Chat GPT

 
I tried to use chat GPT to help improve my writing for this blog.  I prompted it "please help expand the following blog post about setting up google nest wifi pro.", and fed it my last post about  setting up my new router.  

It seemed to expound on what I had written and even added some helpful specific steps on how to restrict a devices from being able to access the internet. The only problem is the specifics it wrote are incorrect. The menus listed aren't accurate and the process is nowhere near as straight forward. The options are located under a feature named "Family Wifi" and requires you to setup a group or schedule for when internet is allowed for the device. 

This shows how Chat GTP is good at expanding text writing reasonable sounding paragraphs that might fool someone unfamiliar with the technology or terminology. It can not be trusted to provide technical information or to provide factual information in its responses. It is a language model/chat bot, not an AI like people often imply it is. 

"Setting up Google Nest Wifi Pro is a straightforward process. First, unbox the unit and plug it in. You'll need to download the Google Home app to your smartphone or tablet to get started. The app will guide you through the setup process step-by-step, including the creation of a Google account if you don't already have one.

Once you've created an account and the app has found your Nest Wifi Pro unit, follow the instructions to create your Wi-Fi network. You can choose a network name and password, and customize other settings like guest access and network prioritization.

As the Nest Wifi Pro only supports a single SSID for both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks, you won't be able to replicate your previous network. However, you can still segment your network to isolate your IoT devices by using the group functionality. This allows you to group your devices and control their access to the internet.

To add devices to a group, open the Google Home app, select the device you want to group, and choose "Group" from the menu. You can then add the device to an existing group or create a new one. Once you've created a group, you can control the internet access for all devices in that group.

To disable internet access to a device, open the Google Home app and select the device you want to restrict. Choose "Device settings" and then "Wi-Fi." Toggle the "Allow internet access" switch to off. This will prevent the device from accessing the internet, but it will still be able to communicate with other devices on your local network.

If you have any issues with your Nest Wifi Pro, you can contact Google support for assistance. They have a comprehensive support website and a dedicated support team that can help you with any problems you may encounter.

In summary, setting up Google Nest Wifi Pro is a simple process. Although it only supports a single SSID for both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks, you can use the group functionality to segment your network and control internet access for your IoT devices. If you encounter any issues, Google support is available to help you troubleshoot and resolve any problems."

Google Pro Wifi

 

Last week my internet stopped working. It stopped routing traffic and allowing access to its configuration page. Even after removing all other devices and attempting to factory reset it, it still failed to function other than the DHCP server still functioning.

I purchased the Nest Wifi Pro as a replacement as it was one of two mesh network options that supported WIFI 6 that I could purchase locally. It didn't hurt that it would fit in with my existing google phone and google home smart speakers.

 

My previous router was setup with separate SSIDs for the 2.4ghz and 5ghz networks and made use of both the primary network and guest network for various devices as I had intended to eventually segment my network to isolate the various IOT devices from my personal system and servers. I was disappointed to find out that I couldn't replicate my previous network as the Nest Wifi only supports a single SSID for both frequencies.

 

Since I had to re-provision almost all of my Wifi IOT devices, I decided to add all of them to the main network and make use of the group functionality to completely cut the internet access to most of the IOT devices, as true to the minimal documentation, telling the Nest Wifi to disable internet access to a device still allows local communication on the LAN. The only devices that still have internet access are my MyQ garage door opener gateway and my solar inverter.

 

Oddly my network switch also seems to have died at the same time. It was still technically functioning, but any device connected to it was getting assigned an IP but not resolving DNS requests. Luckily, I have a spare switch that I was able to start using as soon as I noticed the issue, but now I have to go through the annoying task of swapping that hardware. At least it will give me an opportunity to properly cable manage everything. Various hardware changes and replacements over the last couple years have left that a mess.