Disable Speed Test

[kentm]

Is there any way to disable the periodic speed test on Google Wifi mesh so it doesn't use up all the costly 4G data throughout the month?

The only option I have for a connection is a 4G mobile data connection. It seems odd that I can't turn this unnecessary function off.

[Jeff]

Hey, kentm.
Sorry for the late response here, but I wanted to check in to see if you were still having questions here. Currently there's not way to manually disable the network checks as it's part of how the WiFi system learns and keeps itself working as effective as possible. I can see how that sort of option would be useful in your case, however. I can pass this along to our teams as a feature request. Let me know there's something if there's anything else I can do for you.
Thanks.

[kentm]

Thanks Jeff,

Do you know how much data is transmitted during the speed tests, and how often they run?

From what I can see it seems that, with no one using the network, we go through 50% of our monthly allowance just from the speed test alone.

We’ll have to remove the mesh network as we can’t be sacrificing 50% of our total monthly data allowance for something that is completely irrelevant to us.

At the very least there really should be a warning on the box that advises how much data the mesh will consume and that it’s not recommended for cell or satellite connections with low data allowances.

Thanks, Kent

[Jeff]

Hey, kentm.
I can ask about the data usage and get back to you on that. I'll update you with what I'm able to find for you. It makes a lot of sense that you would want to limit the frequency of data use.

Thanks.

[Jeff]

Hi, kentm.

I spoke with an internal team and came back with a suggestion. They are actually going to look into ways to reduce the amount of data and the frequency of those speed tests, but I have a way to reduce communication back to Google's servers in the meantime. For now, let's toggle off your connection to cloud services and see how that impacts the data usage. Here's how you do that.

Open the Google Home app.

1. Tap the WiFi icon.

2. Tap Settings.

3. Select Privacy settings.

4. Toggle Nest WiFi cloud services OFF

If that doesn't reduce your data usage enough, let me know and we can continue to look at things.

Thanks.

[Jeff]

Hi, kentm.
I just wanted to check in real fast to see if you saw my reply and to see if you were able to give that a try. If you're still needing assistance, please just let me know and I'll be happy to continue helping.
Thanks.

[kentm]

Hi Jeff,

Not as yet. The mesh system is at a property on an island along way from me.

The data allowance on the satellite connection has run out so it’s offline until the month renews.

We liked the idea of having remote management of the mesh due to the remote location but if we can’t retain remote access and reduce data usage then we will most likely remove the mesh system.

Thanks for your time though, it was worth a shot.

Thanks, Kent

[Jeff]

Thanks for letting me know, kentm.

I'll leave the thread open for a while longer to see if any other members have some input on this. Hopefully someone has faced a similar situation as well.

Thanks.

[Jeff]

Hi, everyone.
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.
Thanks.

[Jeff]

Hi, everyone.
As we haven't had any activity here recently I'm going to go ahead and close the thread. If you have more to add, feel free to start a new discussion.
Thanks