topic Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed? in Nest Wifi

Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

RachelC — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 23:41:47 GMT

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Original Poster: Ebok

I have an Exetel 50/20 plan, while I have no issue with the upload speed, I cannot exceed 26mb with the download speed using the Google Nest Wifi router except if I prioritize the device I am running the speedtest from. If I prioritize, I can reach 50mb download speed for the duration of the prioritization.

I have tried using the Wifi and also Ethernet so directly connected to the Google Nest Wifi router and I have the same issue.

If I use the Exetel router, I can reach 50mb consistently with no issue.

I think based on my testing, there is clearly something throttling the download speed on the Google nest device. All firmwares and OS have been updated on all my devices to the latest available versions, I use primarily Mac devices.

I have logged a support ticket with Google and despite looking at the logs, they cannot see an issue?!

This sounds like a product issue to me, considering how many other threads I read in the community forums.

Has anyone else experienced this and managed to get it fixed?

Thanks

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

RachelC — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 23:43:38 GMT

Hey there Ebok,

I'm sorry for the late response, but wanted to hop in here to help you. I know that it can be frustrating and confusing when you are experiencing WiFi issues, but I'm happy to help.

Do you mind answering these few questions to better assist you?

Are you getting the expected speed when connected directly to the modem?
What's the make & model of the modem you're using on the network?
Could you give us an idea how does your network structure looks like? (e.g. Modem -> Switch -> Nest Wifi router -> Switch -> Wifi points)
What other troubleshooting steps have you guys tried doing so far?

Let me know so that we can better pinpoint the problem.

Also, here's a couple links that I would suggest reviewing that have some great troubleshooting steps in them as well:

All the best,

Garrett DS

- From Garrett (Community Specialist)

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

RachelC — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 23:44:20 GMT

Hi,

Thanks for the follow-up.

I have a basic configuration:

LBNCo modem > Wired to the Nest Wifi router > Bridged with a Wifi point located upstairs, although the router signal is strong enough that I don't really need the point in the house.

So far, the focus has been on changing the DNS servers, from custom to Automatic to ISP. The ISP option seemed to have improved the speed, meaning I could get full speed 50mbps, but that lasted for 2 days and got back down to half around 26mbps. The devices have been factory reset, ipv6 and wpa3 left disabled, and this has not helped. We have also tried to change the SSID name with only one device connected to the wifi, that has not helped. We used different sites to perform the speedtest tests.

It seems to be every time the network is restarted or a configuration change is applied, then the speed goes up for a while and goes down again or not at all, very sporadic, although every time I prioritize the device on the Nest router I am using, then I get full speed! So it is clear that there are no issues with the wiring, the wifi signal, the channel, the DNS servers, it comes down to in my opinion to the router cutting in half the speed available for some reason.

This issue has been logged with the support team and I am told it is now with level 3, still waiting for feedback. I can also see on other forums (e.g. reddit) that many other customers are having this issue so clearly not an isolated case.

In the meantime, I am using the ISP router and get full download speed with no issue for now anyway.

Are you able to help further from here?

Thanks.

- From Ebok (Original Poster)

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

Jrs1973 — Sun, 31 Oct 2021 09:56:39 GMT

Any update to this? This is a common Google Nest WiFi issue. If Google is doing this by design, perhaps to reserve bandwidth for other devices on the network, please just say so.

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

GiuseppeMess — Fri, 26 Nov 2021 09:18:45 GMT

I have the same problem

Google Wifi LAN wired to the ISP Modem/Router (FTTH)

Download/Upload speed wired to the ISP modem - 903 mbps Down / 273 Up
Download/Upload speed wired to Google Wifi - 89mbps Down / 250 UP

I have 10% of my download bandwich :O.

I don't have any problem with Netgear Orbi (800mbps/250mbps)

I just test... Thank you amazon for your service! 🙂

this appear from 27th/28th October 2021

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

skib10 — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 18:48:32 GMT

I’m facing a similar issue. Modem speed connected directly to device is 500 mbps, nest Wi-Fi slows to around 10 mbps download speed. Is there a fix?

