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Lee","title":"Senior tech policy reporter","staff":false}},"tags":["mesh-network"],"zen_mode":false,"vote_sentiments":[{"sentiment_id":"1","sentiment":"agree","direction":"positive","icon":null,"label":"Agree"},{"sentiment_id":"3","sentiment":"interesting","direction":"positive","icon":null,"label":"Interesting"},{"sentiment_id":"5","sentiment":"funny","direction":"positive","icon":null,"label":"Funny"},{"sentiment_id":"6","sentiment":"addsto","direction":"positive","icon":null,"label":"Adds to Story"},{"sentiment_id":"7","sentiment":"disagree","direction":"negative","icon":null,"label":"Disagree"},{"sentiment_id":"8","sentiment":"inaccurate","direction":"negative","icon":null,"label":"Inaccurate"},{"sentiment_id":"11","sentiment":"pointless","direction":"negative","icon":null,"label":"Doesn't Contribute"},{"sentiment_id":"12","sentiment":"abusive","direction":"negative","icon":null,"label":"Abusive"}]};</script><article class="article-single standalone intro-default"itemscope itemtype=http://schema.org/NewsArticle><div class=column-wrapper><div class=left-column><header class=article-header><h4 class=post-upperdek>Tech —</h4><h1 itemprop=headline>Review: Comparing Google Wifi to other mesh networking heavyweights</h1><h2 itemprop=description>Which should you use to drench your house in sweet, sweet Wi-Fi signals?</h2><section class=post-meta><p itemprop="author creator"class=byline itemscope itemtype=http://schema.org/Person><a href=https://arstechnica.com/author/jimsalter/ itemprop=url rel=author> <span itemprop=name> Jim Salter </span> </a> - <time class=date data-time=1481112005 datetime=2016-12-07T12:00:05+00:00> Dec 7, 2016 12:00 pm UTC </time></section></header><section class=article-guts><div class="article-content post-page"itemprop=articleBody><aside aria-label="Read the comments or share this article"class=social-left id=social-left><a class="comment-count icon-comment-bubble-down"title="118 posters participating, including story author"href=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/12/review-comparing-google-wifi-to-other-mesh-networking-heavyweights/?comments=1> <h4 class=comment-count-before>reader comments</h4> <span class=comment-count-number> 236 </span> <span class=visually-hidden> with 118 posters participating, including story author </span> </a><div class=share-links><h4>Share this story</h4><ul><li><a class="social-icon share-facebook"title="Share on Facebook"href=https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Farstechnica.com%2F%3Fpost_type%3Dpost%26p%3D1005229 target=_blank> <span class=visually-hidden> Share on Facebook </span> </a><li><a class="social-icon share-twitter"title="Share on Twitter"href=https://twitter.com/share?text=Review%3A+Comparing+Google+Wifi+to+other+mesh+networking+heavyweights&url=https%3A%2F%2Farstechnica.com%2F%3Fpost_type%3Dpost%26p%3D1005229 target=_blank> <span class=visually-hidden> Share on Twitter </span> </a><li><a class="social-icon share-reddit"title="Share on Reddit"href=https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Farstechnica.com%2F%3Fpost_type%3Dpost%26p%3D1005229&title=Review%3A+Comparing+Google+Wifi+to+other+mesh+networking+heavyweights target=_blank> <span class=visually-hidden> Share on Reddit </span> </a></ul></div></aside><div class="gallery shortcode-gallery gallery-wide"><ul><li data-responsive="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0339-980x551.jpg 1080, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0339-1440x810.jpg 2560"data-src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0339.jpg data-sub-html=#caption-1005723 data-thumb=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0339-150x150.jpg><figure style=height:735px;><div style="background-image:url('https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0339-980x551.jpg'); background-color:#000"class=image></div><figcaption id=caption-1005723><span class="icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator"> </span> <div class=caption>We're here to test mesh networking, and we came prepared.</div> <div class=credit><span class="icon icon-camera"> </span> Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure><li data-responsive="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0348-980x735.jpg 1080, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0348-1440x1080.jpg 2560"data-src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0348.jpg data-sub-html=#caption-1005725 data-thumb=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0348-150x150.jpg><figure style=height:735px;><div style="background-image:url('https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0348-980x735.jpg'); background-color:#000"class=image></div><figcaption id=caption-1005725><span class="icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator"> </span> <div class=caption>Google Wifi.