09-04-2024 04:21 PM
I recently picked up a 3 pack of the Google Nest Wifi pro's.
I have my Modem wired to my Nest Wifi Pro router in the middle of my house.
I then a Nest Wifi Pro about 20 feet away in my kitchen near the rear house window, wirelessly connected with good connection (app says so)
I then have the 3rd Nest Wifi Pro about 25 feet away in my detached garage, wirelessly connected, but doesn't connect. If I move the point just outside the garage door, it connects. So my understanding is it isn't getting a good connection through the window on my house and the wall on my garage.
How can I improve connection? Is there a range extender? Can I run a cat cable from the 2nd point out to the 3rd?
Without my garage pod working, there is no point to having a mesh network as I get wifi from my office throughout my entire house.
Thanks in advance for the help!
09-04-2024 05:22 PM
I’ve got the exact same issue…hoping a good answer comes along. I hadn’t even considered a cat cable between the two.
09-06-2024 05:59 AM
Hello @TempleofTyler
Getting a good connection to an outbuilding is best done using an Ethernet cable. But, it has to connect to the primary unit's LAN Ethernet port, not to either of a secondary unit's Ethernet ports (e.g., your kitchen unit). Here's a support article with more details: https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/7215624?hl=en
Attempting to build a multi-hop wireless topology (e.g., hoping your garage unit connects to your kitchen unit) does not typically work out well. In addition, building materials can often cause significant signal degradation. Windows often have coatings that impede the already very low power WiFi transmissions, for example. Aluminum siding, metallic vapor barriers, brick, plaster, etc. all cause problems.
Lastly, Nest WiFi Pro uses the 6GHz radios to carry the wireless mesh interconnection traffic (in addition to 6GHz client traffic). Currently, this is limited to a lower transmit power, which reduces the range. So, the optimal placement for a wireless-only system has the primary in the center (which it sounds like you already have) and secondaries one (or, at most two) rooms away from the primary. From there, they will provide 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz coverage to more distant clients. Wiring a secondary directly to the primary (or through an inexpensive Ethernet switch connected to the primary) skips this, allowing you to place a secondary further away, or in an outbuilding.
09-06-2024 09:11 AM - edited 09-06-2024 09:23 AM
Where does it say that if I were to run an ethernet cable that it would have to run from the primary units LAN port?
What I want to do is:
Modem -> Nest Wifi Pro Router (Wired) -> Nest Wifi Pro Point (Wireless) -> Nest Wifi Pro Point (Wired)
Due to the location of my Modem/Nest Wifi pro Router, if I had to run a cat cable from the router to the Nest Wifi Pro point in my detached garage, I would need ~100', as I'd need to wiggle it around my entire house, which I really want to avoid.
What is also confusing, is I have a Wyze Camera hooked up to wifi that is in the back corner of my garage, and it is connected to the wifi... But the Nest Wifi pro point is in the front corner, closest to the other Nest Wifi Pro point, and it doesn't have connection.
09-06-2024 09:20 AM
The list of "Supported Setups" on that support page does not include connecting to a wireless secondary instead of the primary. I can also tell you connecting to a secondary is unlikely to work due to how wiring secondaries uses Spanning Tree Protocol (IEEE 802.1d) to eliminate the traffic loop between the wired Ethernet and wireless mesh paths. Could it work in your case? Maybe. Maybe only on every other Tuesday. If you want a reliable system, wire it to the primary.
09-06-2024 09:04 AM
Do they even sell 25 foot ethernet cords? THis sounds impossible to hook up OR I'm really stupid.
09-06-2024 09:09 AM
Sure – they sell Ethernet cables in many different lengths from a few feet up to 100ft. Maybe even more – I think beyond that, you'd want to buy a spool and cut it to length and attach ends. I haven't had to run one to an outbuilding, but many people have. I've run a 50ft cable inside my house from basement to second floor.