Upgrading to a mesh router that uses multiple devices to relay a better Wi-Fi signal throughout your home is pretty close to a no-brainer at this point, especially if you live in a large, multistory home. You’ve got lots of options, including two notable new systems from Google and Amazon: the Nest Wifi Pro and the Eero Pro 6E, respectively.
Each system promises top-of-the-line mesh performance thanks to the addition of Wi-Fi 6E, a new designation for current-gen, Wi-Fi 6 devices that are equipped to send signals in the recently opened 6GHz band. Both promise to quarterback your smart home, too, with full support for the industry’s new universal smart home standard Matter and other features aimed at home automation enthusiasts.
So which system is the better of the two? We’ll know better once we’ve put Nest Wifi Pro through some tests, but for now, let’s take a closer look at each system and what separates them. (For more, check out how to set up your mesh router for the best performance, and the best location for your Wi-Fi router.)
Google’s Nest Wifi Pro builds on the previous version of Nest Wifi by adding in significantly faster speeds with full support for Wi-Fi 6E. That means that it can connect other Wi-Fi 6E devices over the newly unlocked 6GHz band in addition to the existing 2.4 and 5GHz bands. That’s a good thing — the 6GHz band features more than twice as much bandwidth as the 5GHz band, with room for several 160MHz channels of traffic, and with no previous-gen Wi-Fi devices in the mix, that traffic will enjoy a significant reduction in interference.
The other big change with Nest Wifi Pro is that there are no longer Google Assistant smart speakers built into the extenders. In fact, Nest Wifi Pro doesn’t feature separate extender devices at all. Unlike the original Nest Wifi, each Nest Wifi Pro device is identical and interchangeable, so any of them can serve as the main router of the system. Available for preorder now in your choice of four colors and shipping out to customers on Oct. 27, Nest Wifi Pro costs $199 for a single device, $299 for a 2-pack, or $399 for a 3-pack.
Speed rating: AXE5400
Build: Tri-band (2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz)
Wi-Fi standard: 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6E)
Range: 2,200 sq. ft
Processor: Dual-core 64-bit ARM CPU
Memory: 1GB RAM, 4GB Flash
Encryption: WPA3
Ethernet jacks: Two
Ethernet/WAN speed: 1Gbps
Dimensions (WHD): 4.61 in. x 5.12 in. x 3.35 in.
Built-in Thread radio: Yes
Built-in Zigbee radio: No
Built-in smart speakers: No
Backwards compatibility: No
Colors: Snow, Fog, Linen, Lemongrass
Price: $199 (1-pack), $299 (2-pack), $399 (3-pack)
Ry Crist/CNET
Launched earlier in 2022, the Eero Pro 6E is the fastest and most capable mesh router the Amazon-owned brand has ever released, and it’s the only one that adds Wi-Fi 6E support into the mix. Starting at $299 for a single device, $499 for a 2-pack, or $699 for a 3-pack, the Eero Pro 6E certainly isn’t cheap, but it still costs considerably less than top-of-the-line Wi-Fi 6E mesh options like the Netgear Orbi AXE11000 and the Linksys Velop Atlas Max 6E. The Eero Pro 6E kept up with systems like those in our at-home tests, and even outperformed them by some metrics.
With support for Amazon’s Alexa and built-in radios for Zigbee and Thread, the Eero Pro 6E is positioned well to serve as a smart home centerpiece. That’s particularly true in Alexa households, yes, but the Zigbee radio lets it connect with a wide variety of gadgets like smart lights and smart locks regardless of which voice assistant you prefer, and the Thread radio allows it to facilitate transmissions between Thread-based gadgets that support Matter. All of that, plus backwards compatibility with older Eero devices and a multi-gig WAN port that allows for wireless speeds in excess of a single gigabit, make this system an appealing and forward-looking home networking upgrade.