</div> <div class=credit><span class="icon icon-camera"> </span> Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure><li data-responsive="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0349-980x735.jpg 1080, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0349-1440x1080.jpg 2560"data-src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0349.jpg data-sub-html=#caption-1005727 data-thumb=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0349-150x150.jpg><figure style=height:735px;><div style="background-image:url('https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0349-980x735.jpg'); background-color:#000"class=image></div><figcaption id=caption-1005727><span class="icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator"> </span> <div class=caption>The underside of Google Wifi.</div> <div class=credit><span class="icon icon-camera"> </span> Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure><li data-responsive="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0350-980x735.jpg 1080, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0350-1440x1080.jpg 2560"data-src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0350.jpg data-sub-html=#caption-1005729 data-thumb=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0350-150x150.jpg><figure style=height:735px;><div style="background-image:url('https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0350-980x735.jpg'); background-color:#000"class=image></div><figcaption id=caption-1005729><span class="icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator"> </span> <div class=caption>A Plume pod.</div> <div class=credit><span class="icon icon-camera"> </span> Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure><li data-responsive="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0352-980x735.jpg 1080, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0352-1440x1080.jpg 2560"data-src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0352.jpg data-sub-html=#caption-1005731 data-thumb=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0352-150x150.jpg><figure style=height:735px;><div style="background-image:url('https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0352-980x735.jpg'); background-color:#000"class=image></div><figcaption id=caption-1005731><span class="icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator"> </span> <div class=caption>The back of a Plume pod.</div> <div class=credit><span class="icon icon-camera"> </span> Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure><li data-responsive="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0354-980x735.jpg 1080, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0354-1440x1080.jpg 2560"data-src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0354.jpg data-sub-html=#caption-1005733 data-thumb=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0354-150x150.jpg><figure style=height:735px;><div style="background-image:url('https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0354-980x735.jpg'); background-color:#000"class=image></div><figcaption id=caption-1005733><span class="icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator"> </span> <div class=caption>The AmpliFi router.</div> <div class=credit><span class="icon icon-camera"> </span> Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure><li data-responsive="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0355-980x735.jpg 1080, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0355-1440x1080.jpg 2560"data-src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0355.jpg data-sub-html=#caption-1005735 data-thumb=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0355-150x150.jpg><figure style=height:735px;><div style="background-image:url('https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0355-980x735.jpg'); background-color:#000"class=image></div><figcaption id=caption-1005735><span class="icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator"> </span> <div class=caption>One of the AmpliFi mesh points.</div> <div class=credit><span class="icon icon-camera"> </span> Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure><li data-responsive="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0356-980x735.jpg 1080, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0356-1440x1080.jpg 2560"data-src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0356.jpg data-sub-html=#caption-1005737 data-thumb=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0356-150x150.jpg><figure style=height:735px;><div style="background-image:url('https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/DSCF0356-980x735.jpg'); background-color:#000"class=image></div><figcaption id=caption-1005737><span class="icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator"> </span> <div class=caption>Separate from its base.