topic Re: Nest APs go offline in Nest Wifi

Nest APs go offline

Pakdude — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 23:25:37 GMT

Please give a thumbs up to this response so that more people find it.

I use Google Nest WiFi a lot. I support WiFi for 16 sites of a non-profit organization in Ontario, Canada. In addition I am a manager for 5 families with Google Nest WiFi. So that's over 60 Google Nest APs worldwide.

The 16 sites in Ontario, Canada are spread over a 200 km radius.

Some (less than 10%) of the sites have the old hockey-puck shaped AC-1304 models (original Google WiFi). The first of these were installed in 2019.

But most (more than 90%) are the Google Mesh AP/speaker combo. For these, the router is AC2200 (shows up as H2D in Settings) and the Points are AC1200 (shows up as H2E in Settings).

I have never had an issue with the older AC-1304 models. But over half of the sites with AC2200 have APs that go Offline within a week of rebooting. Reports of APs going offline have increased in 2022. It wasn't so bad in 2020 and 2021.

Troubleshooting steps, based on numerous sessions with Google Nest WiFi Support, include:

Restart router from Google Home app --> Does not help. Obviously, network is offline for the duration of the reboot, but offline APs remain offline.
Restart AP from Google Home app --> Does not help. Makes no immediate difference.
Physical reboot (unplug/replug) of offline AP --> Everything looks good for a few days. But then after a few days, the problem resurfaces and APs go offline. This is something I coordinate with remote people at those sites. I tell them where the AP is and ask them to physically reboot the AP. They typically do not have access to the Gmail account for the Google Home app.
Factory reset AP or router --> Not attempted. This is not an option. This is a complex operation that would have to be done by me. I cannot ask the remote volunteers to do this. Because of the sheer number of APs that go offline and their distance from where I live (I have a day job), it is not practical to drive hundreds of kilometers out to do this myself when I did the initial install just months earlier.
HW exchange --> Not an option for the same reason.
Disabling Bridge mode on the ISP modem --> Does not help.

I have worked in technical roles at Cisco, Juniper, and HPE, and know a thing or two about networking. Google Nest WiFi is obviously not an enterprise-grade solution. It is a home-grade solution. You get what you pay for. Nobody is debating that. However, stable reliable performance is what every consumer demands. It should not require a physical reboot every few days. These are not supposed to be Windows 95-like devices. One should be able to expect a reasonable level of quality from these devices.

It is pretty clear to me that Alpha (of Killed By Google infamy) has diverted Engineering investment away from Nest WiFi, leaving their customers with bricks.

I challenge Google Nest WiFi Product Management to come to this forum and address this comment with a roadmap for software support of these devices.

Re: Nest APs go offline

GothicCastle — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 02:54:14 GMT

I’m having the same issue with new WiFi Pro points. I was working with product support, but they’ve stopped responding. The hardware is just going offline requiring a reboot.

Re: Nest APs go offline

krroller — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 02:58:21 GMT

It would be fantastic to see product management on some of these forums or at least a close representative to them. FWIW, from some quick research, here are the key resources.

Rishi Chandra
VP, Product & General Manager, Google Nest

Sahana Mysore
Product Manager, Google Nest Wifi

Sanjay Noronha
Product Manager, Google Nest
Senior Product Manager for Wireless and Networking

Re: Nest APs go offline

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 08:37:25 GMT

Some have gotten replies from Google directly with Twitter to @madebygoogle, maybe worth a try too.

https://twitter.com/madebygoogle/status/1589635353480400896

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Me myself have 2x Nest Wifi router AC2200 in wireless bridge, they've been rock solid for years. The Google Wifi AC1200 they replaced were too.

Re: Nest APs go offline

Hakt — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 06:36:05 GMT

I'm having the same issues. Google nest mesh simply dying. Unplug fixes it for a day. Very unimpressed.

Re: Nest APs go offline

Leej — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 20:19:52 GMT

I'm having the same issue. I originally had the old puck style and they were rock solid for years. I updated everything last year to the newer nest marshmallow style, and it has been great until the last 4 months. I have one router and three access points. They will show "great connection" for days, and then suddenly one or two of the three access points will show weak or offline, and overall network is terrible. I have removed access points (not the main router) by factory reset, and then re-added back to the network, and this seems to fix the issue for a 1 to 3 days, and then everything goes bad again. I'm at a point where I'm ready to replace my whole network with something other than Google.

If anyone knows of a real solution, let me know, otherwise I will likely be replacement my router and access points in the next day or two...

Very unhappy!

Re: Nest APs go offline

AbigailF — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 01:22:22 GMT

Hey everyone,

@olavrb, appreciate your helpful response.
Thanks for reaching out and I'm sorry to hear that you're still having an issue with your Google Nest Wifi.

