Issue with Nest Wifi Mesh

[Sully]

I've been using 3 Nest Wifi routers (model H2D) for a couple years now relatively no issues. 2 of them are wired at opposite ends of the apartment and one is right in the middle with no ethernet port, so it was connecting via wireless mesh and when I used to run the mesh test on the Home App it would give me a "good connection". My home internet connection is a 5G modem but the reception was pretty bad and was giving me extremely slow and inconsistent speeds so I replaced the modem with an outdoor unit which fixed that problem. At the same time, I also purchased a JBL 9.1 sound bar and ever since I installed both these devices the routers have been extremely finicky. Now the router in the middle of the apartment (the one that isn't wired) rarely connects and I have no idea if its due to an OTA update or one of the 2 devices I've recently installed is causing the issue. I tried factory resetting it and still the vast majority of the time its flashing yellow.

[MichaelP]

Hello @Sully 

It's extremely likely the JBL sound bar is using the same part of the 5GHz spectrum as the Nest WiFi system uses for both the mesh interconnect as well as serving 5GHz WiFi clients system-wide. I would unplug that soundbar from power just  long enough to re-test the Nest WiFi connectivity to verify. If that is the issue, there isn't a whole lot you can do other than trying to keep the JBL sound bar itself (which is likely where the transmitter is) as far from any of the Nest WiFi units are as possible. Even then, it will be causing interference, so this may not help enough. 

I don't know enough about how the outdoor 5G system works, but it shouldn't be causing 5GHz interference unless it also includes a 5GHz WiFi access point along with the rest.

[Sully]

Hello @MichaelP 

Thanks for the reply. Yes, it turned out to be the JBL soundbar that was causing the issue. The soundbar and subwoofer are about 2 feet away from each other and the main Nest wifi point is about 25 feet away and I can't place it any farther away. I'm not sure what to do now as I spent almost $1,000 on the soundbar and can't return it at this point. Is it possible to change the wifi channel on the Nest? I think that might solve the issue but I couldn't seem to find that option on the Home App.

[MichaelP]

It is not possible to change the 5GHz channel on the Nest WiFi – without delving deep into FCC regulations, there aren't actually a whole lot of options in that band (which is likely why the sound bar is using the same spectrum). Even when everyone is following the rules, interference can still happen. Do you really need the wireless mesh Nest WiFi unit in the middle? You might try just disconnecting it and see if your WiFi coverage is adequate. Unfortunately, that does mean any WiFi clients near that sound bar will still be impacted, thought they can drop back to connecting at 2.4GHz instead.

[Jeff]

Hi, Sully.
I just wanted to jump in real fast to see if you saw MichaelP's latest reply and to see if you still needed some help on this or if you were able to get it sorted out. If you are still needing some help, just let us know and we'll be happy to continue helping.
Thanks.

[Sully]

Hello Jeff,

Unfortunately I wasn't able to fix the issue and ended up unplugging the JBL soundbar (temporary solution as I would like to use my $1,000 sound system). I need the WiFi unit in the middle otherwise there will be a fairly large dead zone in my home and even if I disconnect it, the main unit which is in the same room as the soundbar gets a massive degradation in speeds and connectivity.  I think the only real solution is to change my mesh system with something else that is confirmed not to have interference with JBL soundbars. It would be nice to have the option of manually changing the WiFi channel on Google WiFi which I've read in other threads is a possible solution but it seems like it has been requested by users in the past and Google has not added the feature yet.

[Jeff]

Hey, Sully.

I understand what you're saying about how you need things to work to get your equipment all online. I know there have been requests by the community to make the 2.4GHz and 5GHz channels able to be selected manually, but due to how the hardware is built, it's always going to be a simultaneous dual-band setup. If you would like to keep trying to work out a solution here, I'm happy to keep looking at it with you. If you do need to go with another setup, I understand that as well. Let me know what you think.

Thanks.

[Jeff]

Hi again, Sully.

I'm just checking in once more to see if you wanted to look more here or if you are investigating other options.

Thanks,

- Jeff

[Sully]

Hello Jeff,

Unfortunately, I don't see any other solution other than changing my mesh system entirely and so I'm looking into what system would work best for my use case.

Thanks.

[Jeff]

Hi, Sully.

I'm sorry we weren't able to get this sorted out for you, but I understand why you would look for alternatives. If there's anything else I can do for you here, just let me know.

Thanks,

- Jeff

[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