The Google Wifi is a mesh networking system that allows you to stay connected wherever you are in your home even in rooms that were once dead zones.

Many people think that having to connect so many router devices as opposed to one router is too troublesome. Yes, there are one or two more steps to complete, but the Google Wifi is definitely worth these extra steps.

Setting it up

The setting up of the Google Wifi is very simple. If you haven’t heard, the Google Wifi comes in a package of three devices. You can pick any of the three to be your default device that is to be connected to your modem. Please make sure you have downloaded the Google Wifi app for the setup.

To help you through the initial setup, which took me less than 10 minutes, here are the steps.

1. Turn on your modem and Google Wifi device that is connected directly to your modem. (Please note that you should not turn on the other Google Wifi devices that you have placed in other rooms yet. Your app may accidentally detect one of them as your default device.)
2. Run the Google Wifi app and it should automatically detect your device.
3. The Google Wifi app will then ask for your permission to access your Gallery and Camera because they need your camera to scan the QR code at the bottom. This should take you only 0.01 seconds.
4. Then it will start connecting to your default device. Do note that this part may take you up to a minute or two. But it’s not a big deal.
5. Once done, it should prompt you if there are other devices. This is the time to turn on your other devices in your room. You will need to scan the QR code located at the base too. (Note that the number of additional devices does not include the default device.)
6. And we are done. I’m not joking!

To be honest, while I was going through the process of setting it up, I was afraid that the Google Wifi will not work as well or as convenient as I hoped, probably because I was affected by some reviewers’ negative impression of the device. However, contrary to their experience, the Google Wifi worked exceptionally well in my case.

The test

Since the main purpose of having a mesh networking system is to get a wireless connection in dead zones, I tried it out in my bedroom where the signal drops so often that I always ended up using my mobile data unintentionally.

With the Google Wifi, the connection was great and I was able to stream YouTube and Facebook videos without any buffering. Not to mention, stalking people on Instagram Stories was a breeze too.

As you can see, I was able to get a pretty good connection and with the Google Wifi app, I was able to know my connection and speed.

Personally, I feel that it is important to check on these data running in the background because rectifying any connection issues is just an app away. If I am using a conventional router, the only thing I could do is to physically turn on and off the power supply or to reset the router. This means that my parents will have to wait for me to come home to help them with it.

Should you get it?

I do not see why you should not change your conventional router to the Google Wifi if you know that there are quite a number of dead zones in your home. However, if your connection at home is fine, then don’t get it unless you want to:

1. know more about your connection data;
2. have the power to assign bandwidth to different devices at home; and
3. have the authority to select and manage Wi-Fi usage of a certain device.

Currently, StarHub is the exclusive Internet Service Provider to offer the Google Wifi as a package to its broadband plans. Getting the Google Wifi will add S$15 to your monthly bill under the StarHub’s interest-free instalment scheme. If you do not want the Google Wifi, you can still opt for the conventional router.

P.S. I just renewed my contract at the Comex and if you don’t already know, I opted for the Google Wifi. In case you are wondering, the devices I used for my review have to be returned to Google. So yeah.