Google Wifi got an unexpected refresh this week, bringing one of the best mesh wifi routers on the market to European customers – along with some cosmetic tweaks and a healthy cut in price.
The new refresh was first released in the US in October 2020 and saw a substantial drop from $259 for the Google Wifi router with two coverage extenders down to $199, a $60 cut. The price cut in the UK is comparable (around £30) access points/routers $60 drop in price over the first-generation Google Wifi router.
Both Google Wifi generations are priced lower than the Google Nest Wifi, which is the company's more premium smart home product line. But that doesn't mean Google Wifi is anything less than one of our top-rated mesh routers for several years running, so it's not surprising that Google would want to bring Google Wifi to the European market.
Hey Carmelo, thanks for the tweet! That's right, Google Wifi (2nd Gen) looks similar to the 1st Generation Google Wifi with minor visual differences and a lower price than its predecessor and Nest Wifi. Learn more here on how each of our devices compare: https://t.co/VNI78TOPcCJune 29, 2021
A Google representative told TechRadar that Google Wifi Gen 2 provides an "Improved work from home experience [and] expanded the preferred activities by adding support for Microsoft Teams, Slack, Webex, GoToMeeting."
The rep also pointed to new additions to the Google Home App, specifically the new Network Insight feature that can help users figure out when and why their internet speeds are slowing down.
Beyond that, there aren't a whole lot of dramatic spec changes other than the price, but given how good Google Wifi is, probably better to not mess with a good thing.
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Australia loses Google Wifi – for now
Google Wifi also appears to have vanished from Google's Australian product page entirely, a strong indication that Google is preparing to release the new refresh in that market as well.
While we followed up with Google about the missing Google Wifi listing on its product page in Australia, we have yet to hear back so all we can do is speculate that an Australian release is likely coming pretty soon. When we get further clarity on the situation with the Australian market, we'll be sure to update this page.
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