@Pakdude, we'd like to take a deeper look into this — could you fill out this form and let us know once you're done?
@GothicCastle, can I get your case number so I can take a look at it?
@Hakt, just to clarify, is it the main Google Nest Wifi router that goes offline or one of the points?
@Leej, I have a few questions: are the access points connected directly to a power outlet? What’s the color of the status light on the access points? Were there any changes on your network like a change in location, new Internet Service provider or modem?

Thanks,
Abi

Re: Nest APs go offline

GothicCastle — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 05:41:08 GMT

Are you serious? How long do you think I would sit and wait with non-functional Wi-Fi?

These garbage Wifi Pro units were returned weeks ago and replaced with something that works.

Re: Nest APs go offline

Pakdude — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 15:29:40 GMT

@AbigailFI have filled out the form. Looking forward to a software fix for this bug soon.

Re: Nest APs go offline

Leej — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 15:44:11 GMT

@AbigailFUpdate: after a long time chatting with Google, as a last resort they suggested changing my DNS settings in the app from Automatic to Custom: primary 8.8.8.8 and secondary 8.8.4.4, and then power everything down and reboot. After doing all of this, eventually things have improved and been stable for about 1 week. They also suggested if things don't improve to do a factory reset on my router and all access points and set up network from scratch. I haven't done that yet, but if problems return, I will, and then I will likely purchase some other brand of wifi system.

Regarding your questions:

"Are are the access points connected directly to a power outlet?" Each point is connected to a surge protector.

"What’s the color of the status light on the access points?" I have Google Nest, and the light is solid white and unchanged when I have issues.

"Were there any changes on your network like a change in location, new Internet Service provider or modem?" No, I had no changes.

Again, I'm hoping changing the DNS has solved my issues. We will see, but my confidence in Google Wifi is not very good right now...

Re: Nest APs go offline

Jhonleanmel — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 18:16:52 GMT

Hey folks,

Thanks for the help, @AbigailF.

@GothicCastle, we're sad to see you go. We hope we can make it up to you in the future. Send us a message if you change your mind.

@Pakdude, we got your form — thanks for filling it out. Keep your lines open as our team will reach out to you via email anytime soon.

@Leej, awesome — glad to hear that your issue is fixed. It looks like we can consider this one complete, so I will lock the thread shortly unless I can help out with anything else.

Best,
Mel

Re: Nest APs go offline

Leej — Sat, 19 Nov 2022 22:50:18 GMT

@JhonleanmelLooks like I spoke too soon. Since changing DNS settings and restarting, my access points have had "Great" connections when I run a mesh test for about a week (thus the reason for my post above). Then this afternoon, one access point went offline, and the other two show "weak" connections. I have restarted my network and run another mesh test, and now two show "great" connections, and one shows "weak"? I have restarted that access point, but no luck. I may try to factory reset everything and see if that resolves this ongoing issue. I will probably reach out to google support again, but I don't see any resolution...

Re: Nest APs go offline

Jhonleanmel — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 22:15:43 GMT

Hi Leej,

Thanks for letting us know. Take your time, I'll be waiting for your update.

Best,
Mel

Re: Nest APs go offline

Jhonleanmel — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 22:48:30 GMT

Hey there,

Checking back in should you still have some questions here. Let us know by replying to this thread.

@Hakt, we got your form — thanks for filling it out. Keep your lines open as our team will reach out to you via email anytime soon.

Best,
Mel

Re: Nest APs go offline

Pakdude — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 22:56:02 GMT

@AbigailFand @Jhonleanmel : My lines are open. I'm still waiting for that email.

Re: Nest APs go offline

AbigailF — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 01:07:55 GMT

Hey Pakdude,

Our team has sent you an email. Please check and continue the conversation there.

Cheers,
Abi

Re: Nest APs go offline

Hakt — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 20:22:02 GMT

I never heard back from google - and my wifi is in a constant on/off status where half my devices are connected and half not depending on the hour.
Trouble is I have a fairly modern smart home - google messing up on this wifi product (which i consider a basic necessity for my home) really cuts into the trust i have for google as a part of my smart home at all.
It all starts with wifi.

Re: Nest APs go offline

AbigailF — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 22:37:26 GMT

Hello Hakt,

Please check your email as our team has sent you a message. You can continue the troubleshooting steps there.

Thanks,
Abi

Re: Nest APs go offline

AbigailF — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 23:53:32 GMT

Hey folks,

Checking back in should you still have some questions here. Let us know by replying to this thread.

Best,
Abi

Re: Nest APs go offline

EmersonB — Sat, 03 Dec 2022 14:23:06 GMT

Hi folks,

@Hakt just one quick final check in here since activity has slowed down. We'll be locking the thread in the next 24 hours, but if you still need help, I would be happy to keep it open. If there's more we can do, just let me know.

I appreciate the help, Abi, olavrb and Mel.

Regards,
Emerson