Wired NAT won't show up on Nest Wifi Pro network

[Squyd5070]

I have upgraded from a Nest Wifi router and 1 access point (connected wirelessly) to a Nest Wifi Pro 3-pack.

My setup, using cat-6 ethernet cables, is;  ISP (from the street) connected to the ISP-provided modem (wifi deactivated). ISP-provided modem connected to the Nest Wifi Pro router. Nest Wifi Pro router connected to an unmanaged switch. unmanaged switch connected to all other hard-wired devices and access points (a few TVs, gaming systems, and 1 network attached storage).

I have a wired connection issue with the new Nest Wifi Pro that I DID NOT have with the old Nest Wifi router.

The NAT does not show up within the network the way all other hard-wired devices do. This prevents all devices (wireless and wired) from accessing files on the NAT.

The ONLY way to get the NAT to show up on the network is to plug it directly into the Nest Wifi Pro. If I do this, the resulting setup will be; ISP (from the street) connected to the ISP-provided modem (wifi deactivated). ISP-provided modem connected to the Nest Wifi Pro router. Nest Wifi Pro router connected to the NAT. Such a setup prevents the connection back to the unmanaged switch (and all other devices that are hard-wired to the switch) and prevents the use of other ethernet outlets throughout the house.

I do have the option to go all wifi with all devices (TVs, computers, gaming systems, streaming boxes, etc., etc.) but this is my least desirable option as it prevents me from using the ethernet ports when desired.

I don't think I ever plugged the NAT directly into the old Nest Wifi router in more than 3 years. Does anyone know what's going on with the Nest Wifi Pro that prevents the NAT from showing up? This NEVER happened with the old Nest Wifi router. 

What can I do to fix this?

[olavrb]

What do you mean by "the NAT", could you elaborate?

[Squyd5070]

Sorry. I meant NAS, (network-attached storage). Not NAT.  Its a WD MyCloud 3.

[PatrickP_Viking]

This should explain what is going on from another thread:

https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Nest-Wifi/Trouble-reaching-NAS-on-router-1-through-Google-Nes... 

I'd recommend to try plugging the NAS into the switch if possible so it joins the network. If not, follow the recommendations in the linked post.

[olavrb]

To add to what @PatrickP_Viking said, here is a diagram showing how it should be wired up. Have you done it like this?

• https://www.googlenestcommunity.com/t5/Nest-Wifi/Ethernet-backhaul/m-p/284073/highlight/true#M31892

Just change the printer with your NAS, and remove the 2nd and 3rd Nest Wifi units if you don't have them hardwired too.

[Squyd5070]

My connection is equal to the diagram in the link above that contains the unmanaged switch. I did not yet add the other two points. I was trying to get the MyCloud NAS to show up on the network after setting up the first of the 3-pack.

The thing I noticed was that where my old Nest Wifi used 192.168.86.xx for IP addresses, the Nest Wifi Pro used 192.168.87.xx instead. But that should not have made a difference. The router should have assigned any IP address within the range. It gave none at all and the NAS did not show up on the network. It was not visible to any TV, amplifier, phone, or PC... or Chromebook. None.

My solution was to take junk back to the retailer for a refund. I guess my next Wifi 6E upgrade won't be from Google. Oh well.

[PatrickP_Viking]

Hey @Squyd5070.

Thanks for the IP info. That particular detail we did not have previously points to why the NAS was no longer accessible when you switched to the Nest Wifi Pro.

All Google/Nest Wifi devices use the 192.168.86.0/24 network. Any other network, usually 192.168.84.0/24, 192.168.85.0/24, or 192.168.87.0/24, are assigned to devices on the Guest Network. When the device was connected to the Nest Wifi Pro, it was connected to the Guest Network which is why other devices could not see it (not sure if you had it statically IPed in Nest Wifi Pro Settings or on the NAS). When you hardwired the NAS to the Nest Wifi Pro, it was assigned a Primary Network address and was thus accessible again. This usually happens for one of two reasons:

1. The LAN IP Address Pool is out of IP addresses - Solution is to forget the connection established on that particular device, increase the address pool in Settings, and reconnect.
2. Wrong network was selected when the device was connected via Wifi - Solution is to forget the Wifi connection and reconnect to the Primary Network.

