Advertisement

Google rolls out 2Gbps fiber service in Huntsville and Nashville

All the speed you need for $100 a month.

After launching a beta program just months ago, Google Fiber has announced that its 2 Gbps “2 Gig” tier is now widely available in Nashville and Huntsville. The plan costs $100 a month, compared to $70 for the 1 Gbps, and includes a WiFi 6 Multi-Gig Router, tri-band Mesh Extender and professional installation.

Google Fiber said 2 Gig is “ready for power users, the latest devices, and advanced smart homes that use lots of internet.” The company said you can download a typical 4K film in just 1.2 minutes, or a 10GB game in 42.2 seconds. Even a heavy game like the 150GB Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 will only take about 11 minutes. Keep in mind that uploads only operate at 1Gbps, however.

Google Fiber 2 Gbps
Google

Google notes that you won’t be waiting around for “massive system updates,” and it’ll also be ideal for smart homes, video conferencing and work-from-home. The router is mainly designed to let multiple people share the extra speed. However, if you want all the gigs to yourself, the router supports 4x4 MU-MIMO WiFi 6 speeds at 2.4GHz and 5GHz, which can handle a 2 Gbps connection — but your laptop or smartphone likely can’t. The Mesh extender also supports 4x4 MU-MIMO speeds but only at 5GHz. It also has two 1 Gbps ethernet ports.

The Multi-Gig router has one 10G Ethernet port, though Google hasn’t specified yet whether that’s a copper RJ45 or optical SFP+ connection. If it’s the latter, you’ll need a bunch of other hardware to connect your computer at 2 Gbps speeds. And again, few if any PCs support those speeds natively, so you’ll likely need an adapter. If a mere 1 Gbps is good enough, however, it also has a 4-port autosensing 10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet LAN switch. Other connections include an FXS POTS phone port and a USB 3.0 master port.

When will other communities see these speeds? Google Fiber currently has services in 19 cities and plans launch 2 Gig in “most” of them by early next year.

This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission.