Google Wifi goes crazy with my iphone's data usage - GOOGLE DO SOMETHING

[Lulune]

So, I have read here that it is now a KNOWN ISSUE and that google doesn't want to deal with it. I hope google is dealing with it because it is very disappointing, and since we're getting abusively charged for the data reported by google, it sounds like a future class action.

Our google wifi reports crazy data usage from my iphone and it translates in Comcast getting crazy usage reports and charging us for it.

When I connect directly to the Comcast's router's wifi, and not through google wifi, the problem disappears.

My iphone is not using all that data, but Google wifi is definitly doing something that uses A LOT of real data (or so thinks Comcast) when my iphone connects through it. As in 200GB in 5mn, with my iphone being idle. 

I have Google Fi on my iphone, I live in a house with quite a bunch of devices, including other IOS devices, and Google wifi messes up our data usage only when my iphone is connected.

I need someone who works for google to help me there. Thank you.

[MplsCustomer]

@Lulune 

I'm not from Google Nest; I'm just another customer who doesn't really understand your whole situation, and I don't know why you're using both Comcast Wi-Fi and Google Wi-Fi. (We have Comcast, along with 2 Linksys routers configured as access points, so we have just one Wi-Fi network.)

But is it possible that when your phone is connected to your Google Wi-Fi, it somehow does not have access to the internet and is therefore using cellular data?

[Lulune]

Hi, 

Our home internet provider is Comcast, and they cap our home data usage at 1.2TB (because 'murica). 

We have a google wifi "mesh" with a main google pod thingy and 2 extra google access points. This network is the main wifi network for everyone in the house.

Comcast is our internet provider, and we have no choice but to use a Comcast router. We used to have only Comcast wifi, so it was all configured and working. When we switched to google wifi, for google home, the old wifi network should have been disabled, but somehow we could not get rid of it - and we cannot not have the comcast router - so it's just been wifiing away peacefully but we normally don't use it at all. 

Here, a drawing:

----*comcast cable*---> #comcast router/wifi# <--*ethernet*--> #google wifi# ) ) *wifi*)  ) Our devices.

Anyway, like I said, google home suddenly started reporting a crazy amount of data usage on wifi - not cellular data - coming from my iphone. Comcast (our provider) sees the same usage when my iphone is connected to the google wifi network.

BUT when I'm connected to the old wifi - hence bypassing the google wifi - suddenly my *wifi* data usage is normal.

I don't know if it's clearer. It has zero impact on my cellular data usage, cellular data usage is not the problem.

[MplsCustomer]

@Lulune 

Okay, I misunderstand about cellular data usage.

I am not an expert on networking issues, so I don't know whether or why having a Google Wi-Fi network running under a Comcast Wi-Fi network would drastically increase your phone's Wi-Fi data usage. It does seem like what you have is a Double NAT, but I don't know if that can increase Wi-Fi data usage. Google Nest recommends putting your ISP's router in bridge mode (https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/6240987), but I don't know if that's problematic with Comcast.

We have our two Linksys routers configured in bridge mode, so they serve as wired Wi-Fi access point connected to our Comcast router, and it all works quite well with multiple Google Nest cameras, doorbells, and Nest Hubs (but no other smart objects). But Google Nest recommends against putting Google Nest Wi-Fi devices in bridge mode, perhaps because Google Wi-Fi uses a mesh network.

https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/6240987

Maybe another customer or a Google Nest Support Specialist with networking expertise can provide some guidance.

[Lulune]

I may add that I am glad that we still have our old wifi network so I have the option to connect to it and actually have access to wifi in my own home without google messing up our home internet data usage. 

Do you have all the Google Home features despite not having Google wifi? What do you connect your smart objects to ? 

We may have to get rid of the whole Google wifi network/mesh system, if it can't deal with iphones. 

Thank you

[olavrb]

Side note: It can help on limiting data usage if you tell your client devices that your network(s) / Wi-Fi(s) is/are "metered".

[Jeff]

That's a good suggestion, olavrb.

Hey Lulune,

I just wanted to follow up and urge you to give olavrb's suggestion a try and see if that helps things out for you. Let us know if you have already tried that and if it worked out for you.

Thanks,
Jeff

[AbigailF]

Hi folks,

Chiming in to see if you still need assistance with this. Let us know if you have additional questions ― we'd love to help.
Thanks for lending a hand, @Jeff.

Best,
Abi

[Lulune]

UPDATE - things are back to normal after doing 2 things:

- a hard reboot of the google wifi

- a factory reset of the iphone's network (Settings -> General -> Transfer or reset iphone -> reset -> reset network settings).

It's been a week, so far so good! Thank you for trying to figure out what was going on, I was at my witt's end.

[Jeff]

Thanks for the update, Lulune.

I'm happy to hear that things are working normally right now. Let's watch it for a few days to see if things remain as expected. If anything changes, just let us know.

Thanks again,

Jeff

[Jeff]

Hi Lulune,

I just wanted to follow up real fast to see if things were still working well for you. If anything has changed, just let me know.

Thanks,
Jeff

[Jeff]

Hi all,

As we got our resolution here, I'm going to mark this one as resolved in the next 24 hours. Thanks to all who helped and contributed. If anyone has any other needs, please feel free to let me know before the lock.

Thanks,
Jeff