Google WiFi & Nest WiFi can prioritize Zoom and Meet video calls for better stability

Ben Schoon | Nov 30 2020 - 2:10 pm PT

The pandemic has made video calling more important than ever before, and to make Google Meet and Zoom video calls more stable in our current lifestyle, Google WiFi and Nest WiFi are making it possible to prioritize these popular video calling apps.

The latest update for Google WiFi and Nest WiFi, 20Q4 (13099.118.19), is rolling out now with a handful of tweaks.

The biggest story here is that you can now prioritize video calling apps alongside Google’s own Stadia service. That functionality, which rolled out last year, allows the router to focus bandwidth on a device that’s actively using Google Stadia. Now, Google WiFi and Nest WiFi can do the same thing with Zoom and Google Meet. This option can be found in the Google Home app (v2.31 and newer) under “Preferred Activities.” Notably, this option can’t be found in the legacy Google WiFi app and the prioritization only works for Zoom and Meet.

Along with that change, the Google Home app can now also show Wi-Fi “events” in the activity feed such as devices that can’t connect due to an incorrect password, connection issues, and more. There are also some general improvements and fixes for connectivity, stability, performance, and more.

20Q4 Release notes

13099.118.19 Google Wifi & Nest Wifi

This software update includes:

The ability to automatically detect and optimize select video conferencing traffic as a preferred activity

Wi-Fi events in the Google Home App Feed, which provide visibility into the following issues:

Device connection failures due to password issues

Device connection issues due to poor coverage

Mesh connection issues due to poor placement

Underperforming WAN ethernet link

Improvements for better client connectivity and roaming

Better reliability for high rate data frames

IPTV IGMP robustness improvements

General security, stability, and performance improvements