01-09-2025 08:49 AM
Hi,
I have a pretty long apartment and I decided to buy 4 Nest wifi pro.
The fiber provider router is at the entrance, the native wifi is turned off.
I attached the 1st nest wifi pro to the router and from the 1st nest wifi pro I have an ethernet cable connecting a 2nd nest wifi pro at the very end part of the apartment.
In the middle in the corridor I installed 2 other nest wifi pro not wired (using wifi only)
The network performace at the end of the apartment where the 2 wired nest wifi pro are connected is high with download speed at around 400/ 500 Mbps.
when I move to the middle of the corridor ( we are talking about 8 meters apart) the performance decreases to 150 and when I move into a room to 25....
Any suggestions on how to improve these poor results?
Is there a better possible configuration maybe wired?
Like, can I eventually connect all the nest wifi pro to the router or to a switch connected to the main router, or can the nest wifi pro be connected sequencially?
Thanks
Nicola
Answered! Go to the Recommended Answer.
01-10-2025 07:36 AM
Hello @Nicolama
If you can run Ethernet to the units in the middle of the apartment, using an inexpensive (unmanaged) Ethernet switch to make more ports available will definitely improve the performance in that area.
However, if you can't get Ethernet run to them, you may find you get better performance by disconnecting them entirely, or by only using one of them placed closer to the primary unit (no more than one room away). The problem is, the wireless-only secondary units connect back to the primary using 6GHz, and the current FCC rules don't allow higher transmit power in that band (without some new features being implemented on the Nest WiFi Pro system). So, I suspect those wireless secondaries are struggling to get their traffic through to the primary, and even though clients have strong connections to them, their traffic is getting impacted. By disconnecting them, the clients may have to connect to the primary (or wired secondary at the other end), but at least you're not trying to carry anything long distances through the lower power 6GHz band.
01-11-2025 07:12 AM
The primary Nest WiFi Pro unit is a router+firewall that creates an "inner" network. The secondary Nest WiFi Pro units must all be connected to that inner network, not the "outer" network provided by the internet service equipment. That will not work, and will cause significant problems. So, the primary Nest WiFi Pro unit's WAN Ethernet port should be the only thing connected directly to the internet service, an inexpensive, unmanaged Ethernet switch should be connected to the primary Nest WiFi Pro unit's LAN Ethernet port, and then any wired secondary Nest WiFi Pro units should be connected to this switch.
If you've connected the system in any other way, you'll need to correct that, and reboot the system, and possibly some clients.
01-11-2025 07:27 AM
To answer the first question, on a secondary, you can use either port since they are in bridge mode. I like to pick one and stick with it consistently, though.
In answer to this question, yes – it sounds like your switch is connected to the "outer" network. That will effectively bridge across the primary Nest WiFi Pro router+firewall, causing problems. The "inner" network switch needs to be dedicated to connecting devices inside the Nest WiFi Pro network. Nothing else should be connected to the outer network other than the primary Nest WiFi Pro unit's WAN port.
01-09-2025 09:16 PM
My advice just return them and save yourself the trouble. I have two devices setup and have tried a lot of things nothing works to get an optimal connection. The only thing I regret is not returning them when I had the chance. I gave up on trying to get the same speeds but over time the connection degraded so even with okay speeds 500+ everything buffers and lags now. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t the fiber modem (which is in bridge mode) so I have the main connection going to a switch which the nets connect to. Along with a raspberry pie to monitor connection. Surly enough it’s not a connection issue but a hardware issue. If you dig around enough you will find it’s not a matter of if this will happen but when. Wish I would have known.
01-10-2025 07:36 AM
Hello @Nicolama
If you can run Ethernet to the units in the middle of the apartment, using an inexpensive (unmanaged) Ethernet switch to make more ports available will definitely improve the performance in that area.
However, if you can't get Ethernet run to them, you may find you get better performance by disconnecting them entirely, or by only using one of them placed closer to the primary unit (no more than one room away). The problem is, the wireless-only secondary units connect back to the primary using 6GHz, and the current FCC rules don't allow higher transmit power in that band (without some new features being implemented on the Nest WiFi Pro system). So, I suspect those wireless secondaries are struggling to get their traffic through to the primary, and even though clients have strong connections to them, their traffic is getting impacted. By disconnecting them, the clients may have to connect to the primary (or wired secondary at the other end), but at least you're not trying to carry anything long distances through the lower power 6GHz band.
01-10-2025 07:43 AM
Thanks for the information Michael,
I tried to have them all wireless and the performance was pretty bad.
