Less is sometimes more: I’m glad the new Nest Wifi Pro won’t have Google Assistant built-in

Earlier this week, we reported on the fact that Google announced the all-new Nest Wifi Pro at its 2022 hardware event. At that time, we covered its specifications like its Wifi 6E capability for faster speeds, longer reach, and more simultaneously connected devices. However, something I completely missed and am just now realizing is that the new Pro unit will not have Google Assistant built-in.

As someone coming from an original 2016 Google Wi-Fi before it died on me this week, I wasn’t privileged enough to have Google’s built-in helper. Now that I’m rocking the current generation standard Nest Wifi, I can confidently say that I’m glad the company is backtracking on its decision to bake it into its new offering.

You see, ever since I set my new Wifi units up around the house, I’ve been reminded of a problem I had when I placed extra Nest Minis in various rooms. Despite Google’s best efforts to ask you which device you expected to respond to your voice commands and despite its proximity and acoustic science that’s meant to ensure the correct or closest unit caters to you, it’s still got a long way to go before it works the way you’d expect.

The moment I set the Nest Wifi within proximity of the Nest Hub in my small apartment, it began answering queries meant for the hub (video-oriented requests, for example) and even playing music on its built-in speaker that’s of lower quality than my other audio sources. It’s pretty freaking annoying if I’m honest.

Sometimes, less is more, and when it comes to Google Assistant, we have an abundance of ways to access it. When you’re sitting at home, that number of access points greatly increases, and there’s just too much overlap for me. I know that some folks will miss out on using Assistant this way, but with Google basically giving out minis for free or cheap at every opportunity, I hardly think it will be a problem.

When I eventually upgrade to the Nest Wifi Pro, I’ll be happy it’s a plain old Wifi router – albeit smart – so my speakers can do their assigned job and serenade me wherever I walk. Google is taking this generation to focus on connection quality and core features for its new product, and I think that’s a great move.

The same thing occurred when I realized that the Nest Secure had Google Assistant baked into it. Upon setting it up back in the day, I immediately decided to turn it off since it was of inferior quality audio and its placement caused overlap with the Google Home Minis that I had at the time. Let me know in the comments how many Assistant-enabled devices you have in your home. If you live in a tiny apartment like me, I believe this number should be kept low for less frustration and more effectiveness.