</div> <div class=credit><span class="icon icon-camera"> </span> Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure></ul></div><p>Here at Ars, we’ve been rocking some high-tech Wi-Fi setups for a while—in particular, Senior Technology Editor  <a href=http://arstechnica.com/author/lee-hutchinson/> Lee Hutchinson </a>  and I are fond of <a href=http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/10/review-ubiquiti-unifi-made-me-realize-how-terrible-consumer-wi-fi-gear-is/> Ubiquiti’s UAP line of wireless access points </a> . A lot of people either can’t or don’t want to run cables through their house at all, though, and that’s the niche Wi-Fi mesh kits seek to service.<p>I’ll save you some time up front: I’ve played with just about everything out there, and nothing comes close to the performance of multiple access points with full wired backhaul like the UAPs. To be fair, nothing Wi-Fi at <em> all </em> comes close to the performance of wired Ethernet itself, so don’t get too excited about the “3.2 gigabits per second!” that AC-3200 Wi-Fi router promises you. You’ll never actually see such speed. But if you don’t want wires and you don’t want the possibly intimidating controller systems like Ubiquiti’s UniFi interface, mesh might be for you. Luckily, today happens to be a bit of a boom for mesh offerings.<h2>What we tested (this time)</h2><p>Our trio of contenders are Google Wifi, Plume, and AmpliFi HD. We’d originally intended to test the new Eero v2.0 firmware, too, but unfortunately two of our three test units refused to make it through the update process. At press time, we don’t have a fix from the Eero team, so we regretfully had to put Eero aside for now.<p>We tested each device using <a href=https://iperf.fr/> iperf3 </a> to get raw throughput numbers in several sites throughout the house, but first and more importantly, we’re going to look at heatmaps of the Wi-Fi signal produced by each kit. Hutchinson introduced me to <a href=https://www.netspotapp.com/> NetSpot </a> , a free-as-in-beer visualization tool for Mac or Windows that lets you walk around your house and map out the signals throughout. I was impressed enough that I actually installed Windows on a laptop just so I could run it—and it was worth it. The visuals it generates are an absolutely invaluable tool if you want to geek out hard and get the most out of your Wi-Fi coverage.<h2>AmpliFi HD</h2><p>AmpliFi is Ubiquiti’s answer to wireless mesh networking. To be honest, I expected it to sweep the field clean based on my experience with their UAP line of traditional wired-backhaul access points. Our own <a href=http://arstechnica.com/author/eric-bangeman/> Eric Bangeman </a> has <a href=http://arstechnica.com/staff/2016/11/from-sprinklers-to-battlestations-ars-staffers-crazy-home-lab-experiments/> AmpliFi HD in his home and loves it </a> , but my testing hasn’t left me as thrilled. AmpliFi HD has a seriously “hot” RF signal that carries well, but it's coupled with a very not-kid-friendly, avant-garde physical design that leaves it prone to really bad locations and even physical breakage.<p>AmpliFi’s router is a little white cube that makes a reasonably good, if <em> Star Trek </em> -ish, clock, but its satellite units are magnetically coupled “towers” that plug directly into wall sockets. They’re big, they’re outlandish, and they’re fun to break apart.<div class="gallery shortcode-gallery gallery-wide"><ul><li data-responsive="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image03-980x735.jpg 1080, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image03-1440x1081.jpg 2560"data-src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image03.jpg data-sub-html=#caption-1005255 data-thumb=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image03-150x150.jpg><figure style=height:736px;><div style="background-image:url('https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image03-980x735.jpg'); background-color:#000"class=image></div><figcaption id=caption-1005255><span class="icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator"> </span> <div class=caption>My daughter Jane, demonstrating that although AmpliFi is safe enough from her, her little brothers might be a different story.</div> <div class=credit><span class="icon icon-camera"> </span> Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure><li data-responsive="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image01-980x736.jpg 1080, https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image01-1440x1081.jpg 2560"data-src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image01.jpg data-sub-html=#caption-1005257 data-thumb=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image01-150x150.jpg><figure style=height:736px;><div style="background-image:url('https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image01-980x736.jpg'); background-color:#000"class=image></div><figcaption id=caption-1005257><span class="icon caption-arrow icon-drop-indicator"> </span> <div class=caption>AmpliFi, it's all the rage with the kids these days.</div> <div class=credit><span class="icon icon-camera"> </span> Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure></ul></div><p>AmpliFi’s HD model packs enough of a wallop in RF signal to largely, although not entirely, overcome the very poor usually floor-level placement its satellite design demands. I still wouldn’t feel comfortable letting my three-year-old roam loose around these devices, though. Why, why would you make your Wi-Fi gear fascinating to <em> break </em> ?