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Nest Audio Broadcasting 5GHz Signal – No Option to Disable

azi609
Community Member

a week ago

I'm experiencing a persistent issue with my Google Nest Audio speakers broadcasting their own Wi-Fi signal in the 5GHz spectrum - even after setup is complete. This behavior clutters the Wi-Fi environment, causes interference, and leads to increased TX retries when operating on the same channel as my primary network (see attached screenshot).

Google claims the speakers are smart enough to select a non-conflicting channel, but in practice, this often fails. The only workarounds are restarting the speaker (hoping it switches channels) or manually optimizing the main Wi-Fi - both temporary and unreliable.

Most smart devices broadcast briefly for setup and then disable their soft AP. Nest Audio is the only device in my network that keeps broadcasting indefinitely, which is frustrating and unnecessary. It’s disappointing that this hasn’t been addressed in years, especially given Google's technical capability.

Please provide a clear option to disable this behavior after setup. This should be solvable with a software update and would go a long way in improving user control and network performance.

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2 REPLIES 2

GabrielaG
Community Specialist
Community Specialist

Friday - last edited Friday

Hi @azi609,

 

Thank you for reaching out to the community. I'm sorry to hear that your Google Nest Audio speakers are broadcasting their own WiFi signal in the 5GHz spectrum even after the setup is complete. I'd be glad to help you with this.

To assist with troubleshooting, could you please provide the following information?

  • Where are you located?
  • Has this Google Nest Audio been connected to this network before?
  • Where's the device placed?
  • Do you have another available WiFi network with a similar name?
  • How far is the Google Nest Audio from the WiFi router?
  • What's the Google Nest Audio firmware version?
  • Have you already tried restarting your WiFi router?
  • What is the color of the LED light on the device?
  • Do you see any error codes when you try to connect your Google Nest Audio?

I look forward to your response so we can find a solution for you soon.

 

Regards,

Gabriela

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azi609
Community Member

Friday

Hi Gabriela,

Thanks for your response.

I understand the need for basic troubleshooting questions, but I’d like to emphasize that this issue is not about connectivity, setup errors, or an individual device. I’ve already provided extensive technical details to Google Support (case number 9-6783000039430) including:

  • Network setup using UniFi U7 Pro access points with meshing disabled

  • Nest Audio speakers broadcasting a persistent 5GHz soft AP even after setup

  • Interference and TX retries observed and documented via Wi-Fi scans

  • Behavior replicated across multiple Nest Audio devices

  • Devices follow AP channel changes, indicating software-controlled behavior

  • MAC address already shared; serial numbers available if required

Yes, the device has been connected to this network successfully. It's placed about 8–10 feet from the nearest AP and is functioning normally otherwise. The issue is that it continues to broadcast an unnecessary SSID post-setup, which leads to measurable performance degradation on my network.

At this point, I believe we’re beyond basic diagnostics. This appears to be a design choice or software bug that should be submitted to the product development or engineering team for deeper review. Most smart speakers disable their setup SSID after provisioning—Nest Audio should too.

Please escalate this accordingly. I’m happy to collaborate further if the engineering team has specific questions.

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