Nest Wifi and Google Wifi Are Getting a Big Software Update

June 22, 2020 Topic: Security Region: Americas Blog Brand: The Buzz Tags: TechnologySoftwareUpgradeRouterWifiGoogleNest

Nest Wifi and Google Wifi Are Getting a Big Software Update

Could this make your router faster? No more buffering?

Google has rolled out a new software update aimed at making the company's products work better on homes with slow Wi-Fi Internet connections.

"We’re rolling out a software update to make both Nest Wifi and Google Wifi work even more smoothly today," Sanjay Noronha, the product lead for connectivity for Google Nest, wrote in a blog post. “This update will improve overall network performance on slow internet connections, which means your Wi-Fi will better support multiple video calls, gaming sessions and more simultaneously.”

The update includes general security and stability improvements, as well as an upgrade to the technology's priority device feature.

Noronha writes in a post that with his teenage sons doing school work from home, he understands why some home Wi-Fi networks need a boost.

The blog post also offers some advice for those whose Wi-Fi regularly buffers. This includes rebooting the router, running a speed test, and making sure to remove barriers, especially if the router is kept in a drawer. The post also recommends either upgrading the router or considering the addition of a mesh network.

"We all rely on Wi-Fi, and when it doesn’t work, it’s a source of frustration untold. Hopefully, these tips help keep you connected, whether you’re working, streaming, gaming or binge-watching," he concluded.

"What’s really wonderful about this router is that, although it’s often promoted as a mesh-networking device, there is no need for you to go out and spend hundreds more on multiple units," we wrote about Google Wi-Fi earlier this year. "All you have to do is just sit back and enjoy the steady, hiccup-free Wi-Fi signals."

The extra Wi-Fi capability may be necessary. A report last week by research firm Parks Associates predicted that the number of connected devices in the home of the average American broadband household is expected to double to twenty-five by 2025, from the current average number of twelve.

“The number of connected devices in the home is increasing just as people are adding strain to the home network with more work-at-home and video streaming activities,” Brad Russell, Research Director, Connected Home, Parks Associates, said in the release of the study.

Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.