Google accelerates home WiFi with shapely new Nest WiFi Pro router
Google’s newest domestic device is inspired by ceramic art and incorporates the newest ultra-fast standard of WiFi technology, WiFi 6E
Rounder, warmer, and more like a piece of sculpture, the new Google Nest WiFi Pro represents a different direction for this essential piece of home hardware.
We spoke to Isabelle Olsson, senior design director for the Google Nest and Wearables portfolio, and Ivy Ross, the company’s vice president of Design for Hardware, about Nest WiFi Pro and what it means for the company’s hardware division.
Ivy Ross: ‘It almost looks like a glass vase’
Google has made its own routers for several years now, adding functionality and simplicity to an inescapable element of domestic infrastructure. Its newest roll-out upgrades the internal chipset to take account of WiFi 6E, the latest standard that is nearly three times as fast as the previous WiFi 6, taking advantage of a new band on the spectrum (6 GHz, instead of the familiar 2.5 or 5 GHz) to take us ever-closer to a world without Ethernet (wired) connections.
There are also added security measures, with authentication between devices made more robust and less reliant on old-fashioned, hackable passwords.
‘A device like this has to work well and be out in the open,’ says Olson. ‘That’s why we have a range of colours so it can really fit into your home.’
The finish, too, is also a step away from the soft matt surfaces that have defined the last few years of domestic tech. ‘Glossy is new for us,’ says Ross. ‘It almost looks like a glass vase.’
The seamless, soft shape of the Google Nest WiFi Pro is explicitly designed to slot into any home, while still referencing the form language of Google’s earlier hardware devices. ‘We have a room with all our previous products,’ Ross admits. ‘It helps show the evolution of the technology.’
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
The new router also taps into the colourways introduced in the recent drop of Google Pixel products; it’s available in Fog, Snow, Linen and Lemongrass finishes.
Nest Wifi Pro incorporates 60 per cent recycled material by weight, including large amounts of the plastic and aluminium used in the construction.
Google is also rolling out a recycling programme in the US, which allows you to mail back electronics and devices to the company to be refurbished or recycled as appropriate.
Google Nest Wifi Pro, from £189.99
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
The new HMD Skyline is a repairable smartphone that won’t rule your life
Human Mobile Devices has pulled out all the stops to ensure its flagship HMD Skyline can not only be easily repaired, but helps divert you from doom-scrolling
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Analogue Pocket Aluminum Editions: the cult video gaming console shows its new metal
The strictly limited-edition Analogue Pocket Aluminum Editions bring high-quality materials to Analogue’s elegant combination of hardware and software design
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Moog’s mood-altering Labyrinth and five more new synthesizers and sound tools
Explore soundscapes and ambient realms with these new synthesizers and other desktop composition tools for shaping all forms of audio
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Radio alarm clocks round-up: wake up to these clever bedside companions
Our selection of the best new radio alarm clocks, from smart speakers to compact DAB boxes and more
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
CMF by Nothing launches its first phone, and an update of its talented smartwatch
The new CMF Phone 1 is joined by next-generation versions of its CMF Buds Pro 2 and the excellent CMF Watch Pro 2
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
The latest portable tech for boosting productivity out on the road
Nine new gadgets for agile workers to get out and about with, from pocket projectors to slimline keyboards, charge blocks and more
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
New Light Phone III is all retro-simplicity to soothe your over-laden mind
The Light Phone III – a smart device for those disaffected by data collection and endless diversions – is designed to let you get back to real life
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Honor Magic6 RSR is a bold new entrant into the premium smartphone market
After a couple of weeks with the Porsche Design Honor Magic6 RSR in hand, we report back on the ins and outs of this new high-end device
By Jonathan Bell Published