Luma Vs. Google WiFi : Which One Is Better?

The Internet is the most important part of our lives today. From official work to entertainment, we need the internet for most of the activities today. For performing all these activities, fast internet speed is also necessary. WiFi router helps you connect to the internet faster and give good internet speed than any other external connection would give.

Two of the WiFi routers that are quite common in the market are Luma and Google Wi-Fi. We tested both these WiFi routers for a week and then listed down several differences between them. We have also mentioned the similarities between both routers so that you can have a clear understanding of both these products.

Our Verdict

Both routers are good in their own ways but if we have to pick anyone between them then we would go with Google Wifi. It has a lot of features and advantages like fast speed, no interruption, etc. that Luma does not have. Although Luma also has certain features like MU-MIMO and Luma Guardian Subscription that are absent in Google WiFi other features of Google outweigh Luma in every manner. The Luma users complained about its inconsistency. The network is interrupted for 10-15 minutes in the middle of working. The most important feature we need in every WiFi is speed and it is not proper in Luma which is its major drawback. However, Luma is more budget-friendly than Google Wi-Fi. It has reduced its cost recently so that it can be easily accessible to the common people. But if you are looking for a better connection and faster speed, you must invest in Google WiFi which would anytime give better results than Luma.

Luma Vs. Google WiFi: Comparison Chart

Differences

1. Units & Range

In terms of units and range, both devices have the default range and is expandable on connecting other nodes to it.

The Luma router has 1000-1500 sq. ft. WiFi range. This range is enough for a small single-story home or apartment. If you have a larger home, you can extend this network further by adding other Luma devices to it creating a mesh network that would increase the range to 2000-3000 sq. ft. and thus would fit to  a large size home. This way you can make Luma fit to any layout.

Google Wi-Fi also provides this feature of extending the network range but here, any of the units can work as the primary WiFi router. Its first unit covers a range of 500-1500 sq. ft. which will be suitable for a small apartment. You can further extend its network range by adding the second unit (1500-3000) and the third unit (3000-4500) according to the size of your home.

2. Hardware

The hardware of Google WiFi is better than Luma and therefore, its working is more effective. Google WiFi has a stronger base that leads to a stable signal. Its processor is stronger than Luma that is Quad-core ARM CPU where each core is up to 710MHz. Whereas Luma has a comparatively weaker processor that is Quad-core 700MHz.

Stronger hardware is very important as it directly affects the functioning of your device. If your device has reliable hardware, it will last longer.

3. MU-MIMO Support

The Multiple-User Multiple In Multiple Out feature which is shortly known as MU-MIMO enables the WiFi router to have an equal amount of interaction with all the devices that are connected to it. Whenever more than one device is connected to your WiFi router, the devices compete to extract more data  and which thereby slows down the entire internet speed. With the MU-MIMO feature, the router can easily distribute the data equally to all the connected devices and thereby enhance its speed.

This feature is present in Luma but unfortunately, it is not in Google Wi-Fi. The authorities of Google WiFi claim that they do not need this feature in their router because it is already so smooth and has a high speed to work efficiently.

4. Subscription

One basic difference between both the routers is that Luma offers a subscription whereas Google WiFi has no subscription. The name of the Luma subscription is Luma Guardian. It offers protection to your WiFi network. The Privacy VPN is encrypted and saves your internet connection from outside sources. You can safely browse any information on the internet without the fear of your data getting hacked. Luma Guardian also supports anti-virus. It provides a very good anti-virus that can protect up to 3 devices. Apart from this, Subscription Guardian also gives access to Premium account and product discounts.

Google Wi-Fi, on the other hand, does not provide any subscription. In this feature, Luma has an upper hand.

5. Parental Control Feature

Both devices offer parental control over the network that your kids are using. But Google WiFi has better parental control features than Luma. With Luma, you can filter content through PG, G, PG-13, or R ratings.

PG lets you have access to Google activities like browsing data, educational or child-friendly content.

G lets you have access to the kids’ cartoon content like Nick Jr., Disney, Tiny TV, etc. PG-13 filters out all the violent and abusive content like drugs, smoking, murder, or any other violence R filters out all the adult contents from the kid’s screens like X rated videos, illegal activities, etc.

The disadvantage of Luma is that it does not let you remove the blacklisted or whitelisted contents manually. If the system misses out any website that is inappropriate or does not consider it to be inappropriate then you will be helpless of filtering it out from your child’s screen.

