The interactive troubleshooter will help you quickly fix common Wi-Fi problems.
When the internet or Wi-Fi speeds on your Google Nest Wifi or Google Wifi are slow, it can affect the performance of all of your devices. Devices can include phones, tablets, computers, TVs, smart displays and speakers, and anything else connected to your Wifi router or points.
Wi-Fi speed can vary depending on a few things: the type of device you are using, distance between the device and your router or point, the frequency your devices are connected to, and physical barriers like walls in your home.
To improve your Wi-Fi speed, try one or more of these steps:
- Move the connected device closer to your Wifi router or point.
- Run a mesh test to confirm placement of your Wifi points. Try to move your router or point to a more open or unobstructed location and your router or points closer to each other.
- Restart your network.
- Contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to confirm your service is working properly.
Things that could affect your Wi-Fi speed
- Your device is far from your Wifi router or point(s). Often, moving your device closer to your router or point will result in improved speeds.
- Building materials and other objects located between your router and Wifi points or between your Wifi points and mobile devices may slow your connection. If possible, try to use your device within a clear line of sight to your router or point.
- The internet speed from your provider may be currently slower than expected. Test your internet speeds. If the results are less than you expected, contact your ISP.
- Devices connected on the 2.4 GHz channel may not achieve speeds as fast as the 5 GHz channel.
- Some devices do not support the faster Wi-Fi standards. Speed is dependent on both the router or point and the device that is connected to it. If you have an older device, it’s likely it won’t support the latest standards for the fastest speeds.
- There could be signal interference due to traffic on your Wi-Fi network, on your neighbors' Wi-Fi networks, or from other sources like microwaves or baby monitors.
- Wi-Fi systems from Google Nest including Nest Wifi Pro, Nest Wifi, and Google Wifi are designed for personal home use and aren't intended to be used for sharing networks across multiple dwellings. Using Wifi devices in this manner can cause slower Wi-Fi speeds and unreliable connections.
Whenever a device connects to your Wi-Fi network, it competes with other devices for bandwidth (internet speed). A TV streaming Netflix, a laptop downloading, and an Xbox Live gaming session, all require bandwidth, and depending on your service, performing multiple high-bandwidth activities at the same time may result in a slower connection.
To solve this:
- Make sure all unused devices are off and do not drain bandwidth with large downloads. Learn more about which devices are connected to your network and review their data usage.
- Set a priority device or change your activity preferences to streamline bandwidth.
- Call your ISP and upgrade your plan to get more bandwidth.
You can restart your modem to fix internet connection problems, improve slow performance and resolve common wireless issues. Even if your modem appears to be working correctly, you may need to restart it to establish a secure connection to the Wifi point.
Here’s how to reboot a modem:
- Unplug the power cable from the modem.
- Wait 2 minutes.
- Reconnect the power cable to the modem.
- Wait for the modem and router or primary Wifi point to boot up and the internet light to turn on, then check if your connection speed has improved.
Nest Wifi and Google Wifi support 10/100/1000 Mbps (Megabits per second) on the Ethernet port. However, your internet speeds will be limited by the slowest component on your network. It can be reduced to 100 Mbps or 10 Mbps if the connection on the path to the internet doesn’t support the higher speed.
If you’re not getting your expected internet speeds in your internet speed test or if you have received a priority event notice for limited Ethernet speeds in your Google Home Activity :
- Check if you have an Ethernet cable with a speed rating that’s lower than the expected speeds from your Internet Service Provider (ISP).
- Important: Cat 5e or Cat 6 cables are recommended for internet speeds faster than 100 Mbps.
- Check the Ethernet port ratings of any equipment in your network. Examples: Switch, modem, splitter, etc.
- They should all be rated as fast or faster than the speed from your ISP.
- The software configuration of your equipment could also be reducing your network’s speed.
Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) controls the initial bandwidth and speed of the internet coming into your home. This can affect the internet speed to all of your devices.
You may temporarily receive slow internet from your ISP if they are working on their network in your area or have made other changes. Your speed could also be limited based on your plan.
If you have recurring problems with slow internet, ask your ISP if there are any current issues that might be slowing your internet or if there is anything they can do to improve your speed.
If one or more wireless routers broadcast Wi-Fi near your Wifi router or points, this may cause interference. As a result, your Wi-Fi performance can suffer.
If another router broadcasts the same Wi-Fi network name as your Google Nest Wifi router or Google Wifi point, your devices may jump between your points and the other router or your devices might not be able to connect.
Try to turn off Wi-Fi on the non-Google router or move the routers farther apart.
One solution is to turn off Wi-Fi on your other router (not Google Nest Wifi or Google Wifi devices). Check the lights in the front of the router. Most routers have a light indicating whether the wireless radios are active or inactive. The light may look like this: .
To disable Wi-Fi, go into the router’s settings and turn off the wireless option. To access your router’s settings, you may have to open an internet browser while connected to the non-Google router. Then open an internet browser and enter your router’s IP address in the address bar, like this:
Steps will vary depending on the router. If your router was supplied by your ISP, they can assist in turning off your Wi-Fi. Many ISPs and manufacturers provide instructions on how to do this.
Network insights
Wi-Fi network insights may be available in your Google Home Activity or issues related to this article. When an issue with your network is identified by Nest Wifi or Google Wifi devices, you’ll have an insight card in your Google Home Activity
letting you know there could be a problem and suggesting a solution.
If you received a related network insight, check your insight message below for more information:
Wi-Fi network insights may be available in your Google Home Activity or issues related to this article. When an issue with your network is identified by Nest Wifi or Google Wifi devices, you’ll have an insight card in your Google Home Activity
letting you know there could be a problem and suggesting a solution.
If you received a related network insight, check your insight message below for more information:
Ethernet connection is limiting your network speed
This insight is shown when a speed test has been performed recently in which the link speed of your network was 100Mbps or lower, and your point’s speed was 90% or less than the speed of your router. This likely means you have an issue with your Ethernet cables, connection, or other networking equipment.
Slow internet speeds - Internet service providers (ISP)
You’ll receive this alert when Nest Wifi or Google Wifi determines that your internet requests are taking longer to complete than expected. Nest Wifi and Google Wifi send test packets to detect slowness in your internet service provider’s (ISP) network. They can then determine in this situation that the internet is likely slow because of an issue with your ISP.
Your ISP controls the initial bandwidth and speed of the internet coming into your home. To improve your speed you’ll need to check with your provider to understand if this is a temporary issue or something they can correct.
Fix: Review internet service provider issues above and contact your ISP.
Slow internet speeds - Network congestion
You’ll receive this alert when Nest Wifi or Google Wifi detects your internet is slow because of congestion or a lack of bandwidth.
This means the devices running in your home may be exceeding the bandwidth capacity provided by your ISP. When you run out of bandwidth, your internet will slow down.
Fix: Review your network usage and turn off unneeded devices running on your network.
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