Severely limited connectivity on Gen 1 Google Wifi Mesh Network

[LucasWy]

Hi there! I'm on a mesh network with 3x Google Wifi (Gen 1) devices. The network test on the device at the modem is great at 500 Mbps up/500vMbps down and when I'm close to that device, I get close to those speeds on my connected devices, but when I'm closer to the bridge devices, the speed drops to 0-30 Mbps up/down. No amount of moving the bridge units to good or great locations as shown on mesh test consistently improves the throughput. I tried resetting the network and factory resetting the devices to no avail. This is after years of solid connectivity and not moving the devices. I believe a firmware update must have pushed that ruined the Gen 1s. Any help to troubleshoot would be appreciated.

[ThePitBoss]

I’m having the same exact issue with the gen 2’s. I am having frequent WiFi disconnections. I’m assuming they’re forcing us to upgrade 

[GabrielaG]

Hi everyone,

Thank you for contacting the Google Nest Community. I’m sorry to hear you’re experiencing issues with your Google WiFi mesh network, where your connection speed drops when you are close to the bridge devices. I appreciate you trying those troubleshooting steps, and I'm here to help you.

To help me troubleshoot this efficiently, could you please answer the following questions:

• Did you change anything in your setup right before this started happening?
• Did you try to contact an Internet Service Provider (ISP)?
• Do you use a modem and router combo?
• Is the primary Google WiFi point connected to the modem?

I look forward to your response.

Regards, 

Gabriela

[ThePitBoss]

Nothing was changed on my end prior to the issues. ISP was contacted and they sent a new modem, with no changes. My google router is connected directly to the modem. My guess is that a new firmware was installed that messed up the connection 

[GabrielaG]

Hi @ThePitBoss,

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate the time you took to respond to my post and the effort you made in contacting your ISP. I'm glad to continue assisting you.

To help isolate the issue, please try the following steps:

1. Run a speed test. Connect a computer or laptop directly to the modem via Ethernet and perform a speed test. This helps rule out router issues.
2. Check for interference. Generally, materials such as wood, glass, and plaster cause very little signal interference, while materials like brick, stone, and concrete can cause significantly more.

Additionally, the following devices can interfere with the signal:

• Microwaves, baby monitors, and electrical equipment.
• Speakers (Bluetooth, wired, surround sound, and smart speakers).

3. Check for WiFi congestion. Signals from other WiFi networks can cause congestion, especially if they share the same channel or have a strong signal. Also, having too many WiFi points in a small area or placing them too close to each other creates congestion, resulting in a poor mesh connection and slow speeds.

For additional troubleshooting steps, please check this article: Troubleshoot slow internet on Google Nest Wifi or Google Wifi.

Let us know if that helps resolve the issue.

Regards,

Gabriela

[LucasWy]

Hi Gabriela!

No, Nothing was changed prior to the severe connectivity dropoff.

I did not reach out to the ISP as the connection close to the router and when doing a speed teest from inside of the app yielded near-perfect speeds.

My home internet comes from a fiberoptic modem that is in a box outside of my house, cat 5 comes in through a hole in the siding, and then into the Google Wifi Gen 1.

[GabrielaG]

Hi @LucasWy,

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate the steps you have already taken to troubleshoot this issue. I would be happy to continue assisting you.

Let’s try the following steps to see if they resolve the error:

1. Perform a 2-minute power cycle.

• Disconnect the modem from its power source.
• Unplug the Ethernet cable and power cord from the parent point.
• Remove the power cord from the child point.
• Leave everything unplugged for 2 minutes.
• Plug everything back in and wait for the devices to fully reboot.

2. Change DNS settings.

For Android devices:

• Open the Settings app.
• Tap WiFi.
• Touch and hold your current network, then tap Modify network (or "Modify Network Settings").
• Turn on Show advanced options.
• Change the IP settings to Static.
• Add the DNS servers 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 to the "DNS 1" and "DNS 2" fields, respectively.

For iOS devices:

• Open the Settings app.
• Tap WiFi. (If it's off, turn it on).
• Pick your WiFi network, then tap the blue info icon (i).
• Tap Configure DNS.
• Select Manual and enter the DNS addresses 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.
• Tap WiFi to go back.

3. Turn off Bluetooth and NFC.

• Android:
• Open the Settings app.
• Look for Bluetooth or NFC (this might be under "Connections").
• Tap or swipe to turn them Off.
• iOS:
• Note: NFC cannot be manually disabled on iOS.
• Open the Settings app.
• Tap Bluetooth.
• Tap or swipe to turn it Off.

4. Enable Bridge Mode

• For reference on how to do this, please follow this article: Bridge mode. 

Kindly update us on whether these steps were successful.

Regards,

Gabriela