google home & wifi coming next month to uk
- Thread starter _Jimlad_
- Start date
Soldato
The problem with reviews of wifi products is there are so many variables. It does get decent reviews. However the reviews are always of the base router and the two mesh antenna. I was planning to buy two of the base units as Ubiquiti have confirmed you can use 2 of these together in a mesh. I've read others have done the same and it does seem to improve performance over the default base unit and mesh antenna.
for me its a no brainer, i am a google whore and i need a new router after my asus died out of warranty, i am just on virgin superhub at the min and wifi on my new 'old' house is quite bad and i get a few black spots
ps i heard april 6th you will be able to purchase
Soldato
I got a reply back from Ubiquiti. They reckon that it'll be released in the UK in "a month or so".
Because gigabit switches are so expensive...
It is another thing to find space for though
Some people may be confined by space and need 5/6 ports that a normal router provides but not want to add another switch on top
I just noticed this section on Google WiFi. I have been making comments on both Google WiFi and Google Home over in the mobile phone space, thinking that most of you read that space for things phone related. I am in the process of setting up a smart home, having already purchased a Nest Thermostat (great experience to date) and Chromecast TV stick and soon to buy the Philips Hue lightbulbs. I expect to purchase a couple of Google Home devices soon too. One will test my kitchen WiFi, two rooms away from the current Virgin Media router. The kitchen has been a WiFi problem in the past however.
Anyway, like Jimlad I have many WiFi dead spots in the house largely due to brick walls and the concept of a mesh network with each Google WiFi "puck" (seems these round devices are nick-named "pucks") itself being a router (rather than an extender) to create the mesh network seems the way to go. I am only torn between how many pucks I will need to buy--at least two.
So I spoke to Google Customer Service about the technical specs, etc and learned a few things:
1. Google WiFi, sold individually or in packs of two pucks, are free standing routers. One must be attached to my Virgin combined modem/router hub (I believe Jimlad has the same hub). The Virgin router portion will then be replaced by the Google WiFi router leaving the Virgin hub as a modem only. For some homes, one puck will be enough but I described my home and WiFi problem and they suggested two pucks to start, separated by one or two rooms.
2. The Google WiFi app in the Play Store walks you through the set-up starting by identifying the first puck (if you are using two or more pucks) and this first puck is the one that takes over the first port in the back of the Virgin hub, moving the existing Virgin router to another slot before it is inactivated in effect by the primacy of Google WiFi. Once the Google WiFi app identifies the first puck, you create a name for it and a password to activate before setting up the second puck say two rooms away. The app also helps you locate the second puck for ideal performance. It seems it is really simple to set up.
Bottom line: I plan to purchase the two pack of pucks and see if that meets my needs before expanding say to a third puck.
I did notice this article from Stuff which gives a hands-on review of Google WiFi. I find some of the benefits also mentioned to be useful: being able to share password to a guests phone for example, the more efficient use of WiFi that prioritises one device over another, etc. The author mentions some of the competing products like Netgear Orbi, Ubiquiti Amplify and Eero. The author sees Google WiFi as the best looking and most user-friendly seen so far.
http://www.stuff.tv/google/wifi/review
Anyway, like Jimlad I have many WiFi dead spots in the house largely due to brick walls and the concept of a mesh network with each Google WiFi "puck" (seems these round devices are nick-named "pucks") itself being a router (rather than an extender) to create the mesh network seems the way to go. I am only torn between how many pucks I will need to buy--at least two.
So I spoke to Google Customer Service about the technical specs, etc and learned a few things:
1. Google WiFi, sold individually or in packs of two pucks, are free standing routers. One must be attached to my Virgin combined modem/router hub (I believe Jimlad has the same hub). The Virgin router portion will then be replaced by the Google WiFi router leaving the Virgin hub as a modem only. For some homes, one puck will be enough but I described my home and WiFi problem and they suggested two pucks to start, separated by one or two rooms.
2. The Google WiFi app in the Play Store walks you through the set-up starting by identifying the first puck (if you are using two or more pucks) and this first puck is the one that takes over the first port in the back of the Virgin hub, moving the existing Virgin router to another slot before it is inactivated in effect by the primacy of Google WiFi. Once the Google WiFi app identifies the first puck, you create a name for it and a password to activate before setting up the second puck say two rooms away. The app also helps you locate the second puck for ideal performance. It seems it is really simple to set up.
Bottom line: I plan to purchase the two pack of pucks and see if that meets my needs before expanding say to a third puck.
I did notice this article from Stuff which gives a hands-on review of Google WiFi. I find some of the benefits also mentioned to be useful: being able to share password to a guests phone for example, the more efficient use of WiFi that prioritises one device over another, etc. The author mentions some of the competing products like Netgear Orbi, Ubiquiti Amplify and Eero. The author sees Google WiFi as the best looking and most user-friendly seen so far.
http://www.stuff.tv/google/wifi/review
Soldato
The set they sell in the US comes with 3 "pucks" by default, whereas we get 2.
One concern I have is being able to connect to my work VPN from home. Every router I've ever had has supported VPN passthrough. There seems to be conflicting advice on the internet as to whether or not this supports VPN passthrough.
It's a pity also that the "pause the internet" functionality can't be set on a timer. E.g. pause my kids internet access everyday at 8pm until 7am. You can only pause it for periods at a time.
You can see a high-level comparison of the features of each one at http://uk.pcmag.com/eero/87178/guide/the-best-wi-fi-mesh-network-systems-of-2017
The only ones on that grid which are currently available in the UK are the Linksys Velop, Netgear Orbi and Google Wifi. The Amplifi HD can be bought from mainland Europe and used here as it's not yet been released in the UK.
One concern I have is being able to connect to my work VPN from home. Every router I've ever had has supported VPN passthrough. There seems to be conflicting advice on the internet as to whether or not this supports VPN passthrough.
It's a pity also that the "pause the internet" functionality can't be set on a timer. E.g. pause my kids internet access everyday at 8pm until 7am. You can only pause it for periods at a time.
You can see a high-level comparison of the features of each one at http://uk.pcmag.com/eero/87178/guide/the-best-wi-fi-mesh-network-systems-of-2017
The only ones on that grid which are currently available in the UK are the Linksys Velop, Netgear Orbi and Google Wifi. The Amplifi HD can be bought from mainland Europe and used here as it's not yet been released in the UK.
No there not but its just another thing to find space for, creates clutter and as a general rule is not wife approved. Its not like I am asking for a lot, I only need 2 LAN ports to run my entire house. Almost every consumer router ever made has 4 ports.
The cost of having 3/4 ports on it is nothing and it's just form over function nothing more.
The Eero system for example has 1 port which is taken by WAN, there is no option to hard wire anything....
Soldato
Sounds like you'd be better getting the Ubiquiti Amplifi HD? The router unit has 4 LAN ports. You can use the routers in a mesh, you don't have to get those plug-in antenna units.
Thanks mate helpful info
Soldato
Yeah, just saw that tonight.
Interested in Google home but I'm not one for using "okay google" with my phone as it is. Not sure what it can do for me really. I do have a nest 3rd gen, but that works flawlessly with its own app. Even if I did use "okay Google" it does seem to be a product looking for a problem to solve, rather than a product WITH a problem to solve.