<aside aria-label="In Content advertisement"class=ad_wrapper><span class=ad_notice> Advertisement </span><div class="ad ad_instream"></div></aside><figure class="image shortcode-img full-width"style=width:980px><a alt="Amplifi HD, router only."class=enlarge data-height=1010 data-width=1400 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image18.png> <img alt="Amplifi HD, router only."height=707 src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image18-980x707.png width=980> </a><figcaption class=caption><div class=caption-text><a class=enlarge-link data-height=1010 data-width=1400 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image18.png> Enlarge </a><span class=sep> / </span> Amplifi HD, router only.</div> <div class=caption-credit>Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure><p>This is a heat map of the Wi-Fi signal put out by AmpliFi HD’s base unit only. The image scale is from -30dBM to -75dBM. Basically, anything from red to green is great; pale blue is decent but slow, and once you dip all the way down to the deepest blue it gets iffy.<p>The big takeaway here is that the base unit alone is <em> fine </em> for the entire top floor of my house (around 2,800 square feet) along with a good chunk of the yard. This should make you ask the question: why mesh, then? Well… there’s a <em> bottom </em> floor, too. And there’s a foundation slab and a few feet of packed earth in between it and the wiring closet upstairs.<figure class="image shortcode-img full-width"style=width:980px><a alt="Life before multiple APs was kinda painful—my bedroom’s down there."class=enlarge data-height=1010 data-width=1400 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image16.png> <img alt="Life before multiple APs was kinda painful—my bedroom’s down there."height=707 src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image16-980x707.png width=980> </a><figcaption class=caption><div class=caption-text><a class=enlarge-link data-height=1010 data-width=1400 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image16.png> Enlarge </a><span class=sep> / </span> Life before multiple APs was kinda painful—my bedroom’s down there.</div> <div class=caption-credit>Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure><p>What you’re looking at here is a heatmap of my normal day-to-day Wi-Fi on the bottom floor, but <em> only </em> looking at the signal coming from the <em> top </em> floor. Until I set up my Ubiquiti UAPs—one on the top floor, one on the bottom floor—there basically just <em> wasn’t </em> any Wi-Fi down here at all.<p>Things look much better with multiple APs. Let’s take a look at AmpliFi HD’s signal on both floors, this time with all three nodes activated.<figure class="image shortcode-img full-width"style=width:980px><a alt="Amplifi HD, all three routers enabled. So much red! Looks like somebody’s getting invaded."class=enlarge data-height=1010 data-width=1400 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image17.png> <img alt="Amplifi HD, all three routers enabled. So much red! Looks like somebody’s getting invaded."height=707 src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image17-980x707.png width=980> </a><figcaption class=caption><div class=caption-text><a class=enlarge-link data-height=1010 data-width=1400 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image17.png> Enlarge </a><span class=sep> / </span> Amplifi HD, all three routers enabled. So much red! Looks like somebody’s getting invaded.</div> <div class=caption-credit>Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure><p>With both satellites added in, the top floor looks like an absolute war zone. You’re definitely going to get connected, no problem, wherever you wander around. The satellite on the right is heating things up nicely for the carport and driveway. The question then: is the one underneath the TV clearing that foundation slab and overcoming the problem area downstairs?<figure class="image shortcode-img full-width"style=width:980px><a alt="AmpliFi HD’s satellite makes a definite improvement downstairs."class=enlarge data-height=1010 data-width=1400 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image07.png> <img alt="AmpliFi HD’s satellite makes a definite improvement downstairs."height=707 src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image07-980x707.png width=980> </a><figcaption class=caption><div class=caption-text><a class=enlarge-link data-height=1010 data-width=1400 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image07.png> Enlarge </a><span class=sep> / </span> AmpliFi HD’s satellite makes a definite improvement downstairs.