Problem with Google Wifi

[AlexkiddBR]

I'm having the same problem as this very old post here:

https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Nest-Wifi/Home-App-s-speedtest-shows-internet-speed-is-0/m-p/...

I have a setup with 5 Google Wifi units and for the past 30 days I've noticed several connectivity problems. My Android phones simply won't update on my Wi-Fi network; they always remain pending and don't start downloading. If I enable my mobile network's Wi-Fi network where my Google Wifi is connected, it works normally, but if I connect within the Google Wifi network, it simply doesn't work. As I saw in the post, I checked the Google Wifi speed test and it simply shows 0 for download and update. However, if I test on third-party websites, everything works fine. I've already tried disabling and enabling IPv6, I've tried disabling and enabling UPnP, I've changed the DNS to Google's and Cloudflare's, and nothing has solved the problem. I need help so I don't abandon this solution and switch to a competitor.

At my sister's house, where I installed the same solution, everything works perfectly.

The language in the photos is Portuguese because it's my native language.

[Guarcax]

Hi @AlexkiddBR,

Thank you for reaching out to the community. I understand that your Google Nest Wifi setup (5 units) is showing 0 Mbps for both upload and download in the Google Home app speed test, and that your Android devices are unable to download updates while connected. I also see from your screenshots that while your 'Mesh Test' shows an excellent connection between all points, your speed test history has consistently recorded 0 Mbps for the past few days. I appreciate the detailed troubleshooting you’ve already performed with DNS, IPv6, and UPnP and know that this is not the expected experience. No worries, I’m happy to assist you.

To get started, I need more information:

• What is the exact model of your Google Nest Wifi device? You can check the following article for reference: What Google Nest Wifi device do I have?.
• Do you use a router and modem combo?
• Is your Google Nest Wifi device the only device connected directly to the modem?
• How many devices actively use the internet at once?
• Is there a switch located on the network?
• Have you checked that the Ethernet cables are properly connected and not damaged?

In the meantime, I’ll recommend you perform a 2-minute power cycle by following these steps:

1. Disconnect the modem from its power source.
2. Unplug the Ethernet cable and power cord from the primary (parent) point.
3. Remove the power cords from all secondary (child) points and leave everything unplugged for 2 minutes.
4. Connect the power cable to the modem and allow the modem to fully turn on.
5. Connect the power cable and Ethernet cable to the primary device and wait until it’s fully back online.
6. Reconnect the power to all secondary points.

I'll be waiting for your response.

Regards,

Daniel

[AlexkiddBR]

Response to Google Support

1. What is the exact model of your Google Nest Wifi device?

I have a mixed system with 5 Google Wifi units in total: 3 units of model AC-1304 and 2 units of model GJ2CQ (2020 revision). Currently, an AC-1304 is configured as the primary node (Root). All units are running firmware version 14150.376.32.

2. Do you use a combined router and modem?

Yes, I use a modem/router provided by my ISP, Claro (Brazil). It is important to note that these slowdown issues were already occurring when the Google Wifi was connected directly to the ISP modem (even with the modem in Bridge mode). For this reason, I added a Mini PC running OpenWrt between the modem and the Google Wifi specifically to monitor and manage traffic, attempting to identify why Google services (YouTube, Play Store, and Nest Mini) are constantly failing.

3. Is your Google Nest Wifi device the only device connected directly to the modem?

Currently, it is connected to the Mini PC (OpenWrt), which in turn receives the link from the ISP modem. The Google Wifi receives a reserved IP in the 10.0.0.x range and manages its own 192.168.86.x subnet.

4. How many devices are actively using the internet at the same time?

Right now, there are 28 active devices, but this number reaches up to 34 simultaneous devices, including mobile devices (smartphones/tablets) and IoT devices (automation and Google Nest Minis).

5. Is there a switch on the network?

Yes. I use an unmanaged switch connected to the LAN port of the primary Google Wifi. This switch distributes the wired connection to several desktop computers that do not have Wi-Fi cards.

6. Have you checked if the Ethernet cables are connected correctly and are not damaged?

Yes, all cables have been verified. Wired devices connected to the switch or the OpenWrt navigate normally. The failure is exclusive to the Google Wi-Fi/Mesh network and specifically affects communication with Google service servers (Play Store stuck on "pending," slow YouTube buffering, and Nest Mini connection errors).

Additional Information:

I have already performed the 2-minute power cycle as requested, but the symptoms persist. Traceroute tests on mobile devices show latency spikes exceeding 3000ms, while wired devices remain stable.

[AlexkiddBR]

Additional

response to 6

6. Have you checked if the Ethernet cables are connected correctly and are not damaged?

Yes, all cables have been verified. Wired devices connected to the switch or the OpenWrt navigate normally. The failure is exclusive to the Google Wi-Fi/Mesh network and specifically affects communication with Google service servers (Play Store stuck on "pending," slow YouTube buffering, and Nest Mini connection errors).

