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Macbook Pro vs Nest Point

frblrpwptr
Community Member

I've had a Nest Wifi Router for a few years (not Pro).  Recently I started connecting more in my garage where coverage is spotty and impacted by weather, so I added a second router set up as a point,  Much improvement for every device except my 2016 Macbook Pro on Monterey. The Macbook has a difficult time getting a stable connection from my garage.  Chromecast on garage TV seems stable, my Pixel 6 pro seems stable. I've tried all the tips for resetting and restarting.  

After multiple connections and drops, the Macbook finally seems to settle, but it's just annoying to spend 15 minutes every time I try to use the macbook in the garage to have this issue. 

I debated getting a pro to replace existing Nest router since the Pro range seems greater, but saw the older routers for less than half  its price so opted for a second router as a point  Now thinking that was probably a mistake, but wanted to check for any additional troubleshooting tips before I give up and start over. 

1 Recommended Answer

frblrpwptr
Community Member

Ditching the meshed Nest WiFis for a single Nest WiFi Pro has solved my issue. 

View Recommended Answer in original post

7 REPLIES 7

MichaelP
Diamond Product Expert
Diamond Product Expert

Hello @frblrpwptr 

It's hard to know exactly what's happening here, but my first question is where you have placed that new Nest WiFi Router unit as a point? If you put it in an area where devices were already struggling to connect, it may also be struggling to get a connection for itself, which can produce some strange behavior. Have you run a mesh test? You'll want to make sure that new Nest WiFi Router unit is getting a "great" mesh connection for itself. That may require placing it in between your primary Nest WiFi Router and the area you have clients.

The reason I'm asking about this is because one thing I know about Apple devices is that they support the 802.11k and 802.11v standards that Google/Nest WiFi products use to give clients hints about what access point and band to connect to. So, it's possible the laptop is trying to follow those hints while the other devices are just connecting to the strongest nearby signal they can find.

olavrb
Platinum Product Expert
Platinum Product Expert

MacOS, iOS and iPadOS devices sometimes have issues with wireless reliability and Nest Wifi because of following settings on these devices:

HTTP Proxy: Set to "none".
https://www.expressvpn.com/support/troubleshooting/disable-proxy-safari

Private IP Address (Mac randomization): Disable.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/guide/security/secb9cb3140c/web
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211227


I don't work for Google.

frblrpwptr
Community Member

Thanks for responses.  All things I had already tried/confirmed or settings I'd already reviewed and found set as suggested.   I might have a faulty mac, a faulty router used as point, or both, but I am blaming the router used as point because the mac still connects fine in my garage with the point unplugged.  Since the area is marginal, I am returning the router and getting a Nest Pro to replace my existing router.  Hoping it will have just enough extra oomph to level out the performance of the garage chromecast and assistant speaker.  

AbigailF
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hey folks, 

Thanks for lending a hand, @olavrb and @MichaelP.
@frblrpwptr, I wanted to follow up and see if you are still in need of any help. Please let me know if you are still having any concerns or questions from here, as I would be happy to take a closer look and assist you further.

Thanks,
Abi

AbigailF
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi frblrpwptr,

Checking back in should you still have some questions here. Let us know by replying to this thread. 

Best, 
Abi

frblrpwptr
Community Member

Ditching the meshed Nest WiFis for a single Nest WiFi Pro has solved my issue. 

AbigailF
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hello frblrpwptr,

Thanks for the update. As we got our resolution here, I'm going to mark this thread as resolved. I'll be locking this thread if we won't hear back from you in 24 hrs. Should that happen, feel free to create a new one if you have more questions or have other concerns in the future.

Cheers,
Abi