- Google is rolling out an update for the Nest Wifi router ahead of the US router ban
- The ban hasn't come into effect, but could reduce router options significantly
- The Nest Wifi router is a solid choice, but we think Asus and Netgear are better options
Google has decided to go ahead with its next firmware update for the Nest Wifi router and Nest Wifi point despite the latest ban on Wifi routers manufactured outside of the US.
The update was spotted by 9to5Google, who shared that the company updated the changelog entry on April 24 with ‘stability and security vulnerability fixes’. According to the outlet, the Nest Wifi router is now running on software version 14150.883.231, and the Nest Wifi point is on version 1.56.3.497142 — the latter doubling as a Google Home speaker.
This is the first software update for the Google Nest Wifi point since May 2025, while the Next Wifi router’s most recent update was released all the way back in October 2024, meaning its April 2026 update marks exactly a year and a half since the last one.
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Back in March, Google rolled out a new update to the Nest Wifi Pro to improve stability, security, and mesh performance, but this arrived before the FCC announced the ban on "consumer-grade routers" that are "produced in foreign countries", as per its ruling.
While the ban hasn’t come into effect yet, it could present quite a big problem for consumers, as a large majority of Wifi routers are made outside of the US, even ones by American tech giants like Google. Eventually, this will make purchasing US-manufactured Wifi routers even more difficult for two reasons: the first being that not a lot of routers on the market are made in the US anyway, and the second being the increasing user demand, which would ultimately put more pressure on companies to churn out new models to keep up.
However, as it stands, the Google Nest Wifi router is still safe to purchase and use now, while the ban is still up in the air. As far as the best Wifi routers are concerned, the Nest Wifi router doesn’t rank among them, but having said that, every single one of our favorites is made outside of the US.
Taking the top spot is the TP-Link Deco BE63, a solid performer with free content filters for parents, while the Asus ROG Rapture GT-BE98 is still our best premium option due to its high-speed wired connections, making it perfect for gaming enthusiasts. Even the Netgear Orbi 373 is a reliable budget-friendly option that’s easy to set up, but though Netgear is an American company, its products are produced overseas.
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