March 9, 2024: Router

October, 2023

Google Fiber: "Hey, your router is near the end of its lifecycle. Click here and we'll send you a new one."

Me: "Sure, no problem." *clicks*

Six days later: 

Google Fiber box: "Your new router is inside! Don't worry, you've got this!"

Me: "..."

Me: "Okay so I *wasn't* worried until you told me not to worry."

Me: "I'm gonna have to resync every device in my home with the new router aren't I"

Me: "Including the clock that uses the wi-fi to recover the time after a power outage and to update itself for DST changes."

Me: *panics*

Me: *opens box, which has three smaller boxes inside*

Me: *shoves them all into a corner and forgets about them*

Next day:

Google Fiber: "So! How did your installation go?"

Me: "Bold of you to assume I have even tried yet."

November, 2023:

Google Fiber new router boxes: *exist*

Me: "Okay well I can't deal with you now. It's Nanowrimo! It can keep until December."

January, 2024

Google Fiber new router boxes: *still exist*

Me: "Oh huh I should probably install those."

February, 2024

Me: "I'm gonna have to make this a monthly goal to actually get this set up, aren't I?"

March, 2024

Me: "Lut, remind me to install the new router tomorrow."

Lut: "Okay, but what's the rush?"

Me: "Because I am obviously never going to do it unless I commit to doing it on a specific day."

Next day:

Me: *remembers that I'm supposed to install the new router*

Me: "..."

Me: *nopes out*

Five days later

Lut: "Oh hey remember you wanted to install the new router."

Me: "..."

Me: "argh FINE."

Me: *digs out boxes, unboxes, goes through instructions*

Instructions: "You should use the app!"

Me: *installs app, having changed literally nothing about existing set up yet*

App: "You're all set up! Fiber's working great."

Me: "...I get the impression this system was designed for people getting a router for the first time and not for people replacing an existing router."

Me: *goes through the printed instructions instead, which also assume you don't currently have a router*

Me: *unplugs everything from old router, plugs everything back into new router*

New router: *just works*

Existing wi-fi and ethernet-connected devices: *also just work*

Me: "..."

Me: "look it took me five months to get up the nerve to do this and it's very nice of you to all go smoothly and require zero fiddling but also this is super-anticlimactic and you're making me look ridiculous."

Mesh extender that I wasn't expecting but Google included in the box to be nice I guess: "uh, I can be a little glitchy for you?"

Me: "THANK YOU."

The completely optional mesh extender took a few tries to get synced and I haven't tested to see if it's actually doing anything yet. It'd be nice if it worked because the wi-fi signal when I'm using my phone in bed has always been a little weak. But not weak enough for me to get an extender on my own, so if it doesn't work I'm probably just gonna continue to live with "kinda weak but generally functional signal."

I took Google's self-install survey but it didn't have a place for me to say:

(a) you should have separate "replace" vs "first-time-install" directions because they're not the same

(b) for "replace", to the "you got this!" messaging you should add "you won't have to change any of your existing wi-fi set up/passwords/etc REALLY IT'S VERY QUICK AND SIMPLE."

c_c

Anyway at least that's done now. And I didn't even need to make it a monthly goal!