Wifi drops / vanishes with ios

[MaxwellB]

Aside from the fact if the ISP goes down these routers become rather pointless pieces of plastic, unlike my Synology  set-up in the office that costs about the same and never gives me a problem with vastly better options for network management in my opinion, a few other issues which make me regret this investment:

- The wifi network keeps dropping for no apparent reason then reappearing

Calls over what's app on video freeze, probably due to the same reason

The connectivity between points can be great one day and poor the next….yet the routers don't move and the weather has not changed significantly...

Hoping a patch might solve these one day.

I am using 5 points connected to one router.

Best

Max

[olavrb]

Some observations:

1. "5 points connected to a router": Running double NAT are you? That's bad for reliability and performance. More on that:

• https://dongknows.com/double-nat-vs-single-nat/
• https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/6277579?hl=en

2. Amount of Nest Wifi units: Maximum recommended amount of wirelessly meshed units including the main/primary one is five. More units brings more wireless interference and more bandwidth eaten up by overhead; data going between the Nest Wifi units themselves. The fewer you can have in your setup the better. More on that:

• https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/7182840?hl=en
• https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/7183150?hl=en

3. You mentioned iOS. 

MacOS, iOS and iPadOS devices sometimes have issues with wireless reliability and Nest Wifi if MAC randomization is enabled, and HTTP proxy is set to automatic. These settings can affect VPN reliability as well. So try the following.

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

[MaxwellB]

Thanks - so I am not running double nat, the isp router has wifi tuned off.  I ran a a synology mesh system in parallel to compare - turning one off when the other was on - night and day - it blew the nest performance away.  That is now in my office.  I would use less points but the house is too big and the units coverage is too small - as in not covering 5m in a clear line of site from one window to another …..i have to put by windows as the walls mean I get no connectivity from one room to the next.….so not sure how to solve that and cover the house…..no proxy set up and no randomized addresses……same issues on my MacBook pro running Ventura beta…..

[olavrb]

Roger roger. Sounds like you've found a case where Nest Wifi in wireless mesh backhaul doesn't cut it.

Consider trying out wired backhaul (ethernet between all Nest Wifi units)? Ethernet can travel over coax (MoCA) and power line too. Here is a diagram showing how it could look like:

Or return or sell Nest Wifi and get Synology at home as well?

[MaxwellB]

Thanks - I have to say buying a nest system to wire into a switch and cabling my home does seem to negate the point of mesh system🤒.  If only I could return the nest I would........like most networks (linksys similar) they really do exaggerate the capabilities as do the 'independent' reviewers!  Maybe they will figure out a way to make them work better - in the meantime I will struggle through after the investment made....