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Nest WiFi will not stay in Wired mode

Javenu
Community Member

The Google Nest WiFi router will not stay in Wired mode when using an Ethernet backhaul. It sees the Wired connection for a moment but changes it to Mesh, which results in a weak, unusable signal. Have tried different cables, daisy chaining routers, an unmanaged switch, factory reset, network reset, iOS app reset. There’s no way to force it to use Wired, the app is fully automated and controls that setting. All the DIY videos are vanilla plug and play and don’t encounter this anomaly. Without the router connection as wired, I cannot use the device in a LAN backhaul as advertised.

1 Recommended Answer

Javenu
Community Member

Update: resolved this myself. But first, I contacted Google Nest WiFi tech support, spent over an hour discussing this issue. They said the Nest product would not support a wired Ethernet backhaul, it will always create a Mesh even if it's wired. I disagreed with them and sent over the article saying that was in fact a supported scenario. After conferring with their team lead, they escalated it to the next tier and I never heard back.  😄 

Ok yes, the secondary will always generate Mesh wifi but it will use the Wired connection to network with the primary, big difference.

My resolution: Reset the secondary Nest Wifi Router so its pulsing white (or start with a new router). Add the secondary router to the Mesh network provided by the primary router, but do not connect it via Ethernet during that Add process. Once the secondary is joined to the primary Mesh network, plug the primary router's LAN port and either of the secondary ports into an unmanaged switch (ie: Netgear GS108) and ignore what the Google Home app says regarding Connection Type on the secondary router - its unreliable. It will switch back and forth from Wired to Mesh, which is bogus and misleading. Its my understanding that once you connect via Ethernet it automatically switches to Wired, but the Home app didn't get the memo.

I connected my secondary router to 500 feet of Cat6 (which exceeds the 100m rating of Cat6a) and walked ~250ft away from the primary. From there, the secondary provided a rock solid high speed WiFi signal using the Ethernet backhaul. To test whether that was the primary's Mesh or not, I unplugged the secondary and was unable to see the primary, confirming the secondary was fully Wired. 

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6 REPLIES 6

Frank1989
Community Member

I had same problem recently. Three nest hubs daisy chain connected by wire, or use an unmanaged Dell switch from 1 st router Lan port to switch, then from switch to other two nest routers Wan port.  Both have same result, the system can't keep use wired connection between routers, it will switch to mesh backhaul, drop out, then coming back to wired connection, keep doing it all day long. 

Javenu
Community Member

Thanks for confirming this isnt an isolated issue. I have a call with Google Support later today and will see what solutions they offer. I think their software is too automated, they should allow customers to override the connection type. Will report back what they suggest

Jeff
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hi Javenu,

 

Sorry about the issues you've been facing with your network setup. You mentioned that you were going to reach out to support by phone, and I wanted to check in and see if you were able to find the help you needed there. If you're still needing some input, let me know and I'll be happy to help out.

 

Thanks,

Jeff

Javenu
Community Member

Update: resolved this myself. But first, I contacted Google Nest WiFi tech support, spent over an hour discussing this issue. They said the Nest product would not support a wired Ethernet backhaul, it will always create a Mesh even if it's wired. I disagreed with them and sent over the article saying that was in fact a supported scenario. After conferring with their team lead, they escalated it to the next tier and I never heard back.  😄 

Ok yes, the secondary will always generate Mesh wifi but it will use the Wired connection to network with the primary, big difference.

My resolution: Reset the secondary Nest Wifi Router so its pulsing white (or start with a new router). Add the secondary router to the Mesh network provided by the primary router, but do not connect it via Ethernet during that Add process. Once the secondary is joined to the primary Mesh network, plug the primary router's LAN port and either of the secondary ports into an unmanaged switch (ie: Netgear GS108) and ignore what the Google Home app says regarding Connection Type on the secondary router - its unreliable. It will switch back and forth from Wired to Mesh, which is bogus and misleading. Its my understanding that once you connect via Ethernet it automatically switches to Wired, but the Home app didn't get the memo.

I connected my secondary router to 500 feet of Cat6 (which exceeds the 100m rating of Cat6a) and walked ~250ft away from the primary. From there, the secondary provided a rock solid high speed WiFi signal using the Ethernet backhaul. To test whether that was the primary's Mesh or not, I unplugged the secondary and was unable to see the primary, confirming the secondary was fully Wired. 

Jhonleanmel
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Hey folks,

 

@Jeff, thanks for the help here.

@Javenu, glad to hear that and thanks for getting back to us. We appreciate you sharing the steps that helped your network ― this helps the community a ton.

 

It looks like we can consider this one complete, so I will lock the thread shortly unless I can help out with anything else.

 

Best, 
Mel

Hi everyone,

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,
Mel