Google Wifi beats competitors in independent test

Google’s upcoming Wi-Fi router, Google Wifi, is designed to provide a reliable internet connection throughout the home on all devices. In an effort to see how it stacks up against the competition before it ships on December 5, Google asked an independent company, Allison USA, to put Google Wifi up against two similar systems, Eero and Luma.

The three products are all “mesh” systems, which means they use a group of routers that communicate wirelessly with each other to create a single Wi-Fi network. Instead of just one router, mesh systems allow for multiple sources of Wi-Fi throughout your home, theoretically providing better coverage.

Though Google considers mesh systems to be a superior alternative to the typical single router setup in most households, there are, of course, different levels of efficiency offered by each product.

In the test, Allison connected two units from each of the three systems in a 3,000 square foot, two story home. It then measured the Wi-Fi speeds at four different locations with a Macbook Air. You can see the results in the graphic below which shows the average speed in Mbps (megabits per second) from more than 60 measurements.

Google Wifi came out on top, with the fastest Wi-Fi speeds at each location – sometimes providing more than double the performance. In one of the upstairs bedrooms, for example, Google Wifi was five times as fast as Eero (228 Mbps vs 42 Mbps).

Of the results, which were posted on its blog, Google said: “Google Wifi is able to outperform other mesh routers because we built it from the ground up to provide fast Wi-Fi in every room. Each Google Wifi point packs high-gain antennas along with powerful amplifiers that make the signal stronger and farther-reaching.”

Google also reaffirmed its commitment to providing better, faster home Wi-Fi and said Allison would continue to run tests on its system in the coming weeks.

Google Wifi is available for pre-order now at the Google online store for $129 for a single unit or $299 for three.