Connectivity headaches related to WPA2/WPA3

[Jelly]

About two days ago my 2nd gen Nest Hubs started having connectivity issues and now all of my smart devices have followed suit. No changes were made to any of my networks for several months leading up to these problems, and when the problems began other devices on the same network (Pixel 6, iPhone 11, various TP-Link smart bulbs) continued to function normally. Only google smart home devices have been giving me problems.

After several hours of troubleshooting it seems the problem has something to do with my network's security protocol. Originally my network (ASUS RT-AX55 wifi 6) was configured to use WPA2, but now my Nest Hubs will not connect without access to WPA3. Unfortunately my chromecast will not detect the network so long as WPA2 isn't offered, and when it is it still refuses to connect. It will connect to my wifi 5 network but performance is inferior to the wifi 6 network it was originally on. My Nest Doorbell also exhibits the same behavior, detecting wifi 6 and getting good signal strength but failing to connect, while connecting to wifi 5 WPA2 just fine.

Maybe the most bizarre: I have two identical Nest Audios configured in stereo and one will only connect to wifi 5 while the other is OK with wifi 6 WPA3. Once connected in this manner the google home app will be satisfied but they won't play any music or connect via bluetooth to my phone.

All devices are getting strong signal strength.

In short I need all of my devices back on my wifi 6 router, just as they had been for the past ~3 months.

A summary of my attempted fixes:

• attempted device setup (via QR code scan - failed to connect)
• rebooted router
• unplugged router for >1 minute
• disabled router's Adaptive Quality of Service function
• unplugged smart devices for >1 minute
• factory reset Nest Doorbell
• cycled between WPA2, WPA2/WPA3, WPA3 (with mixed success as described above)
• disconnected and re-connected Google Home app phone from wifi network
• re-activated my wifi 5 router and successfully connected some devices (Nest Doorbell, Chromecast, Nest Audio; as band-aid fixes)

I'm at my wit's end so I appreciate any help anyone can offer here.

[Jelly]

I've also tried switching between 2.4 ghz and 5 ghz on the same network and triple-checking and manually entering the wifi password.

[dpontes]

I'm also having the same issue. I've recently changed internet providers and the router came configured with WPA3. I have 2 nest audio speakers and 1 mini. The oldest mini and audio connect without issues, but the newer (few months old) nest audio doesn't connect to the wifi unless I change the password security protocol to WPA2.

[Muddi]

Hey folks,

Thanks for sharing details about the issue here. My apologies for the late response.

I know how challenging it is when some of your Google Home and Nest speakers are having issues connecting to your router when not on WPA2 security.  We'd love to further investigate the issue since all troubleshooting steps have been exhausted, and the issue was isolated to specific speakers that are not connecting to WPA3. 

Please provide the firmware version of your devices that are not connecting to WPA3 network. Also, please fill out this form with all the needed information and let me know once done.

Cheers,

Muddi

[dpontes]

Hi,

I've submitted the form.

[LovelyM]

Hello dpontes, 

We got your form — thanks for filling it out. Our team will reach out to you via email anytime soon. Please continue the conversation there as this thread will be locked after 24 hours.

Many thanks, 
Lovely