

You could really do a lot worse than Google WiFi. I mean, it's got rave reviews on Amazon, is super easy to set up, lets you do a billion things that you wish you could do anyway.

What's not to love? So if you're wondering, "Is Google WiFi worth it?" My answer is a resounding, yes!

Take back your internet and enjoy those faster speeds!
Ty

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