Google Nest Wifi Pro

Nest WiFi Pro: How many Wi-Fi points do I need?

Andrew Romero | Oct 17 2022 - 10:45 am PT

Mesh networks are often a better option for buyers, and the Nest WiFi Pro Google announced this year packs a big punch. So how many Nest WiFi Pro points will you need in your house? This guide will take you through figuring out the number of Nest WiFi Pro points you actually need.

What is a mesh network?

After the wide rollout of Wi-Fi, the go-to option for many users and their dwellings was a single router hooked up to a modem. While that system has been improved upon consistently as Wi-Fi tech has improved, it still has some drawbacks.

See, your Wi-Fi signal isn’t invincible, and it becomes weaker the farther it has to travel and the more obstacles it has to pass through. Users with medium to large homes and many rooms tend to find themselves with a strong internet connection on one end, while the other end of the house suffers.

An option that has become increasingly popular is a mesh network, which ties together a series of Wi-Fi points to one internet connection so that no matter where you go in your house, you’re somewhere in a web of internet. Google has offered several implementations of this setup, with the Google Wifi, Nest WiFi, and now the Nest WiFi Pro.

Generally speaking, you can place a Wi-Fi point on either end of the house or set up three connections by arranging them in a sort of triangle. Doing this will allow you to get a strong connection throughout your home with ease and dramatically lessens the weak points you come across.

Google’s new Nest WiFi Pro comes in as a hefty upgrade to its previous iterations. The new WiFi Pro can handle up to 300 devices – triple what the last generation could do – and goes by the new Wi-Fi 6e standard, which adds an additional band alongside 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

Of course, mesh networks don’t come cheap. The brand-new Nest WiFi Pro costs $199.9 for one WiFi point and an extra $100 for each after that – if purchased in a pack. As with most things, the more you need, the more expensive things are going to get.

How many Nest WiFi Pro points do you need?

There’s no point in buying as many Nest WiFi Pro points as you can since your internet speed doesn’t always increase with signal strength. Generally speaking, many users will only need three or fewer WiFi points, with most only needing one or two. So what’s the magic number of Nest WiFi Pro points for you?

Each Nest WiFi Pro can cover about 2200 square feet of space, according to Google – the same as the previous Nest Wifi. If you happened to own the Nest Wifi and had a mesh system, you can just house the same number of points as you did before.

Really, you need to think of that area in a 3D space, not just linearly. That means each point can handle up to about a 2200 square foot bubble in each direction from edge to edge. For instance, covering a one-story home would be much more difficult than covering a two-story house with the same square footage. That second floor is directly above the Nest WiFi Pro, while a one-story home can span much farther across, way out of reach of your single WiFi point.

If your home is just about 2200 square feet, you’re cutting it very close, and you’ll likely notice some weak spots. In that case, it’s recommended you get an extra Nest WiFi Pro unit to cover the space more densely.

If your home is about 1750 sq feet or less, you could likely get away with one central Nest WiFi Pro. A 2000-square-foot home with no second floor might need an additional point, so you’ll have to weigh your options. As for apartment dwellers, more often than not, only one WiFi point would be needed.

Something else worth considering is where your internet connection sits. If it’s central to the home, you can get away with a single Wi-Fi point. If it’s at the edge of your home or apartment, you might need to get a second Nest WiFi Pro to set on the other side of the home. Only one Nest WiFi Pro needs an ethernet connection for Google’s mesh system to work, though you can connect each point via ethernet cable for a stronger connection at each terminal.

Finding your home or apartment’s square footage

With how much a single Nest WiFi Pro point can handle in mind, you’ll need to know your home’s square footage. One way you can do that is by looking at your original lease or real estate documents. Those papers and agreements will state your square footage so you don’t need to calculate. If you don’t have one of those on hand and you live in a home, you can alternatively Google your own address. Many real estate websites will list your home’s size with just a few clicks.

If that’s also out of the question, you can do some quick math. Simply measure each room’s width and length. Multiplying those numbers for each will give you a square footage amount for that room. Do that for every room and add them all up. You don’t need to be precise – this is only to give you a rough idea of how big your space is.

Ultimately, it’s not difficult to figure out the number of Nest WiFi Pro points you need in a home. As long as you go by the general guidelines listed above, you’ll be in the ballpark with no problem.