</div> <div class=caption-credit>Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure><p>The satellite upstairs clears the edge of the foundation slab, and without a doubt, it makes things a lot better down here. Performance testing shows this is actually usable, but it’s still not something I’d want to bring my buddies over to brag about.<h2>Google WiFi</h2><p>I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Google, but I was definitely excited to find out. Like AmpliFi, Eero, Luma, and most of the mesh pack, Google is pushing Google Wifi in packs of three as the default size. On a conference call with their team, the presenters told us to expect “a lot of signal” from even one Google Wifi node. They said this in the kind of careful tone that told me they really meant it. I’m used to Wi-Fi gear with very high-powered radios, though, so I wasn’t sure how much signal I should really expect from something that didn’t look out of place in my seven-year-old daughter’s room on a piece of furniture her great-grandmother used to call a “vanity.”<aside aria-label="In Content advertisement"class=ad_wrapper><span class=ad_notice> Advertisement </span><div class="ad ad_instream"></div></aside><figure class="image shortcode-img full-width"style=width:980px><a alt="Why does that makeup jar have a glowing light and a power cord? … Oh. Hello, Google Wifi."class=enlarge data-height=1500 data-width=1999 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image04.jpg> <img alt="Why does that makeup jar have a glowing light and a power cord? … Oh. Hello, Google Wifi."height=735 src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image04-980x735.jpg width=980> </a><figcaption class=caption><div class=caption-text><a class=enlarge-link data-height=1500 data-width=1999 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image04.jpg> Enlarge </a><span class=sep> / </span> Why does that makeup jar have a glowing light and a power cord? … Oh. Hello, Google Wifi.</div> <div class=caption-credit>Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure><p>Still, this was <em> Google </em> , and the presenter didn’t gush about how amazingly powerful it was. He sounded more… cautionary. So I was pretty eager to see what the heatmap survey had in store.<figure class="image shortcode-img full-width"style=width:980px><a alt="Google Wifi, router only. That make-up jar’s got range."class=enlarge data-height=1010 data-width=1400 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image13.png> <img alt="Google Wifi, router only. That make-up jar’s got range."height=707 src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image13-980x707.png width=980> </a><figcaption class=caption><div class=caption-text><a class=enlarge-link data-height=1010 data-width=1400 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image13.png> Enlarge </a><span class=sep> / </span> Google Wifi, router only. That make-up jar’s got range.</div> <div class=caption-credit>Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure><p>Google’s not kidding. Google Wifi nodes have <em> really </em> powerful radios in them, and it’s incredibly obvious when looking at a heatmap of the router node only.<p>I was pleased to see that the app individually tested the satellite nodes’ throughput to give me a yea/nay on placement as I set them up. This might not sound like much, but it’s a <em> big </em> and much-needed improvement over what I’ve grown used to from other devices. Never again will you stumble through the inevitable “this LED flashed a funny color; is that a <em> good </em> funny color, or a <em> bad </em> funny color?”<figure class="image shortcode-img center medium"style=width:300px><a alt="Very helpful, if you don’t want to spend half your life generating your own heatmaps."class=enlarge data-height=1999 data-width=1125 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image09.png> <img alt="Very helpful, if you don’t want to spend half your life generating your own heatmaps."srcset="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image09-640x1137.png 2x"height=533 src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image09-300x533.png width=300> </a><figcaption class=caption><div class=caption-text><a class=enlarge-link data-height=1999 data-width=1125 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image09.png> Enlarge </a><span class=sep> / </span> Very helpful, if you don’t want to spend half your life generating your own heatmaps.</div> <div class=caption-credit>Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure><p>With both satellites up and running, the heatmap looks like an RF war zone again—even hotter than AmpliFi HD’s.<figure class="image shortcode-img full-width"style=width:980px><a alt="Google Wifi, all routers enabled. I’m a little surprised I can’t cook an egg on that much RF."class=enlarge data-height=1010 data-width=1400 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image00.png> <img alt="Google Wifi, all routers enabled. I’m a little surprised I can’t cook an egg on that much RF."height=707 src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image00-980x707.png width=980> </a><figcaption class=caption><div class=caption-text><a class=enlarge-link data-height=1010 data-width=1400 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image00.png> Enlarge </a><span class=sep> / </span> Google Wifi, all routers enabled. I’m a little surprised I can’t cook an egg on that much RF.