When Google relaunched its mesh Wi-Fi solution under the Nest brand name, some were wary. However, the Nest Wi-Fi mesh kit is not only a great whole house solution for Wi-Fi connectivity, but also a Google Home smart speaker. That's why it was named the best router available for purchase for the first time in the Tom's Guide Award.

Every extension of the Nest Wi-Fi system has a microphone for listening and a speaker that responds and plays music, making every extension a full-fledged Google Home speaker with Google Assistant voice interaction. Not only does it connect all your devices, but it boasts all the smart home compatibility Google has to offer, so you can control everything from smart TVs to security cameras and smart lights by talking to your router. Having all of these smart features in the same device and tying them all together is one of the smartest things we've seen.

Combine this functionality with attractive design, and suddenly the question of where to hide an ugly router extension disappears, and we have elegant looking, highly functional devices throughout our homes that we use every day.

It is also one of the best mesh Wi-Fi systems I have ever seen. A basic two-router pack with one router and one extension can cover 3,800 square feet, and a three-router pack can cover up to 5,400 square feet. The system supports up to 32 extensions, with a smart speaker-enabled unit in each room, providing category-leading performance in large homes and multi-story upper and lower floors.

Setup takes only minutes and uses the Nest Wi-Fi app, which gives users the freedom to control guest network access, parental controls, and smart home connectivity via the app or voice commands to the smart speaker.

The intelligent networking of mesh Wi-Fi, the very simple setup and management provided by Google's Nest Wi-Fi app, and the intuitive voice conversation interaction of one of the best smart assistants combine to make a compelling product, it all adds up to make Nest Wi-Fi one of the best products of the year.