Google home devices in the home network

[speedlever]

I've resisted the IOT thus far but with the recent price cuts to the Google Home and mini, I couldn't resist the lure and ordered a GH and a mini, and am considering adding more to the mix to have devices in each room of the house. However, looking at the set up directions while I wait on the devices to come has prompted a question that may adversely affect my ability to use these devices.

I don't intend them initially to control anything, but be more resource intensive for weather, general questions, music, broadcast, etc. The setup instructions state that all Google Home Devices (GHD) need to be on the same network (ie, same SSID?).

I have two dual band routers connected via ethernet with one router acting as an access point. One is an Asus RT-N66U (AP) and the other is an Asus RT-AC56U. Due to the sticky client nature of mobile devices, I've chosen to use individual SSIDs for each radio in each router. That way I can manually choose the stronger radio to connect to as I move through the house. Else, my throughput drops off as the signal strength drops. (I mostly use the 5 GHz radios... which really shows the throughput loss as SS drops).

Since the GHDs will be fixed in place in each room, I can manually set them to connect to the radio with the strongest signal at their location. However, this will mean that some will be connected to router 1's 5 GHZ radio, some connected to router 2's 5 GHz radio, and others may need to connect to the 2.4 GHz radios, depending on where they end up if the 5 GHz signals are too weak.

Is this going to be a problem for the GHDs?

I tried using a single SSID and it simply doesn't work well in my house due to mobile devices not letting go of a radio until it absolutely loses the signal. That does bad things to throughput.

What other options should I consider? Or will the GHDs just not work well for me in this networking environment? I'm not ready to invest in a mesh network or in high dollar routers that can handle the sticky clients properly.

What am I missing here?

 

[monicakm]

This won't entirely (or maybe not at all) answer your question but since you don't have any replies yet, here goes...
First, I wouldn't put my GHDs on a 5GHz radio. They don't need it and the signal strength is shorter. Second, I have a wifi extender at the other end of the house from my router. Some of the GHDs are on the ext and some are not. Everything works as intended.

 

[Stevenmc8602]

No, it isn't gonna be an issue... You just won't be able to broadcast or use any of the other features that require you to be on the same network but from what it sounds like you plan to use it for it won't be an issue.

You will have to have you cell phone on whatever signal you are setting up the Google home on during set up other than that it doesn't matter unless you add a Chromecast

 

[speedlever]

Thanks for the replies. I have some more learnin' to do.

Since I have the multiple SSID issue (am I alone in that regard?), I'm considering moving to a mesh network so I can have a single SSID throughout the house. Right now we have to manually choose which radio to connect to since our mobile devices seem to hang onto the last radio it connected to until death do them part, at the loss of throughput.

I use an app called Swifi on my android which mitigates the issue and changes to the stronger wifi once the signal drops to a pre-determined limit. But I'm not aware of an app for ios devices that can do that. And this still doesn't fix the overall issue so I can have a fully functioning GH experience, for which I seem to need a single SSID network.

I know just enough about networking to be dangerous.

 

[Stevenmc8602]

Why not just get a signal booster or something... If it reaches the area but just weak the extender should boost the weak area or yeah the mesh network

 

[speedlever]

Why not just get a signal booster or something... If it reaches the area but just weak the extender should boost the weak area or yeah the mesh network

How does that solve the multiple SSID issue? With a router at one end of the house and an AP at the other end, that leaves the middle of the house fumbling between varying signal strengths of the radios from the router and AP. Same for the upstairs too.

Using a single SSID has not worked because of the sticky client issue. I don’t see how cranking down the power of the APs can help either since that would cause marginal areas with already weak signals upstairs to have further issues.

The only thing that makes sense to me is to somehow propagate a strong single SSID network throughout the house.

I can’t believe I’m the only one with the problem of dealing with sticky clients and how to force them to connect to the strongest signal without having to use multiple SSIDs and connecting manually.

 

[speedlever]

This won't entirely (or maybe not at all) answer your question but since you don't have any replies yet, here goes...
First, I wouldn't put my GHDs on a 5GHz radio. They don't need it and the signal strength is shorter. Second, I have a wifi extender at the other end of the house from my router. Some of the GHDs are on the ext and some are not. Everything works as intended.

So you can broadcast or play music on all at the same time? Keep in mind, I don’t even know what I want to do with them yet, but prefer full functionality until I know how all this works and how I’ll end up using them.

 

[Voice-Guy]

So you can broadcast or play music on all at the same time? Keep in mind, I don’t even know what I want to do with them yet, but prefer full functionality until I know how all this works and how I’ll end up using them.

I got 2 minis over the weekend and grouped them together so if I want I can play the same thing on each at the same time. Made it nice when I was cleaning to have the music playing everywhere.

 

[speedlever]

I’m currently looking at the Plume system, but the challenge in front of me is figuring out how to run an Ethernet cable between the first and second floor and keep it hidden for aesthetic purposes. Otherwise, I like what I read about Plume and how it works. That should easily solve my SSID issue.