New Feature Request: Be able to sort/view the devices under the respective Google Nest Wifi device

[mosesg]

To whom it may concern:

Please provide owners with the ability to sort and view devices under each respective Google Nest Wifi Router or Point devices.  I have total of eight Google Nest Wifi Pros devices (1 router and 7 point devices) via wired backhaul configuration.  Every now and then I have to restart the respective devices (Google Home Mini, Nest Mini, Hub Max, etc) because they occasionally are connecting (or getting stuck) to a Google Nest Wifi Pro Router that is further away than what is closer to the respective device.  This happens if I happen to restart Google Nest Wifi Pro Network or there is power outage!  When this occurs I have difficulty with the respective device (e.g. doorbell) because they are trying to stream down or up the input or output feed but the connection is weak or not ideal!

I am left with having to manually (and times get the latter out) to get to the device (for example cameras) to restart them so they can rescan for a better network connection to a Googe Nest Wifi Pro Router that is hopefully better or stronger (and closer to the respective device).   This would save me some time of having to look at each device from within the Google Home app under WiFi - > devices -> the respective device manually!  This is a huge time waster!!!

Come on this should be an easy request for you Google Nest  Wifi Pro team!!!   Not to mention this feature should have been there from the beginning!  Good grief!!!

[mosesg]

I apologize for reposting again but I was in a hurry to post this yesterday so I reposting again with minor updates:

To whom it may concern:

Please provide owners with the ability to "Sort by: " and view devices (e.g. Google Nest Thermostat, Google Home Max) under each respective Google Nest Wifi Router and Point devices for which they are connected too.  I have total of eight Google Nest Wifi Pro devices (1 router and 7 point devices) via a wired backhaul ethernet configuration.  Every now and then (e.g. usually 3 - 6months) I have to restart a 4-5 respective devices (Google Home Mini, Nest Mini, Google Nest Hub Max, etc) because they are occasionally connecting (or getting stuck) to a Google Nest Wifi Pro Router or Point that is further away than what is closer to the respective device.  This occurs if I happen to restart the Google Nest Wifi Pro Network (e.g. when trying to troubleshoot an connectivity problem with my ISP - Verizon or Google Nest Wifi Pro router issue), restart a Google Nest Wifi Pro Router or one or two Points due to troubleshooting, or if there is power a outage!  When this occurs I have difficulty with the respective device(s) (e.g. Nest Hello Doorbell, Google Nest Cam indoor) because they are trying to stream up the video output feed but the connection is weak or not ideal!

I am left with having to manually (and times get the latter out) to get to the device (for example cameras) to restart them so they can rescan for a better network connection to a Googe Nest Wifi Pro Router or Point that is hopefully better or stronger (and closer to the respective device).   This would save me some time of having to look at each device from within the Google Home app under Wi-Fi - > Devices -> the respective Device information -> Point entry manually to determine what point the respective device is connected too!  This is a huge time waster!!!

Come on this should be an easy request for the Google Nest Wifi Pro team!!!   Not to mention this feature should have been there from the beginning starting with Google Wifi!  Good grief!!!

Finally, this might be an additional feature, but is there anyway to have the respective device connect to specific Google Nest Wifi Pro Router or Point, such as preferred connection list 3-5 layers deep: 1) Best WiFi Router or Point 2) Better WiFi Router or Point 3) Adequate WiFi Router or Point 4) Less than Adequate WiFi Router or Point 5) Not ideal but better than nothing WiFi Router or Point!  I realize this may defeat the purpose and features of mesh network, but the mesh network may have it's own flaws as well or there are bugs in the mesh implementation!  Just a thought!

[MichaelP]

Hello @mosesg 

I would love to see a view that showed which access point each device is connected to – the old Google WiFi app had something like this, though it required running a full all-devices benchmark that took a long time. But, that wouldn't be necessary for something like this – the information is all there already, they just need the UI to support this view. I would use the Google Home app's "Feedback" feature to send this request to Google (and I plan to do the same). If enough people ask for it, they will be more likely to get it done.

As for your last request, WiFi client devices decide which access point to connect to. The WiFi network can't force devices to connect to a specific access point (or band within an access point). Some WiFi devices do a much better job of this than others. Google/Nest WiFi does support (optional) standards – 802.11k and 802.11v – that it uses to tell client devices what access points and bands are available, and what signal quality that device should expect if it were to choose from one of those other options. WiFi clients that support these standards generally do a good job of selecting and switching between access points / bands. For example, pretty much all Apple products do this pretty nicely. However, some "fixed" devices (e.g., cameras, smart speakers, smart displays, etc.) generally don't support these standards, and they tend to stick with what's working, even when a better option is available (this is why a reboot of those devices "fixes" things – it forces them to go through scan and selection again).

This is worst-case for a mesh network where, during a network reboot (or recovery from a power failure), the primary unit starts beaconing availability before the secondaries are available, so clients that are scanning hear from it first, jump on it, and then stay there (until they get rebooted).

So, ideally, more clients would support the 802.11k+v standards Nest WiFi already uses. Until then, I'd love to see the network provide at least more information about which clients are where to make it easier to know which ones to restart.

P.S. There are actually some even "worse" worst-case scenarios for some devices, but it's so nightmarish to describe, I'm not even going there in this message. Suffice to say, if restarting a device doesn't get it to connect to a better access point, you may be better off replacing that device.

[mosesg]

Hello @MichaelP

Thanks for replying!  I am glad that I am not the only one who feels the same way I do about having a view that showed which access point each device is connected to!  I will definitely enter this request in the Google Home app's "Feedback".

As for the last request, I thought I read that post somewhere in a wifi posting, but thanks for educating me and hopefully others on 802.11k and 802.11v standards.  I agree if restarting a device doesn't get it to connect to a better access point, it is better to replace that device!  Regardless if more fixed devices (e.g. cameras, smart speakers, smart displays, etc.) push out an update to support 802.11k and 802.11v standards or owners decide rip and replace these device, the Google Nest Wifi Team should provide a view that show which access point each device is connected to! This view should be done in the Google Home app and the home.google.com website!

Perhaps within the Google Home app under Wi-Fi - > Devices -> Sort by: Router and Points!

Just a thought!  Or new view whichever makes the most sense!