Additional Technical Information:

I have already performed several advanced troubleshooting steps, including:

• MTU Adjustments: Tested various values (1452, 1472, and 1500) to rule out fragmentation issues.

• Protocol Testing: Disabled the QUIC protocol (UDP 443) to force a TCP fallback, yet the slowness in Google apps persists.

• IPv6: Completely disabled IPv6 to avoid routing conflicts.

• PMP (Port Mapping Protocol): Verified and tested NAT-PMP/UPnP settings with no improvement.

• Traceroute: Mobile devices consistently show latency spikes exceeding 3000ms at the first hops of the mesh network, while wired devices remain stable at <30ms.

• Power Cycle: I have performed the 2-minute power cycle as requested, but the symptoms remain.

[Guarcax]

Hi @AlexkiddBR,

Thank you for providing such a detailed and technical breakdown of your network. I appreciate the advanced troubleshooting you’ve already done with MTU adjustments and the QUIC protocol; it's very helpful to see that your wired devices remain stable while the latency spikes are isolated to the Mesh network. No worries, let's look closer at the configuration.

Given your setup with the OpenWrt Mini PC and the unmanaged switch, I have a few specific questions and recommendations to narrow this down:

• Double NAT Conflict: Since your Google Wifi is behind the OpenWrt router (receiving a 10.0.0.x IP), you are in a Double NAT environment. This often causes the "Pending" status in the Play Store and Nest Mini errors you mentioned. Have you tried putting the Google Wifi into Bridge Mode (only possible if using a single unit) or, preferably, setting the Google Wifi as the DMZ host on your OpenWrt router?

• Switch Compatibility: What is the make and model of your unmanaged switch? Some switches have a feature called Loop Detection or STP that can conflict with Google Wifi's internal mesh routing, causing those 3000ms spikes.

• Hardware Swap Test: Since you are using an older AC-1304 as your Primary node, have you tried swapping it with one of your GJ2CQ (2020) units to see if the improved hardware handles the 34-device load and the OpenWrt handshake more effectively?

• Simplification Test: To isolate the issue, could you temporarily connect the Primary Google Wifi directly to the ISP modem (bypassing the OpenWrt and the switch) just to see if the 0 Mbps and latency issues persist? This will tell us if the conflict lies within the Google hardware or the upstream routing.

I’ll be waiting for your response to see what the results of these tests are.

Regards,

Daniel

[AlexkiddBR]

Hello Daniel,

Thank you for the recommendations. As an IT professional, I have already performed these isolation tests, and the results are quite revealing regarding the root cause of the issue:

1. On Hardware Swapping and Simplification: I have already tested swapping the primary node with the newer model (GJ2CQ - 2020) and created a completely new network from scratch. I also performed an extreme simplification test: I connected this GJ2CQ node directly to the ISP modem, bypassing both the OpenWrt router and the switch. Unfortunately, the 0 Mbps drops and latency spikes persisted, which rules out the older hardware (AC-1304) or the OpenWrt router as root causes.

2. Current Topology Status: Currently, I have migrated my entire mesh network to this new structure, with the GJ2CQ (2020) as the primary node. It is now operating behind the OpenWrt router in DMZ mode (Host 10.0.0.239). All port forwarding and traffic rules are correctly configured.

3. Technical Diagnosis (The "X" of the matter): Through terminal monitoring and packet analysis, I identified that my ISP (Claro/NET) is experiencing severe instability in IPv4 routes for UDP protocols (QUIC). Since the provider only delivers a /64 IPv6 prefix, Google Wifi (which requires Prefix Delegation to operate in a cascaded setup) cannot obtain native IPv6 when placed behind another router.

This forces devices (Nest Mini, Smartphones) to use the provider's faulty IPv4 route. When testing devices directly on the modem's IPv6, the latency disappears completely.

Conclusion and Next Steps: The issue does not appear to be a hardware conflict or Double NAT, but rather Google Wifi's inability to bypass the ISP's IPv4 routing failure due to the lack of IPv6 support in topologies with a limited prefix (/64).

I have already contacted the ISP via regulatory bodies to request a /60 prefix delivery. This will allow Google Wifi to receive native IPv6 and stabilize the connection for all nodes and devices.

I appreciate your support and will keep the forum updated as soon as the ISP performs the infrastructure change.

Best regards, Filipe Monzato Machado

[Guarcax]

Hi @AlexkiddBR,

Thank you for the update. I understand that you are currently implementing changes to your network infrastructure—including the use of the OpenWrt Mini PC and testing different modem modes—to isolate why your Google Nest Wifi devices are struggling with specific Google services.

I appreciate the technical depth of your troubleshooting, especially the traceroute and MTU tests. This level of detail is incredibly helpful. Please keep me updated on the results once your new configuration is in place, as it will help us determine if the conflict is indeed rooted in the ISP's original handshake or the hardware's internal routing.

I’ll be waiting for your next update.

Best regards,

Daniel