But with Google Wi-Fi, you do not have to face this problem. It handles parental control in a better way. It has a safe search option that can clean away millions of inappropriate content in one go. Though, you should never trust any of the systems completely and keep monitoring the activities of your child online for safer results.

Google WiFi also provides family WiFi controls with which you can limit the screen time of your children whenever you want to.

6. Design

Both WiFi routers differ in their designs. Luma router is small and in the shape of an unobtrusive hexagon. It is handy and can be placed anywhere in the room. You have to place it vertically which makes it harder to fit in some areas. Because of its vertical design, its Ethernet cables are also affected that can interrupt its functioning.

Google Wi-Fi has a white cylindrical base and has three units in total. It weighs around 0.74 pound that means it is small and handy. You can easily place this router anywhere in the room. It also has an LED indicator that encircles the circumference of the router box.

Unlike Luma, Google WiFi has no single flaw in its design. That is the reason why Google WiFi gets an edge over Luma.

7. Bridge Mode

Google WiFi offers support for Bridge Mode that is the system where you do not have to give away the older equipment. Google WiFi can easily work as an expansion to the existing WiFi network. You will not have to give away your old router box and it can continue handling your internet functions. However, you should keep in mind that this feature would only work if you use a single WiFi device. As soon as you add more units to your WiFi and create a mesh network, your primary WiFi box will stop working.

Similarities 

1. Smart Home

You can easily connect your smart hub system to any of these WiFi connections. You can create your smart home with the help of WiFi network and both these WiFi connections would solve your purpose in the best way. Both have Ethernet cables that let you plug in with any smart hub like Wink, SmartThings, ZigBee, and Z-Wave, etc.

2. Installation

The installation process of both these devices is very easy. You do not have to be tech-savvy to install these routers in your home. You can easily do it yourself with the help of the installation guide that is given along with the products.

3. Dual-Band WiFi Radios

Both Luma and Google WiFi can work on a dual-band system. They can receive and transmit data on different frequencies that makes their speed faster and more efficient. When there is more than one band involved, there is less congestion and the internet is transmitted easily to all the connected devices. Both devices can run on 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.

Features And Technical Specifications Of Luma

• Has the parental control facility
• It has a simple set-up to create a mesh network
• Size – 4.6″ * 4.6″ * 1.2″
• It has 802.11 ac/Dual Band
• Number of antennas is 4 and they are not removable
• Ports are Two 1 Gbps LAN, USB 2.0 on each device
• Range is 65 feet
• Its WiFi chip is Qualcomm IPQ 4018
• Memory is 256 MB
• Storage is 128 MB
• Peak 802.11 ac performance is 94.6Mbps
• Its processor is Quad-core 700MHz

Features And Technical Specifications of Google WiFi

• It has a simple set-up and installation is easy
• Wireless connectivity is IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, AC 1200 2*2 Wave 2 WiFi
• Bluetooth smart ready
• Ports are 2 * Gigabit Ethernet ports per Wifi point (each has 1WAN and 1LAN port)
• Its size – 4.1″ * 2.7″
• Weight is 0.74 pound each
• Memory is 512MB
• Storage is 4GB eMM flash
• Processor- Quad-core 710 MHz ARM CPU
• It has Beamforming facility- Implicit and Explicit that is for 2.4 & 5 GHz bands

Accessories Along With The Products

There are some additional accessories present in the market for both these WiFi routers. These accessories would make the functioning of your device better and more efficient and would add to your convenience.

With Lu,a router, the best add-on would be the Luma Guardian Subscription. It would provide you with more additional features like Premium support and product discounts. It would also add extra protection to your internet connection. Getting this subscription would only cost you a few dollars per month and in return, you will get so many perks that it will be worth buying.

In the case of Google WiFi, the add-ons can be the mounting devices that would help you to install the router easily. Some of the mounting devices available in the market are Wall mount/Ceiling mount, Google Router Mounting Bracket, and Google WiFi Wall Outlet Mount.

FAQ’s

Bottom Line

Buy your WiFi connection after doing proper research about the router. We have mentioned all possible differences and similarities between both the products match them to your need before choosing any one. if you don’t like Google Wifi check out the difference between Luma and Eero

Google Wi-Fi is a clear winner but if you are looking for a budget-friendly option Luma would also do a good job. If you wanna see more about Luma you should also check out, how Luma and Orbi are different.