Endless Problems with Google WiFi Pro

[BittBurger]

I don’t even know where to start. I have three properties. In one of them which is connected to Hotwire communications fiber service, the three unit network seems to work OK.

In the second one, which is connected to a Mexican Internet provider in Mexico, and their modem, it’s a complete mess of slow speeds and buffering on my TVs with Firesticks.  

in the third one, where they are connected to AT&T fibers Gateway box, same problem.

So let’s start with this one since that’s where I am now.in

Please note: in all three locations I had a Netgear router. I didn’t have to touch anything. Change any settings. And it worked perfectly fine right out of the box. Google WiFi? Nightmare. Why am I using Google? Because the range of the single router was not far enough and I wanted to try a mesh network.

So the San Diego place:

Connected to AT&T fiber Gateway. I spent literally all day adjusting settings in the gateway modem. Setting up passthrough. Restarting. Verifying. Seemed to work fine. On my iPhone 15 feet from the Google access point, I’m getting 700 Mb per second on a speed test over WiFi.

5 feet further away on my television with a fire stick, I’m getting 110 Mb per second. Mind you it was far far higher than that using the Netgear router.

Oddly, if I load up Netflix on the fire stick, I have no problems watching anything. But if I load up the YouTube app, inexplicably, I can’t watch a single video unless it’s at 720P quality. It buffers. Hangs. Choppy. Fails. Even at 1080P.

Half the time, I noticed that my television and fire stick get pushed to a 2.4 GHz network on Google even though the Wi-Fi access point is less than 15 feet away. I have no idea why this happens but that just adds more frustration to the situation.  Even on 5ghz YouTube can’t play videos.   I would consider this a success if YouTube videos played normally. But they don’t.

At this point I have no idea if all the adjustments that I was told to make have made it better or worse. Or if just the product just is terrible with various ISP’s. Which I’m starting to think it is since I have three homes and it’s doing different things and all different homes.  But This is what happens when you sell a product that doesn’t work right out of the box, like the Netgear routers do.

[DeboraJ]

Hi @BittBurger,

Thanks for posting on the community! I understand you're facing frustrating connectivity problems with Google Wifi across your properties, like slow speeds, buffering, and specific app issues. I also see you've been working on gateway settings and observing devices connecting to 2.4 GHz despite being close. I know how challenging this can feel, but don't worry! I'm here to help you through it.

Before we continue, I need some information:

• What is the approximate lot area of your home or apartment in square feet?
• Which specific access points are affected?
• Have there been any recent changes to your network setup?
• Approximately how many devices actively use the internet at once?
• Did you change your Internet Service Provider (ISP)?
• Are you using a modem and router combo device?
• Is Google Wifi the only device connected directly to your modem?
• How many Google Wifi devices do you have?
• What are the make and model of your Google Wifi devices?

I'll be happy to help you once you provide this information.

Best regards,

Debora

[BittBurger]

Hi Deb!

can I pivot a bit and try to minimize the issue to one specific thing?  As mentioned, I am getting 700 mbps on WiFi on my iPhone about 15 feet from the google router.  But 5 feet further away, my Firestick is getting only 100 mbps and specifically the YouTube app (which I use hours and hours per day) can’t even play videos higher than 720p.  It buffers and hangs anything higher. 

Does it make sense therefore that we focus on potential tech conflicts between YouTube firestick app and the google router?  And the firestick itself and the google router.  

If we do that, most of your questions don’t seem like they’d come into play. Aside from the fact that they seem like a copy/paste and reflect that maybe what I wrote wasn’t actually read.  I addressed nearly all of these questions already.  It’s super important that what’s written is read or we will waste a lot of time repeating.  

[BittBurger]

Just to respond to your questions anyways:

• What is the approximate lot area of your home or apartment in square feet?   (addressed this in first post.  Will repeat.  Relevant distances:  15 feet from router iPhone is getting 700 Mbps. Firestick struggling between 50 and 120 Mbps at 20 feet and gets thrown onto 2.4ghz even though it’s beteeen router and 1 access point both are 15 to 20 feet away.  Have tried turning off the extra access point and it makes no difference.  Even on 5Gz which I can force by reconnecting, YouTube fails to play videos higher than 720p)
• Which specific access points are affected? (already addressed this in great detail on the first post). 
• Have there been any recent changes to your network setup?  (Addressed this in my first post in detail)
• Approximately how many devices actively use the internet at once? (Answered this already.  I’m confused why you’re asking questions that were already answered.  I included the information so we could be more efficient right out the gate)
• Did you change your Internet Service Provider (ISP)?  (No.  Answered this in the first post too!  I said the only change was going from Netgear router to google.  Both used an AT&T gateway box / modem / router”
• Are you using a modem and router combo device?  (Why are you asking things I’ve already answered??)
• Is Google Wifi the only device connected directly to your modem?  (Yes. Finally, a new question) 🙂
• How many Google Wifi devices do you have?  (Answered this in the first post too. Did you even read it?)
• What are the make and model of your Google Wifi devices?  (I believe I mentioned google WiFi pro.  Model number:  G6ZUC)

