Unfortunately, in order to do so, they have to sacrifice some margin of range as well as wall and floor penetration capabilities, which are stronger with the traditional 2.4Ghz spectrum. This means that you can get faster internet speeds as long as you are committed to putting a separate Nest WIFI Pro unit in each room or floor. This is essentially Google's way of future-proofing their device while also ensuring that they sell more of them.
According to the company, this new model can still cover up to 2,200 square feet of space with reliable internet with just one unit. They are claiming a theoretical top speed of 5.4Gbps with the updated model. You can take advantage of these speeds with the help of two 1GBPS ethernet ports, which you can use for wired backhaul between multiple Nest units, or as a traditional ethernet port for your computing devices.
Although don't think you will be able to use it as an add-on with your existing Nest setup, as the new system doesn't come with backwards compatibility for older Nest Wi-Fi units. Another thing that you lose is support for Google Assistant-based voice controls, as the new module doesn't feature the in-built always-on microphones and speaker unit required for it. While this reduces your power consumption to some extent, it is also non-functional as a home speaker setup.
What you do get is Thread and Matter support. Thread support allows you to easily create a mesh network using multiple Nest units and use them for all sorts of low-power network-enabled devices around your home. Matter support makes it easier to set up and manage this network, even without using Google-specific software, since it is a new universal standard for many networking devices.
You can also benefit from better WIFI tuning and new software-enabled features like setting priority devices, creating guest networks, managing parental controls, and accessing automatic security updates. All of these new improvements are Google's way of making their Nest offerings on par with other commercial networking devices.
For a single router, you can get the new Nest Wifi Pro at a starting price of $199. The company also sells a two-pack for $299 and a three-pack for $399, just in case you want to start with a brand-new network. The router will go on sale on October 27, although it is already up for pre-orders through Amazon and Google Store.