</div> <div class=caption-credit>Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure><p>At this point, you’re probably wondering why the satellite locations aren’t identical to AmpliFi HD’s. Rest assured, there’s a reason: the physical form factor of each device lends itself to different placement. AmpliFi’s right-in-the-socket design made it seem best served in the wall socket underneath my television where it wasn’t actually down at baseboard level. Similarly, one of Google Wifi's little jar-shaped nodes would have looked funny just sitting there under the TV, and it wouldn't be getting as much height to do its magic as it otherwise could.<p>Basically, it would’ve been cheating to put a node somewhere I wouldn’t put it if I was really living with the device day to day, so I didn’t. With that said… what’s the <em> downstairs </em> look like this time?<figure class="image shortcode-img full-width"style=width:980px><a alt="Google Wifi downstairs. The takeaway from all these heatmaps: placement really matters."class=enlarge data-height=1010 data-width=1400 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image08.png> <img alt="Google Wifi downstairs. The takeaway from all these heatmaps: placement really matters."height=707 src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image08-980x707.png width=980> </a><figcaption class=caption><div class=caption-text><a class=enlarge-link data-height=1010 data-width=1400 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image08.png> Enlarge </a><span class=sep> / </span> Google Wifi downstairs. The takeaway from all these heatmaps: placement really matters.</div> <div class=caption-credit>Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure><p>Google Wifi's coverage downstairs is a marked improvement over AmpliFi’s, except, unfortunately, for the bedroom on the right. It’s actually quite usable there, too, but some adjustment of the satellite locations would’ve helped a lot here.<p>In addition to a smoking hot signal, Google Wifi offers a ton of accessible functionality. You can tweak the brightness of its LEDs to your heart’s content, you can pause Internet delivery to devices or groups of devices (get to the dinner table, kids!), you can even manage home automation gear. All of this functionality is exposed via a “cards” system that should be familiar to anyone using modern Android phones.<figure class="image shortcode-img center medium"style=width:300px><a alt="Ah, yes, I’m already used to ignoring these!"class=enlarge data-height=1999 data-width=1125 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image14.png> <img alt="Ah, yes, I’m already used to ignoring these!"srcset="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image14-640x1137.png 2x"height=533 src=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image14-300x533.png width=300> </a><figcaption class=caption><div class=caption-text><a class=enlarge-link data-height=1999 data-width=1125 href=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/image14.png> Enlarge </a><span class=sep> / </span> Ah, yes, I’m already used to ignoring these!</div> <div class=caption-credit>Jim Salter</div></figcaption></figure><p>Google Wifi performed well overall—noticeably better than AmpliFi HD, even where the signal level looks a little “bluer”—but it didn’t take top honors either.</div><nav class=page-numbers>Page: <span class=numbers> 1 <a href=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/12/review-comparing-google-wifi-to-other-mesh-networking-heavyweights/2/> 2 </a> <a href=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/12/review-comparing-google-wifi-to-other-mesh-networking-heavyweights/2/> <span class=next> Next <span class=arrow> → </span> </span> </a> </span></nav></section></div><div class=xrail><div class=xrail-content><div class="ars-interlude-container ad_xrail ad_xrail_top"></div><aside aria-label="Top sidebar advertisement"class="ad ad_xrail ad_xrail_top ad_xrail_last"></aside></div></div></div><div class=column-wrapper><div class=left-column><div id=social-footer><a class="comment-count icon-comment-bubble-down"title="118 posters participating, including story author"href=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/12/review-comparing-google-wifi-to-other-mesh-networking-heavyweights/?comments=1> <h4 class=comment-count-before>reader comments</h4> <span class=comment-count-number> 236 </span> <span class=visually-hidden> with 118 posters participating, including story author </span> </a><div class=share-links><h4>Share this story</h4><ul><li><a class="social-icon share-facebook"title="Share on Facebook"href=https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Farstechnica.com%2F%3Fpost_type%3Dpost%26p%3D1005229 target=_blank> <span