Switching to Google WiFi
I had recently acquired three Google WiFi pucks to upgrade the networking setup in my current apartment. I have had a pretty good experience with Google WiFi when I set it up at my parents home almost a year ago.
However this time I wanted to measure the network bandwidth before and after the upgrade.
The previous setup had Technicolor TG389ac router connected directly to the uplink. Then there was a TP-Link configured as a WiFi repeater in the hallway.
The upgraded setup has two Google WiFi pucks in the same positions as the previous routers with one additional puck in the bedroom.
Previous (yellow and blue) and current (red) router placement in the apartment
And here are the bandwidth measurements. I used my phone (OnePlus 3T) to run the tests. I used Android apps for both fast.com and speedtest.net testing service. The wired connection to the router is 1Gbps so this really tested the connection speed between the phone and the routers.
| Spot | Test | Router | Downlink | Uplink |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | https://fast.com | Technicolor | 33 Mbps | 33 Mbps |
| Kitchen | https://fast.com | Google WiFi | 34 Mbps 103% | 39 Mbps 118% |
| Kitchen | https://speedtest.net | Technicolor | 37 Mbps | 47 Mbps |
| Kitchen | https://speedtest.net | Google WiFi | 37 Mbps 100% | 46 Mbps 98% |
| Library | https://fast.com | TP-Link | 20 Mbps | 8 Mbps |
| Library | https://fast.com | Google WiFi | 34 Mbps 170% | 32 Mbps 400% |
| Library | https://speedtest.net | TP-Link | 23 Mbps | 8 Mbps |
| Library | https://speedtest.net | Google WiFi | 37 Mbps 160% | 41 Mbps 513% |
| Bedroom | https://fast.com | TP-Link | 17 Mbps | 8 Mbps |
| Bedroom | https://fast.com | Google WiFi | 15 Mbps 88% | 21 Mbps 263% |
| Bedroom | https://speedtest.net | TP-Link | 16 Mbps | 12 Mbps |
| Bedroom | https://speedtest.net | Google WiFi | 17 Mbps 106% | 30 Mbps 250% |
Some interesting findings:
- there is only a little improvement in the uplink when connected directly to the router that is wired upstream
- there is a considerable improvement when connected to the router one wireless hop away from the wired router
- there is a reasonable improvement when connected to the router two wireless hops away in the new setup compared to being connected to a router one wireless hop away in the old setup