Devices Connected to Nest Wifi Pro LAN Port Via Ethernet Have Slow Download Speeds

[KCGFUser]

Ever since I got my Google Nest Wifi Pro points I've been experiencing extremely slow download speeds to devices connected via ethernet cables to the LAN ports on the points.

My LAN is configured as follows:

Google Fiber Jack > ethernet cable > Google Nest Wifi Pro router WAN port > ethernet cable from Google Nest Wifi Pro LAN port > Apple Mac Mini M2 10GB ethernet port...Google Nest Wifi Pro router > Google Nest Wifi Pro point via Wifi > ethernet cable from Google Nest Wifi point LAN port > Apple TV 2022 ethernet port

When using the Test Network function from the Wifi tile on the Favorites menu option of the Google Home App the results consistently are above 970 mbps for both download and upload speeds.  So, this doesn't appear to be a problem with the connection speed being received/sent between the Google Jack and my ISP.

Clicking on the Devices menu option on the Google Home App and selecting the Google Nest Wifi Pro router tile I get a result of over 975 mbps both down and up when I run the "Run speed test" option available on that page.  This leads me to believe the Google Nest Wifi Pro router is also getting nearly the same connection speeds as the Google Jack.

Running the "Run mesh test" from the Google Nest Wifi Pro tile on the Devices menu shows there is a "great connection".

However, when I run a speed test using the Speedtest.net app on either the Mac Mini or the Apple TV while connected by an ethernet cable I rarely get anything near the 970 to 975 mbps speed that the Google Home App shows for both the Google Jack and the Google Nest Wifi router.  Running these tests when connected over ethernet gives download speeds averaging below 150 mbps, often even below 50 mbps.  Testing using speedtest.net when using a Wifi connection between the Google Nest Wifi points and the same devices yields download speeds that are always above 500 mbps and average just over 700 mbps.  All the above tests performed using the Speedtest.net app were connected to the same Google Fiber server located less than a mile away so there wouldn't be any inconsistencies caused by using different server sources.

Besides poor test results using the Speedtest.net app, I've also experienced slow speeds when downloading files and web pages on the internet as well as had streamed videos freeze when viewing them on the Apple TV.  So, I'm convinced this is more than just erroneous results from speed testing software.

I've been reading the posts on this issue in the community extensively.  There were a number of references to firmware upgrades that would address the problem.  Checking the settings gear on both the Google Nest Wifi Pro router and the Google Nest Wifi point shows they are both using Software version: 1.63.355999.  So, it appears they are both up to date with the latest release issued in May 2023.

There were also a number of posts suggesting that cable problems could cause this issue. Originally I was using Cat 6 cables for all the ethernet connections between the points and the devices.  However, this post suggested that Cat 5e would give better performance: https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Nest-Wifi/Wired-devices-behind-Google-Wifi-router-are-slow/m-...  Swapping out Cat 5e cables for the Cat 6 cables gave only marginal changes in the results.

Just to make sure there are no defective cables, I've taken all the Cat 5e and Cat 6 cables that I've ever used in the configuration and tested them by connecting one end to the Google Fiber Jack ethernet jack and the other end directly into the 10GB ethernet port on the Mac Mini.  Running the speedtest.net app on all the cables produced download speeds at or above 943 mbps.  This leads me to believe that all the cables are functioning properly because I would have expected a bad cable to either prevent a connection or produce the same slow download speeds I've been observing.

Sorry this is so long, but I wanted to cover all the testing I've done to troubleshoot this issue in order to get feedback on additional potential causes I've not yet explored.  Could the LAN port on the Google Nest Wifi Pro used as the router be faulty?  Are there settings on the Google Nest Wifi Pro points that need to be reviewed and possibly changed?  Could there be settings on the ethernet ports of the Mac Mini and/or Apple TV that need to be examined and potentially revised? 

I'm open to receive any and all suggestions because I believe I've eliminated all the major causes that have been suggested in this community and am at a loss as to what to do next.  I appreciate whatever help this community can offer.

[Dan_A]

Hi KCGFUser,

That certainly isn’t the experience we want you to have and apologies for the delay. A few questions: are you using a modem/router combo from your Internet Service Provider (ISP)? Also, do you have any paused devices?

We know that you’ve already tried other options. It would be a pleasure to help you get through this. Kindly try these steps:

1. If you're using a modem/router combo, set that to bridge mode to avoid double NAT issues.
2. Make sure that there is minimal to no interference (concrete, bulletproof glass, metal, mirror, etc.) and the points are no more than two rooms apart.
3. Remove any special characters in your network name and password.
4. Turn off IPv6:
   1. Open the Google Home app Google Home app.
   2. Tap the Wi-Fi coin  and then Settings Settings. 
   3. Scroll down and tap Advanced networking.
   4. Scroll down to IPv6.
   5. Toggle the switch off Toggle button off.
5. Change your DNS server into 8.8.8.8 on the primary and 8.8.4.4 on the secondary server. Hit the save/ floppy disk icon on the upper right.
6. Unplug the power from your Google Wifi devices for 2 minutes.
7. If the issue persists, try factory resetting your network. Take note that this will delete all network data.

You may skip any step that you’ve done already.

Let us know how it goes.

Best,

Dan

[KCGFUser]

Thanks for the response, Dan_A.

Unfortunately, I can no longer complete any of the changes you recommended to my Nest Wifi Pro configuration.  My frustration with the prolonged nature of the problem led me to purchase a TP-Link AXE5400 Archer AXE75 router and install it in place of the Nest Wifi Pro equipment GFiber furnished with my service. 

Interestingly, I tested my system immediately before making the switch.  The Google Home Speed test showed GFiber was supplying 986 Mbps download and 986 Mbps upload speeds to the GFiber Jack.  But testing with the Speedtest.net application on my Mac M2 Mini connected over Ethernet from the Nest Wifi Router showed only 122 Mbps download and 940 Mbps upload speeds. 

After installing the TP-Link router the results on Speedtest.net over the same Ethernet connection rose to 933 Mbps download and 941 Mbps upload speeds on the first test, without making any changes to the default configuration on the router or changing out any of the cables that were in use with the Nest Wifi Pro equipment. 

It's only been a couple of days since I installed the new router, so it is still early to completely trust the results, but after doing a couple dozen speed tests using Speedtest.net I've yet get a download speed of less than 929 Mbps. 

You may be right and the problem could have been associated with erroneous settings that needed to be adjusted and not faulty router hardware.  But, whatever the source impeding download speeds, taking the Nest Wifi Pro equipment out of the configuration has drastically changed the performance so far.

Since I have a single story dwelling that is only a little over 1000 square feet I don't really feel there is a need for a mesh network to get complete wifi coverage.  Unless test results change dramatically over the next 30 days, I'll be keeping my current configuration and returning the Nest Wifi Pro to GFiber.

Thanks again for your assistance.  I'll reach out again in the future if for some reason I need to revert to the Nest Wifi Pro system.

[Dan_A]

Hello there,

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

Kind regards,

Dan