Speed rating: AXE5400
Build: Tri-band (2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz)
Wi-Fi standard: 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6E)
Range: 2,000 sq. ft
Processor: 1 GHz dual-core processor
Memory: 1GB RAM, 4GB Flash
Encryption: WPA3
Ethernet jacks: Two
Ethernet/WAN speed: 2.5Gbps
Dimensions (WHD): 5.50 in. x 1.90 in. x 5.50 in.
Built-in Thread radio: Yes
Built-in Zigbee radio: Yes
Built-in smart speakers: No
Backwards compatibility: Yes
Colors: White
Price: $299 (1-pack), $499 (2-pack), $699 (3-pack)
Them’s the specs. Now, let’s dive a little deeper into how these two systems really stack up.
The new Nest Wifi Pro mesh router comes in your choice of four colors.
Design aesthetics: Nest notches a colorful win
Mesh routers are meant to be placed out in the open throughout your home, because wireless performance plummets if you stuff the thing in a closet or the back of a junk drawer. If you’re using them right, you’re going to be seeing these things, and that means that the aesthetics matter.
In the case of Nest and Eero, the aesthetics really come down to minimalist versus super minimalist. Neither one bombards you with antennas or flashing lights. Instead, they both hide the hardware on the inside, which makes each of the designs a lot less conspicuous. Nest offers your choice of four colors, though, while the all-white Eero Pro 6E sticks to the same safe, somewhat bland design playbook of every Eero generation that came before it. It isn’t an eyesore by any stretch, but it isn’t doing as much to justify a spot out in the open in your living room or bedroom as Nest is.
Winner: Nest Wifi Pro
Each Eero Pro 6E device comes with an Ethernet jack that’s capable of handling incoming wired speeds as high as 2.5Gbps. That makes it a better pick than Nest Wifi Pro for multi-gig internet plans.
Ry Crist/CNET
Hardware: Eero’s backwards compatibility and multi-gig jack give it the edge
Splashy color choices aside, let’s talk about the insides of these mesh systems. With matching AXE5400 builds offering top speeds of 2.3 gigabits per second (2,300Mbps) on the 5 and 6GHz bands, plus a 2.4GHz band with top speeds of 800Mbps, the Eero Pro 6E and Nest Wifi Pro seem comparably fast, but there are some finer points worth examining.
For starters, each Eero Pro 6E device comes with an Ethernet jack that’s capable of accepting incoming wired speeds as fast as 2.5Gbps. With Nest Wifi Pro, both of the Ethernet jacks on each device will cap your incoming wired speeds at 1Gbps, which isn’t ideal if you’re paying up for a multi-gig internet connection, or planning to upgrade to one anytime soon. Mind you, Eero says that you shouldn’t expect to see wireless speeds any faster than 1.3Gbps, but still, if you want to surf at faster-than-a-gigabit speeds, Eero is the clear choice here.
Another key point of consideration on the hardware front: Backwards compatibility. The Eero Pro 6E offers it, the Nest Wifi Pro does not. With backwards compatibility, existing Eero users could purchase a single Eero Pro 6E device and add it into their existing setup with older-gen Eero devices. You can’t do that with Nest Wifi Pro — the system won’t work with existing hardware from the original Nest Wifi system, nor can it connect with first-gen Google Wifi hardware.
“To do that with Google Wifi and Nest Wifi generations that don’t support 6GHz was not going to be a good experience for users,” said Ben Brown, Google Nest’s director of product management for energy and connectivity.
That’s fair enough, but it means that existing Nest Wifi users won’t be able to upgrade their setups one device at a time. It’s also noteworthy because Nest Wifi Pro no longer features extenders with built-in smart speakers like you got with the original Nest Wifi. If you wanted to use those older, Google Assistant-equipped extenders with the new Nest Wifi Pro, you’re out of luck.
One last note: Amazon recently announced that you’ll be able to use select Echo and Echo Dot smart speakers as Wi-Fi extenders for Eero networks. We haven’t tested that out just yet (stay tuned), but as pitches go, it sounds like an appealing and cost-effective way to give your network a minor speed boost at range — and Nest Wifi Pro doesn’t offer anything like it.