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

Buckeye573 — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 01:52:21 GMT

I'm having the EXACT same problem as well. I've had my nest wifi router + 2 access points for several months and recently bought a switch (2 months ago) to extend my wired connections. I have fiber through socket internet and have consistently been receiving 900+ download & 900+ upload speeds through my wired connections. Last week all of my devices (both wired & wireless) were recieving no more than 150 download speeds and I even contacted my ISP. They ran several tests and verified the speed coming from my modem was 1 gigabit.

I recently just tried to prioritize one of my wired connections through the google home app and it immediately started recieving 1 gigabit speeds as it was before. Clearly the google nest routers are throttling our speeds based on bandwidth and is causing several problems for their customers. My next step is to buy a different brand router that can accept gigabit speeds to see if the problem ceases. I even spoke with a google representative that insisted my speeds were a result of my ISP even when I tried to explain to him that the speed coming directly from my modem was wayyyy higher!

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

Buckeye573 — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 16:30:54 GMT

UPDATE!!

I replaced my nest routers with the Eero routers and no issues whatsoever. All wired speeds are running 1gig consistently. Even the wireless speeds are consistently better than the nest speeds were!

I contacted google yesterday and now they want me to run even more diagnostics on my nest routers than I previously did with the last google representative. They want me to do this after I told them that I was going to test out another brand router to see if my issues were internet, which we concluded are not. The only thing google is willing to do is send me a replacement router, but offers no refund whatsoever. I'm very disappointed in google and I will be personally advocating against buying their products since they do not stand behind them. No one should be subjected to spend almost $500 on routers that don't work as advertised.

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

SteelWyrm — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 23:21:14 GMT

I hit this problem yesterday. Nest router ETHERNET throughput was 400mbps slower for download and 100mbps slower for upload than the direct connection to the modem. After checking all my cables, restarts of various devices, etc, etc, I turned ON Video conferencing and Gaming in the Preferred activities section in the Home app. Poof, back to full speed. This particular fix probably won't work for everyone, but it does point to there being a bug in the prioritization functions in this firmware.

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

JohnFi — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 19:07:03 GMT

I am seeing the same issue where the upload speed is very slow - limited to ~ 10% of the total available bandwidth but if I prioritize a device there is no issue at all for the prioritized device. I tried various combinations of the Preferred Activities but no change. Sure looks like a bug when no prioritization QoS is set and its limiting upload for all devices. In looking at the boards it seems this issue is mentioned for 6+ months - Any firmware update planned?

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

rcrook — Thu, 06 Jan 2022 21:53:02 GMT

I have the same issue and from what I can tell, it is fairly new...at least for me.

I have AT&T fiber and have been using Nest WiFi (3 all wired to a switch) since June 2021. I've had terrific speeds ranging from 600mbps to 900mbps. Sometime over the holidays I noticed the speed test in the Google Home app was displaying very low speeds, so I started investigating. It turns out I am seeing the same throttling that others have complained about. I connected directly to my AT&T gateway and got 924 down and 652 up. Once the cable hits the Nest WiFi router, everything drops to roughly 10% of these actual speeds coming in from AT&T.

There has to be a fix for this. I pay my ISP for large data and unless I configure settings to throttle data speeds, this should not be happening. Please let us know what is happening on the Google side.

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

Chhibber — Sat, 08 Jan 2022 11:19:56 GMT

I have same problem ans if google doesn't resolve this, I will take this to ACCc to stop this product from being sold in Australia

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

Chhibber — Sat, 08 Jan 2022 11:21:50 GMT

Can u respond to all these queries or you guys need a formal notice

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

TC73 — Sun, 09 Jan 2022 15:59:47 GMT

I have the same problem. My 1Gb internet speed from Verizon Fio is limited to 2############ Mbps. I have done extensive speed testing to and from ISP and my nest router. The problem pointed to the internet speed from the Nest router port. This problem started yesterday in me nest wifi network..