class=visually-hidden> Share on Facebook </span> </a><li><a class="social-icon share-twitter"title="Share on Twitter"href=https://twitter.com/share?text=Review%3A+Comparing+Google+Wifi+to+other+mesh+networking+heavyweights&url=https%3A%2F%2Farstechnica.com%2F%3Fpost_type%3Dpost%26p%3D1005229 target=_blank> <span class=visually-hidden> Share on Twitter </span> </a><li><a class="social-icon share-reddit"title="Share on Reddit"href=https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Farstechnica.com%2F%3Fpost_type%3Dpost%26p%3D1005229&title=Review%3A+Comparing+Google+Wifi+to+other+mesh+networking+heavyweights target=_blank> <span class=visually-hidden> Share on Reddit </span> </a></ul></div></div><section class=article-author><a aria-hidden=true class=author-photo href=/author/jimsalter role=presentation style=background-image:url('https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/jim-salter.jpg'); tabindex=-1> </a><div class=author-bio><section class=author-bio-top><a class=author-name href=/author/jimsalter> Jim Salter </a> Jim is an author, <a href=https://2.5admins.com/> podcaster </a> , mercenary sysadmin, <a href=http://sanoid.net/> coder </a> , and father of three—not necessarily in that order.</section><section class=author-social><strong> Email </strong><a href=mailto:jim.salter@arstechnica.com> jim.salter@arstechnica.com </a><span class=slashes> // </span><strong> Twitter </strong><a href=https://www.twitter.com/jrssnet target=_blank> @jrssnet </a></section></div></section></div><div class=xrail></div></div><div id=article-footer-wrap><aside aria-label="Full width advertisement"class=ad_wrapper><span class=ad_notice> Advertisement </span><div class="ad ad_fullwidth fullwidth"></div></aside><section class="comments-area column-wrapper"id=comments-area><div class="row comments-row left-column"><a name=comments-bar> </a><div id=comments-container></div><div class=thick-divide-bottom id=comments-posting-container><p id=reply>You must <a class=vote_login href=https://arstechnica.com/civis/ucp.php?mode=login&return_to/gadgets/2016/12/review-comparing-google-wifi-to-other-mesh-networking-heavyweights/> login or create an account </a> to comment.</div></div><div class="xrail xrail-comments"><div class=xrail-content-wrapper><div class="xrail-content xrail-content-comments"><aside aria-label="Comments sidebar advertisement"class="ad ad_xrail ad_xrail_comments"></aside></div></div><div class="xrail-content-wrapper xrail-content-wrapper-bottom"><div class="xrail-content xrail-content-comments"><aside aria-label="Comments sidebar advertisement"class="ad ad_xrail ad_xrail_comments"></aside></div></div></div></section><section class=inline-playlist><div class=ars-video-playlist><h3 class=ars-video-playlist-module-header>Channel <span> Ars Technica </span></h3><div class=ars-video-playlist-module data-playlist-id=arstechnica-channel-ars-gadgets data-video-options=[]></div></div></section><div class=prev-next-links><a href=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/12/starbucks-launching-pokemon-go-promotion-with-gyms-special-beverage/ rel=prev> <span class=arrow> ← </span> Previous story </a><a href=https://arstechnica.com/science/2016/12/rising-temperatures-could-liberate-carbon-from-soil/ rel=next> Next story <span class=arrow> → </span> </a></div><footer id=article-footer><div id=recommendations-footer><div id=story-recommendations><div class=heading-column><h3>Related Stories</h3></div><ul class=rec-wrap id=story-recs></ul></div><div id=sponsored-recommendations><div class=OUTBRAIN data-src=DROP_PERMALINK_HERE data-widget-id=AR_14></div><script async src=//widgets.outbrain.com/outbrain.js></script></div><div id=latest-stories><div class=heading-column><h3>Today on Ars</h3></div><ul class=rec-wrap id=latest-recs></ul></div></div></footer></div></article></main><footer class=site-footer><nav class=nav-footer><section><ul><li><a href=/store/> Store </a><li><a href=/store/product/subscriptions/> Subscribe </a><li><a href=/about-us/> About Us </a><li><a href=/rss-feeds/> RSS Feeds </a><li><a href=http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/12/review-comparing-google-wifi-to-other-mesh-networking-heavyweights/?view=mobile rel=nofollow> View Mobile Site </a></ul></section><section><ul><li><a href=/contact-us/> Contact Us </a><li><a href=/staff-directory/> Staff </a><li><a href=/advertise-with-us/> Advertise with us </a><li><a href=/reprints/> Reprints </a></ul></section><section class=footer-newsletter><div class=newsletter-wrapper><h3><a href=/newsletters/> Newsletter Signup </a></h3><p>Join the Ars Orbital Transmission mailing list to get weekly updates delivered to your inbox.</p><a class=button href=/newsletters/> Sign me up → </a></div></section></nav><section class=footer-terms-logo><div class=cn-logo><a class="icon icon-logo-cn-us"title="Visit Condé Nast"href=http://condenast.com/> </a></div><p id=copyright-terms>CNMN Collection <br> WIRED Media Group <br> © 2021 Condé Nast. 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