Update: Nest WiFi Pro could be coming to boost your internet bandwidth.
If you’re a fan of the Google Nest mesh Wi-Fi, but feel like your home is due for an upgrade, then there appears to be some good news. Documents going through the FCC seem to reveal a new Nest Wifi Pro router is on the way, complete with Wi-Fi 6e connectivity.
This is no ordinary rumor. Every single wireless device that goes on sale in the United States needs to be approved by the FCC, whether it’s a smartphone, earbuds or a wireless router.
Regulatory approval is also one of the latest stages in product development, meaning the new Nest Wi-Fi router should be pretty close to release. Because the FCC makes all its documents public, this is a good way to figure out new details about products, and how far away launch might be.
The documents show a Google device with the model number “G6ZUC”, which 9to5Google claims is the model number for the upcoming Nest router successor. The various documents confirm that it is Wi-Fi 6e enabled, a serious step up from the previous model.
The last Nest router arrived when Wi-Fi 6 was first hitting the scene, but was limited to the previous Wi-Fi 5 standard. The router may be one of the best mesh routers, but that choice still feels like an oversight. Especially considering how easy the router is to set up and use. Thankfully, the next model seems to be rectifying the problem by including the 6-GHz spectrum.
Wi-Fi 6 was designed to be faster and more responsive than the previous Wi-Fi 5 standard, and Wi-Fi 6e adds another layer onto that upgrade. By accessing more electromagnetic spectrum, Wi-Fi 6e can transfer even more data at a much lower latency — improving the connectivity on all your devices.
While the number of devices offering Wi-Fi 6e connectivity is a little limited, that’s only going to improve over time. So the upcoming Nest router would, essentially, allow you to future-proof your home Wi-Fi for the foreseeable future. Though it’s unclear as to whether Google has any Wi-Fi 6e mesh access points in the works, or if the main router is the only one on the way.
So when will we likely see this new Nest router? It’s not entirely clear, and there’s never a guarantee that FCC approval means launch is imminent. That said, Google reportedly asked the regulator to keep details of the router confidential for six months — suggesting it could be unveiled before the end of the year.
We don’t know when it might be, but Google will likely have at least one hardware event in the next few months. The Google Pixel 7, Google Pixel 7 Pro and Google Pixel Watch are due to launch sometime this fall, while the Google Pixel Tablet will arrive in early 2023. It would make sense for Google to launch a new Nest router alongside one of these products.
Here’s hoping it arrives alongside the Pixel 7 series, which is currently rumored to arrive on October 13. Then we can see whether it's worth a place on our list of the best Wi-Fi 6 routers.
Next: The Nest Wifi Pro is great but I'm returning it — here's why.
