Ubiquiti - UniFi U7 Pro (5-pack)

Yes get that unifi pack makes sense. I’d probably get a unifi  router too to get access to all the features.

Unifi is great. Complete control over your whole network.

LOL if you have concerns about Google / Amazon, you may not be feeling much better w/ TP-Link (China). If you have an ethernet cable between the two, as you mentioned you do, I would go with a very simple Ubiquiti setup. 1. Unifi Express 7 ~ plug this in as your "main" node. 2. Some Ubiquiti WiFi7 Access Point ~ plug this in via ethernet + PoE injector. This setup should roughly cost $350, and you'll be on Ubiquiti, which is arguably the best platform out there.

I don't know why availability would be an issue. All the items are in stock. This is what you would need for a "complete" setup. 1. https://store.ui.com/us/en/products/ux7 -- That's your main unit. They are just as plug-and-play as most consumer routers these days. 2. https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/all-wifi/products/u7-pro-wall -- Ubiquiti has a LOT of access points. I'm not sure what your ethernet cable terminates. If it terminates into a wall plate, then you may want one of the nice wall mounted ones. If it terminates in the ceiling or in a cabinet, then maybe you choose a different one. 3. https://store.ui.com/us/en/category/accessories-poe-power/collections/pro-store-poe-and-power-adapters/products/u-poe-plus -- That's the PoE injector for your second access point. To your questions... Configuration and management: Honestly if you're even slightly network savvy, it's so much cleaner and nicer than the other systems. The Asus / TP-Link stuff is now either typically locked in an app or has a crappy web UI with infrequent updates. Google WiFi is fine. I have it for my parents, but you don't get much control. At least it "just works" most of the time. Range: In my experience, much more than the Google WiFi Nest Pro. Similar to you, I installed that at my parents' house. I upgraded them from the previous Google WiFi system, and I found the range got a bit worse, but if you're in range, the speeds are much better. PoE Injector -- Most Ubiquiti stuff is powered by what's called "power over ethernet." It atually sends a DC current over the cable. It provides both power and data to the access point. For homes / businesses that require multiple access points, it's so convenient to just drop an ethernet line where you want to add the access point, versus needing a separate power source. Most mid-range or high-end Ubiquiti stuff has ethernet ports that are already "PoE enabled." With the device I recommended to you, the ethernet port there doesn't have PoE, so you need an "injector" which takes wall power and sends it through the ethernet line. An alternative device is the Dream Router 7. https://store.ui.com/us/en/products/udr7 -- One of the ethernet ports on this device is a PoE port, so in this case, you wouldn't need the injector. BTW - I agree it's awkwardly hard to tell if wired backhaul is working w/ the Google Home app. As I mentioned, I have it set up for my parents w/ 3 nodes, all wired, and I find it so frustrating how NOT intuitive it is. Like, they really hide the visibility of it. That being said, it DOES pretty much "just work" for my parents. You said you "added" the Nest Pro. Google doesn't allow you to run mixed mode. I'm assuming you have swapped both old units out for the newer Nest Pro, right?

I’m using Unifi APs with that same Firewalla model, and they work great.

No issues at all, wired backhaul. 2 U7 XGS, 2 U7 Pro Wall, and 1 U7 Pro Outdoor.

I have 1gbps fiber, I use UniFi hardware. There’s lots of choices in what to get. My setup: UniFi Cloud Gateway Ultra, UniFi USW Ultra 60W, UniFi U7 Pro Wall. 3 story house with a U7 on every floor sending out 2,4/5/6ghz bands. Average speed I get on my iPhone 17 pro max is between 800 and 900 mbps.

Not wired. But I have wireless mesh with another U7 PRO and U7 Long Range. Works great

switch to unifi from google mesh. Much happier

I'll say the following: 1. If your main router/wifi has "2.4GHz quality issues", why not consider replacing that with something that works right? Seems silly to have physically separate equipment and access points for 2.4GHz/IOT. 2. Wifi "range extenders" suck. Especially if you're planning on using 5GHz for the backhaul. 3. Bear in mind that even with the "most solid" 2.4GHz wifi, it's common for cheap IOT home devices to just be flaky and crappy. You will not eliminate 100% of that behavior even with the best wifi. 4. Others are recommending Ubiquiti, and I have a full Ubiquiti system at home as well, but keep in mind that Ubiquiti makes dozens of different access point models - some are KNOWN to have issues with 2.4GHz IOT devices. For example the U7 Pro. So you can't just go to Unifi and "buy the best" and expect that to be rock solid either. You'll have to do your research. But if you go with Ubi, one nice thing is you can have your main wifi SSID on all bands (2.4/5/6GHz), and additionally have your IOT SSID broadcasting from all the APs as well, but only on 2.4GHz if you choose. And as others have said, you can apply network rules such as not allowing devices on that SSID to connect out to the network if you want.

Yeah it’s mostly the U7 series I heard that there were issues with. Personally I didn’t have the issue with my U7 Pro but I also run nanoHDs which my 2.4ghz devices were connecting to for all I know. Also I know for a fact I had trouble with some WiFi HomeKit accessories not connecting to a mixed-frequency network. I think it was eufy or Meross only had 2.4ghz radios and would time out and fail to add unless I switched to a 2.4ghz-only network. So in my case I have a 2.4ghz hidden SSID for iot devices. I assume it was trying to connect to the same exact network as my phone which was connected to 5ghz. This could have been fixed with a HomeKit upgrade maybe?

I recently upgraded my APs to ubiquity U7 pro, I can really recommend an UniFi setup

Yep I'll second the U7 Pro. I actually only have one as it covers my 1800sq ft split level great.

U7 Pro works great

For 1200sqft a single UniFi U7 Pro AP would be enough… unless his walls are made of lead or foot thick CMUs with extensive rebar. I’d stick with a tri-band(2.4G/5G/6G) radio and you can now set them up on your phone. No other equipment needed.