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

skib10 — Sun, 09 Jan 2022 16:20:06 GMT

I dont know if this will work for everyone else but it worked for me. I stood next to each access point and router and ran the speed test in the google home app. I figured proximity would force my mobile device to connect to that specific point in the mesh. One of the two access points and the router had “good” speeds, while the third was what was bringing my speeds down. I reset that single access point to factory settings in the google home app and reconfigured it. It seems to have solved my problem. It’s been 2 weeks and everything has been running smoothly. Hope this helps.

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

JohnFi — Sun, 09 Jan 2022 17:03:54 GMT

Hi - @RachelC,

I see you had earlier comments on this type issue, do you have any suggestions? This is not a proximity issue for me, my WIFI network and ISP connection has been fine for 1+ years and this degraded upload speed was noticed in the last month or so. It clearly is a software issue based on the fact I can prioritize a device in the app and it works at full speed. The s/w version is 13729.57.27. I assume this issue is a regression around this version number or slightly before.

Let me know if I can do more troubleshooting to provide more specific details.

Thanks!

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

Jrs1973 — Sun, 09 Jan 2022 20:35:30 GMT

When I first put the Google nest WI-FI system in I clearly received full bandwidth from my ISP. It is now throttle down to half bandwidth of my isp. A direct connection to my ISP shows the full bandwidth. Settling priority to my device in Google Nest and I get full bandwidth until the time expires. I haven’t had any major issues with how Google Nest is performing, but some clear communication from Google when you change my stuff would be nice.

This has to be by design to reserve bandwidth…Please Google just say so. Oh, and give us an option to turn it off. Expensive Wi-Fi system with changes made to functionality after its been paid for and in service for months is bad form.

Answer please…

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

Jeff — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 23:28:42 GMT

Hi, everyone.

I wanted to jump in and mention a few things you can all try. I know some of you might have already done some of these things, but I want to offer up some common solutions. If this doesn't work out for you, feel free to let me know and we'll look at more specific solutions for your specific case.

Disable preferred activities in the Home app
Prioritize a device on your network (any device) and see if it affects speed on the overall network
Try resetting your connection to cloud services (instructions below)
Factory reset your devices

To reset your cloud services connection, do the following:

Open the Google Home app.

Tap the WiFi icon.
Tap Settings.
Select Privacy settings.
Toggle Nest WiFi cloud services OFF and wait for 30 seconds, then back ON.

Once done, close the Home app and perform a full network restart to ensure that the new settings are in place. To do this, I would recommend doing a power cycle on your network.

Disconnect the power adapter and the Ethernet cable from the Nest WiFi router.
Disconnect the power adapter from the Nest WiFi points.
Disconnect the power adapter from the modem. Allow all devices to stay disconnected from the power for 5 minutes.
Connect the power back to the modem only and wait for it to fully back up. All lights should be lit up before moving to the next step.
After the modem is back online, connect the Ethernet cable back to Nest WiFi router's WAN port (globe symbol port).
Connect the power back to the Nest WiFi router and to the Nest WiFi points. Wait until they're all fully back on.

Please let me know if you are still having issues after trying these processes.

Thanks.

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

PaulH — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 23:11:32 GMT

I have exactly the same issue as the original post, same ISP and set up, exactly the same speeds upload and download. I have turned off prioritisation of traffic for video etc, reset my cloud services and restarted my network.

As others have reported, prioritising a specific device on my network immediately results in it getting the full download speed my ISP is providing me with (which to be fair is slightly in excess of the plan I pay them for) but only for that specific device. However, the moment that prioritisation ends, I go back to the throttled speed.

This certainly has the look and feel of a 'feature', be that intended or not, and I would like to understand why that feature exists and if/how I can disable it so that my full network gets the benefit of the maximum speeds my ISP is providing at all times.

Re: Google Nest Wifi Throttling Download Speed?

Gagan1 — Sat, 05 Mar 2022 12:42:03 GMT

I was having the same exact issues. Speedtest.net result was 29mbps download.

I switched DNS settings from automatic to ISP's DNS. Speedtest.net result came back 48mbps download.

I changed DNS settings back to automatic and tested speed test. Speedtest.net result was 48mbps.

There is definitely some sort of throttling happening at the Google nest wifi access point or Google nest wifi router.

Let's me see if this speed stays the same or throttling starts after sometime.