Google built the world's best Wi-Fi router in 2016, and nothing's really matched it since
These days, mesh Wi-Fi networks are both common and affordable. Anyone who wants the power and convenience of mesh technology can have it, but it hasn't been this way for long. In 2016, Google showed the way when it came to how mesh could and should work, and in many ways no one has really done it better since.
The router that made mesh feel like magic
Literally plug-and-play
When Google Wifi launched in 2016, it was the first time that I saw a viable home implementation of the mesh networking technology that I was used to from my work at large institutions. Mesh was amazing, but in my mind it was hard to set up and administer.
Google Wifi turned that whole super-technical networking setup into a plug-and-play appliance. These weren't the fastest routers, but they did bring a level of user-friendliness to a market filled with cryptic router settings and janky, ugly interfaces. It also didn't hurt that the $299 price tag for a three-pack was pretty competitive for the time.
Smart mesh that actually behaved intelligently
It just works
Not only did Google Wifi require basically zero setup, it also seemed smart enough to avoid the need for babysitting. You don't have to worry about things like access points, channels, bands, or back haul. The different identical router pods just sorted that stuff out between them. Devices just moved seamlessly between them like magic.
I know that's how all mesh routers behave today a decade later, but when I saw the demos (there was no way I could afford it myself), it seemed like the most next-generation development in home networking I'd ever seen. Up to that point, home routers weren't that interesting going from one generation to the next. Wi-Fi got a little faster, maybe you got more capabilities buried in the firmware settings, but this was proper polished tech.
The app experience that rewrote expectations
There's an app for that
The cheap Wi-Fi mesh system I use today is operated via a mobile app, and that seems totally normal now. In 2016, most people were still logging into a router interface using a web browser.
With Google Wifi, just about everything was handled through the companion app. Just the same way, all the other Google Smart devices worked. It made it easy to see what was happening on your network. You could see which devices were connected to which node, and how much bandwidth they were using. You could mark specific devices as a priority with a tap. No messing around with complicated QoS settings .
Why modern routers are better—but less exciting
Refine, not revolutionize
If we fast-forward to today, the features of Google WiFi are pretty mundane. As I said above, even my entry-level TP-Link Deco mesh router system does everything Google Wifi did, but at a fraction of the price. In fact, it's more capable since technology has obviously moved on in the last decade.
Looking at the best we have, Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 blow away the original Google Wifi when it comes to speed, latency, and handling multiple devices. Even the Google Nest WiFi Pro obviously outperforms the original in every way.
But that's not where the original Google Wifi stood out. Nothing since then has represented such a huge leap in home networking. In one fell swoop, Google showed us that dead zones could be a thing of the past. That network configuration could be almost completely automated, and that you didn't have to do ongoing maintenance. If you did it right, your network could be a set-and-forget solution.
The real legacy of Google Wifi
I think the lasting legacy of Google Wifi is that it was the turning point where Wi-Fi went from this awkward technology in our homes to being something as simple to use as electricity or water. You don't have to think about it, it's in every room where it needs to be, and you only need to call a geek to help if something really goes wrong.
Who even knows what could be done better to give us a similar qualitative leap again? Maybe we're in for a few more decades of faster, better, and stronger networking, but not necessarily much smarter.