[DeboraJ]

Hi @BittBurger

Thanks for answering the questions and for providing those details; I truly appreciate it. Here's some important information about your network setup:

Your AT&T Fiber Gateway and Google Wifi setup might be causing a Double NAT issue. This happens when both devices act as routers, processing your network traffic twice. This can lead to bottlenecks, slower speeds, buffering, and app problems, potentially explaining the inconsistencies you're seeing and why your Netgear setup worked differently.

To resolve this, the best approach is to enable Bridge Mode on your AT&T Fiber Gateway. This essentially turns it into a simple modem, disabling its router functions (like its Wi-Fi and NAT). Your Google Wifi system then handles all network routing, preventing Double NAT and optimizing performance. It's usually best to contact your Internet Service Provider (AT&T) to help you enable Bridge Mode, as the steps can vary by gateway model.

Remember, Google's mesh Wi-Fi systems (like Google Wifi and Nest Wifi) create a new, independent Wi-Fi network in your home. They don't just extend your ISP's network. Therefore, once Bridge Mode is active, you should disable the Wi-Fi on your AT&T Gateway to prevent interference and ensure all your devices seamlessly connect to your Google network.

Please try these adjustments, ideally with AT&T's assistance for Bridge Mode, and let me know how it goes! I'll be awaiting your response.

Best regards, 

Debora 

[BittBurger]

Deborah.  Unfortunately I once again I have to point you back to my first message since I guess you didn’t see what I wrote:

“So the San Diego place:

Connected to AT&T fiber Gateway. I spent literally all day adjusting settings in the gateway modem. Setting up passthrough. Restarting. Verifying. Seemed to work fine. On my iPhone 15 feet from the Google access point, I’m getting 700 Mb per second on a speed test over WiFi.”

if you are familiar with what passthrough is, it *IS* the approach for handling the double NAT issue when there is no bridge mode.  If you are under the impression that the AT&T Gateway box can do bridge mode, please let me know how. Because I was handling the double NAT issue by enabling passthrough.

this is why, in my more recent message above, I asked if we could possibly pivot and discuss compatibility issues between the Google Wi-Fi router and the Amazon Firestick or the YouTube app on the Amazon fire stick. You did not respond to that though.

[DeboraJ]

Hi @BittBurger 

After reviewing the information, and as you mentioned in your last posts, it appears your Google Wifi Pro device is working as expected. Thanks for letting me know you used passthrough to resolve the Double NAT issue.

However, based on the information you provided, I recommend contacting the manufacturer of your Amazon Firestick. This is because your Google Wifi Pro is providing 700 Mbps to your cellphone and working well with the Netflix app.

Contacting Amazon will help us determine if the issue lies with the Firestick or the Google Wifi Pro. Please keep me posted on their response and resolution.

Best regards,

Debora

[BittBurger]

Deborah. This is literally why I contacted “you”.  To get that very information. .We have now wasted an entire week and pages of text and accomplished absolutely nothing. Primarily because you didn’t actually read what I wrote.

Maybe I’ll start another thread and try and get another community member to assist me here. I’ve called Support for Google Wi-Fi and they were of zero assistance as well. It seems nobody knows anything about their own product in this company.

I need technical compatability  information from *you guys*.

As I’ve said 10 times now, the Firestick was working perfectly fine with the Netgear router. It’s your product that’s causing the problem. You’re the new element. So I go to you guys for support. Obviously.

Fire stick Support is not going to know why your product isn’t working with it. Especially when every other router I’ve ever tried works fine with it. 

This freaking text box doesn’t even work after I type a message to you here. I can’t even click the Reply button. I have to cut all my text out, refresh the page, paste my text again, and then click Reply. Because Google can’t even make a discussion forum work properly.