So, should I try to connect them individually to a switch or should they be sequencial 1 after the other using the NEST wifi pro ports?
01-10-2025 07:51 AM
All wireless would not be good. Right now, you have one wired at each end, and I'm suggesting that might be fine without the ones in the middle (i.e., it might be better than having the ones in the middle connected at all).
You can wire all of them through an Ethernet switch as well.
Connecting them sequentially through Ethernet will probably work, but I don't recommend it.
01-10-2025 07:59 AM
right now I have the the main one connected to the provider router and then one at the other end of the apartment connected via ethernet to the nest wifi pro, I will try to disconnect completely the middle ones to see what happens
01-10-2025 08:17 AM
I have to say the performance improved dramatically almost everywhere.
where I had 20 now I have about 100 and where I had 50 I have 450
There's only one room that is still at about 20 😞 and it's even closer to the main router...
What if I wire the 3rd router, can I connect it to the switch and leave the other 2 as they are, or all 3 to the switch?
01-10-2025 08:28 AM
Sounds like progress!
It does sound like wiring them would be a good idea in your environment. I think I would try to wire any that are being used, and leave any that you can't wire disconnected. Just make sure the switch you get connects to the LAN port on the primary Nest WiFi Pro unit, and then all of the wired secondaries connect to that switch. Don't connect the switch upstream from the primary/router Nest WiFi Pro.
01-11-2025 06:45 AM
so... I did some tests and the result is not encouraging.
I connected the provider router to the switch and all nest wifi pro to the switch. Unfortunately with this configuration the performance drops everywhere. it's like the main nest wifi cannot manage the other 2 hot spots properly. I even tried to reset the hot spots and recreate the mesh,but nothing changes, the third nest wifi seems to mess up the network.
As i am not sure what I am doing.... I tried
-all three using the internet ethernet socket
-1 internet socket and 2 the other one (i have no idea how it's called)
-2 internet socket 1 the other one in the case the dowload was fine, but the upload wasn't working
It looks like the best configuration is with 2 nest wifi interconnected even if unfortunately due to walls or furniture the speed drops from almost 800 download close to the wifi spots, to 150 and to 100....
01-11-2025 07:12 AM
The primary Nest WiFi Pro unit is a router+firewall that creates an "inner" network. The secondary Nest WiFi Pro units must all be connected to that inner network, not the "outer" network provided by the internet service equipment. That will not work, and will cause significant problems. So, the primary Nest WiFi Pro unit's WAN Ethernet port should be the only thing connected directly to the internet service, an inexpensive, unmanaged Ethernet switch should be connected to the primary Nest WiFi Pro unit's LAN Ethernet port, and then any wired secondary Nest WiFi Pro units should be connected to this switch.
If you've connected the system in any other way, you'll need to correct that, and reboot the system, and possibly some clients.
01-11-2025 07:19 AM
Thr primary os connected to the internet and the secondary are connected to the switch. Which is the correct port to use in the secondary ones?
01-11-2025 07:22 AM
Just thought of something i might be doing wrong.
The switch i use is the same one that provides internet to the rest of the etehenet in the walls. I now guess the switch should be dedicated just to the nest wifi. Am I right?
01-11-2025 07:27 AM
To answer the first question, on a secondary, you can use either port since they are in bridge mode. I like to pick one and stick with it consistently, though.
In answer to this question, yes – it sounds like your switch is connected to the "outer" network. That will effectively bridge across the primary Nest WiFi Pro router+firewall, causing problems. The "inner" network switch needs to be dedicated to connecting devices inside the Nest WiFi Pro network. Nothing else should be connected to the outer network other than the primary Nest WiFi Pro unit's WAN port.
01-11-2025 07:32 AM
Thanks , I will buy one and let you know the outcome
01-13-2025 08:00 AM
I installed the new mini tplink gigabyte switch and connected the hotspots as suggested.
I moved the 4th nest wifi in another room downstairs in where before I could not extend the wifi so I previously I built a separate network. Now it's all under the same wifi.
The "new" hotspot in separate environment has a very solid performance at over 600Mbps download.
Upstairs with the main and 2 hotspots the performance is slightly worse than before in some areas and much better in others.
I don't reach anymore 900 mbps in some areas like sometimes I did before with 1 main and 1 hotspot, but I guess I should be happy anyway with about 510 and 620 and only 1 room with about 200.
The room with 200 I think has physical barriers decreasing the performance, like a wide concrete pillar in one wall, so that is probably the reason.
Inany case overall the performace is so much better than before,
Thanks for your help