When hosting friends, family, or clients, it is always a good practice to provide Wi-Fi access. However, giving out your primary Wi-Fi password exposes your smart home devices, NAS drives, and personal computers to anyone on the network. If you use a Google Nest WiFi or Google WiFi system, the best security practice is to create an isolated Guest Network.
A Guest Network broadcasts a completely separate Wi-Fi name (SSID) and password. Visitors can access the internet at full speed, but they are blocked from seeing or communicating with your private devices.
How to Create a Guest Network in the Google Home App
Google has migrated all Wi-Fi management tools away from the standalone Google WiFi app and directly into the central Google Home application.
- Open the Google Home app on your smartphone or tablet.
- Tap the Wi-Fi icon located near the top of the main screen.
- Scroll down to the “Network” section and tap Guest Network.
- Tap Set up Guest Network.
- Enter a name for your guest network. (Many people simply add “-Guest” to their existing network name).
- Create a strong, memorable password for your guests to use.
- Tap Save in the top right corner.
The Google Nest routers will take a few moments to provision the new network. Once complete, the guest network will be visible to any scanning device.
How to Share Specific Devices with Guests
By default, the guest network is completely isolated. However, you might want your guests to be able to cast a video to your living room TV or print a document.
- Return to the Wi-Fi section of the Google Home app and tap Guest Network.
- Tap the Settings (Gear icon) in the top right corner.
- Tap on Shared devices.
- You will see a list of all devices connected to your primary network. Select the specific devices (like a Chromecast, smart TV, or Wi-Fi printer) that you want guests to access.
- Tap Update to save the changes.