Winner: Eero Pro 6E
Watch this:
Google Nest Wired Doorbell & Nest Wifi Pro Hands-On
3:16
Speeds: Shaping up to be a photo finish
Nest Wifi Pro is still in preorder at this point, and we haven’t had the chance to get it into our lab for speed tests just yet. We do have speed test data for the Eero Pro 6E though, so let’s take a look at that.
The Eero Pro 6E was able to offer strong speeds to a variety of devices when I tested it at my home with internet upload and download speeds set at 300Mbps. Not surprisingly, speeds were fastest when I tested on a Wi-Fi 6E device (purple).
Ry Crist/CNET
The graph above shows the Eero Pro 6E’s average download speeds to three different devices across five rooms in a 1,300-square-foot house with a 300Mbps fiber internet plan. The purple bars represent the speeds to a Samsung Galaxy S21 with full support for Wi-Fi 6E, the orange bars represent the speeds to a Lenovo ThinkPad laptop that supports Wi-Fi 6, and the green bars represent speeds to an Apple iPad Air 2 that uses Wi-Fi 5 to connect.
On average, speeds were fastest to the Wi-Fi 6E device, but they were pretty strong across the board, with speeds at or above that 300Mbps speed limit for every device in every room save for two instances where the Wi-Fi 5 iPad averaged in slightly below 300Mbps. It’s a good result, and one that shows the Eero Pro 6E reliably delivering optimal speeds to devices both old and new.
You can check out my full review of the Eero Pro 6E if you want to drill a little deeper into that data, but the takeaway is that the bar is pretty high here for Nest Wifi Pro. Like the Eero Pro 6E, it’s a tri-band mesh Wi-Fi 6E mesh router with AXE5400 speeds and a similar processor, so I’m not expecting a major gulf in performance between the two. Ties go to the less expensive model, so the Nest Wifi Pro might have the edge simply because it costs less. We’ll see soon enough once we’ve tested it out.
Winner: TBD
The Eero app makes it easy to setup and manage your home network, but it doesn’t offer the same level of smart home control as the Nest Wifi Pro’s Google Home app.
Screenshots by Ry Crist/CNET
Ease of use: Eero and Nest both make Wi-Fi dead simple
From Google Wifi to Nest Wifi to Nest Wifi Pro, Google has a good track record in the mesh category, as does Eero, which has several generations of mesh hardware on its resume over the past decade or so. Each company places a strong emphasis on the software running their respective mesh systems, and each has a strong history of reliable performance in CNET tests.
You’ll control the Nest Wifi Pro alongside all sorts of other smart home gadgets in the newly revamped Google Home app.
That software-heavy approach to mesh networking extends to the apps that you’ll use to control each system, as well. Regardless of whether you’re setting up a mesh router from Eero or from Nest, you can expect the experience to be quick and easy thanks to simplified app controls that walk you through each step of the process, including placement guidelines to help you place each extender in an optimal location. From there, each system’s app does a good job of offering quick access to common home networking features. That means that neither system has a real edge over the other as far as simplicity is concerned.
The only thing I’d note is that Google moved its main home networking controls into the newly revamped Google Home app, where they sit alongside other controls for adding and controlling gadgets like cameras, speakers and smart lights. If you’re already a smart home enthusiast — particularly a Google-minded smart home enthusiast — then that all-in-one approach might be exactly what you want. If not, and you just want a router app that sticks to routers, then perhaps the Eero app is a better fit.
Winner: Push
Smart home: Both support Matter, but Eero’s Zigbee radio puts it over the top
Speaking of the smart home, it’s a central part of the pitch with both Eero and Nest. For starters, each system includes built-in radios for Thread, a low-power protocol that transmits as an extra layer to your existing Wi-Fi signal. That’s important, because Thread is a big part of the pitch for Matter, a new universal smart home standard backed by Amazon, Apple, Google and many others. Lots of Matter devices will use Thread to relay their signals back and forth, and both the Nest Wifi Pro and Eero Pro 6E mesh routers are fully equipped to quarterback those signals and keep Matter smart homes running smoothly.
Thread aside, each system has its own unique approach to courting smart home enthusiasts. On the Nest side, you’ll no longer find Google Assistant smart speakers built into each extender like you got with the original Nest Wifi, but you will be able to control the Nest Wifi Pro alongside all of your other connected home gizmos in the Google Home app, which promises to serve as a one-stop-shop for smart home management. Eero doesn’t have that — the Eero app is strictly a router app, and while you can sync your Eero up with Amazon’s voice assistant, the networking controls in the Alexa app aren’t enough to put it on the same all-inclusive level as Google Home.
For its part, the Eero Pro 6E features a dedicated Zigbee radio in addition to the Thread radio, which is something you won’t get with Nest. Zigbee is another low-power wireless protocol, but unlike Thread, it’s entirely separate from Wi-Fi. Plenty of connected locks, lights and other smart home gadgets use Zigbee to send their signals, and pairing devices like those with your home’s Wi-Fi network typically requires you to connect a Zigbee hub to your router to act as translator. With the Eero Pro 6E, that hub comes built in, which frees up one of your precious Ethernet jacks and makes it possible to pair Zigbee devices directly with your router.
This one’s close, but for me, the combination of that Zigbee radio with the previously-mentioned feature that lets you use Echo speakers as Wi-Fi extenders gives Eero a slightly more compelling case as a smart home dream router. Advantage Amazon.
Winner: Eero Pro 6E
Value: Nest is as budget-friendly as Wi-Fi 6E gets
This one’s a biggie — at $199 for a single device, $299 for a 2-pack, or $399 for a 3-pack, Nest Wifi Pro is considerably less expensive than the Eero Pro 6E, which rings in at $299 for a single device, $499 for a 2-pack, or $699 for a 3-pack. If you’re in the market for a 3-piece mesh system and you’ve narrowed it down to Nest Wifi Pro or Eero Pro 6E, you’ll spend $300 less by going with Nest.
In fact, Nest Wifi Pro stands to be one of the best values in the Wi-Fi 6E category period, and one of the only Wi-Fi 6E routers to date that you can get for less than $200 without a big sale. That’ll position Nest pretty well as people continue upgrading to phones, laptops, and other primary devices that support Wi-Fi 6E, and it might be enough for consumers to forgive Nest’s lack of backwards compatibility or multi-gig support.
Winner: Nest Wifi Pro
The verdict
There’s no final ruling yet on this one — Nest Wifi Pro hasn’t even hit the market yet, and my hands-on time with the system has been limited to a few brief minutes at the latest Made by Google event. Once I’ve had a chance to test it out alongside the Eero Pro 6E, I’ll update this post with my findings.
Still, there’s already a lot to take into stock. Nest Wifi Pro’s value edge is a considerable advantage, especially if the system performs as reliably as the original Nest Wifi, which has spent multiple years on our list of the best mesh routers money can buy. Eero’s biggest advantage is on the hardware side — namely, the fact that it includes a multi-gig Ethernet jack, a built-in Zigbee radio, and backwards compatibility with earlier-gen Eero devices. You don’t get any of that with Nest.
On the other hand, plenty of smart homes already have a Zigbee hub of some sort (the Philips Hue Bridge, the SmartThings Hub, and the Amazon Echo Plus are just a few that’ll do the job). Others may not need one at all. Meanwhile, Eero’s multi-gig support is nice to have in a forward-looking sense, but it doesn’t offer immediate relevance to the overwhelming majority of us living with sub-gigabit internet speeds.
Like I said, we’ll know a lot more once we’ve tested the two systems side by side, so keep an eye out for our reporting on that front later this month.