Both of these scenarios can be resolved. I do not see in any of the previous messages where it was stated regarding IPs being different and admittedly none of us had any evidence that was the case. I fully think that this is a resolvable issue, especially now that we have the newly stated information, and you may run into the same situation depending on how the setup is configured.

I fully think this is a resolvable issue and you decide to give Nest Wifi Pro a try again.

[Squyd5070]

PatrickP_Viking,

Thanks for that bit on insight, but... I had not yet setup a Guest Network. The only thing I setup was the Primary Network. 

My setup is:

1. ISP (from the street) connected to the ISP-provided modem (Wi-Fi deactivated).
2. ISP-provided modem connected to the Nest Wi-Fi Pro router.
3. Nest Wi-Fi Pro router connected to an unmanaged switch.
4. Unmanaged switch connected to all other hard-wired devices and access points (a few TVs, gaming systems, and 1 network attached storage).

From any of my PCs and Chromebook, I can see ALL other devices. On the... Primary Network. Only the MyCloud NAS failed to show. I wanted to upgrade from my old Nest Wifi with one access point to the Nest Wifi Pro. I could forego use of my cat-6 wiring and plug the NAS directly into the Pro - that's the only way it can be seen - but also need to use the ethernet ports from time to time. I also have a TP-Link Archer A20 (AC4000) which gave no problems with the setup above. If I did not need coverage in the backyard, I would not bother trying to upgrade to a better mesh. I would just use a single unit or maybe a TP-Link Archer AXE300 or Netgear AXE11000 WiFi Router.

Actually, I'm a bit disappointed with Google for offering a tri-band router with only 2X2 streams each for the 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz. In my opinion, 4X4 all around would have been truly future-proof. (I have 30 devices in my house and a 1Gbit connection uplink and downlink from my ISP).

But... for now, I'll stick with what I have maybe, until Wifi 7 is mature.

Thanks again for your help and input.

[PatrickP_Viking]

Just curious...have you checked the settings on the NAS?

[Squyd5070]

The way you check the setting on the NAS is by... accessing the NAS web page via the IP address assigned by the... router. If the router is not assigning the NAS an IP address, or it is assigning an IP address in the Guest Network that isolates all devices, you can't get to the NAS web page.

The setup worked ONLY if I plugged the NAS directly into the router (bypassing the switch completely). I do not want to do that since it prevents me from accessing the internet via any ethernet port. If I did not have ethernet in the house, then the wired connection from the ISP-provided modem to the Nest Wifi Pro would be the end of it. I would plug the NAS directly into the Pro and ONLY have Wifi-connections throughout.

But... I have stress-tested my wifi throughput by simultaneously streaming in 4K to 7 devices, plus downloading large files from 2 laptops with 2.4Ghz/5Ghz wifi chipsets of 433 Mb/s and 867 Mb/s. In my tests, I used less than 400 Mb/s. That is just over 40% of the uplink/downlink speed from my ISP and well within the capabilities of my current Nest Wifi router. So, I'm good for the foreseeable future. I don't actually NEED a wifi 6E router. I was just trying to get ahead of things. 

[AbigailF]

Hey folks, 

Thanks for lending a hand, @olavrb and @PatrickP_Viking.
@Squyd5070, I wanted to follow up and see if you are still in need of any help. Please let me know if you are still having any concerns or questions from here, as I would be happy to take a closer look and assist you further.

Thanks,
Abi

[AbigailF]

Hello Squyd5070,

Checking back in should you still have some questions here. Let us know by replying to this thread. 

Best, 
Abi

[AbigailF]

Hi Squyd5070,

Just one quick final check in here since activity has slowed down. We'll be locking the thread in the next 24 hours, but if you still need help, I would be happy to keep it open. If there's more we can do, just let me know.

Regards,
Abi