Google's Newest Office Has AI Designers Toiling In a Wi-Fi Desert (reuters.com) 85
Google's swanky new office building located on the Alphabet's Mountain View, California headquarters has been "plagued for months by inoperable, or, at best, spotty Wi-Fi," reports Reuters citing six people familiar with the matter. "Its recliner-laden collaborative workspaces do not work well for teams carting around laptops, since workers must plug into ethernet cables at their desks to get consistent internet service. Some make do by using their phones as hotspots." From the report: The company promoted the new building and surrounding campus in a 229-page glossy book highlighting its cutting-edge features, such as "Googley interiors" and "an environment where everyone has the tools they need to be successful."
But, a Google spokeswoman acknowledged, "we've had Wi-Fi connectivity issues in Bay View." She said Google "made several improvements to address the issue," and the company hoped to have a fix in coming weeks. According to one AI engineer assigned to the building, which also houses members of the advertising team, the wonky Wi-Fi has been no help for Google pushing a three day per week return-to-office mandate. "You'd think the world's leading internet company would have worked this out," he said.
Managers have encouraged workers to stroll outside or sit at the adjoining cafe where the Wi-Fi signal is stronger. Some were issued new laptops recently with more powerful Wi-Fi chips. Google has not publicly disclosed the reasons for the Wi-Fi problems, but workers say the 600,000-square-foot building's swooping, wave-like rooftop swallows broadband like the Bermuda Triangle.
But, a Google spokeswoman acknowledged, "we've had Wi-Fi connectivity issues in Bay View." She said Google "made several improvements to address the issue," and the company hoped to have a fix in coming weeks. According to one AI engineer assigned to the building, which also houses members of the advertising team, the wonky Wi-Fi has been no help for Google pushing a three day per week return-to-office mandate. "You'd think the world's leading internet company would have worked this out," he said.
Managers have encouraged workers to stroll outside or sit at the adjoining cafe where the Wi-Fi signal is stronger. Some were issued new laptops recently with more powerful Wi-Fi chips. Google has not publicly disclosed the reasons for the Wi-Fi problems, but workers say the 600,000-square-foot building's swooping, wave-like rooftop swallows broadband like the Bermuda Triangle.
SNAFU (Score:1)
This sounds familiar. My company's new office has certain rooms where the wi-fi cuts in and out. Plus our new slim Lenovo laptops don't even have ethernet ports. It makes our back-to-office mandate really demoralizing.
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If the rooms have Ethernet but no WiFi, why can't you buy a $19 router on Amazon to solve the problem?
What am I missing?
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Employees should not have to pay $20 for hardware to get a work supplied laptop working with a work supplied network.
Re: SNAFU (Score:2)
Not to mention connecting routers to the corporate network is usually a no no.
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Unless you are the person officially responsible for the network, and the router is the corporate one, and the connection is authorized, and the settings are correct, and all other procedures are followed.
Re: SNAFU (Score:2)
Sure. Not what the thread was about but sure.
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Did you just connect unauthorized networking equipment to the corporate network?! YOU'RE FIRED!
Re:SNAFU (Score:5, Informative)
What am I missing?
You clearly have never worked for any company ever. You're missing that you are not to plug unauthorised network equipment into the network (that's an insta-fire in many companies). You're missing that you shouldn't be on the hook to fix this, that's your employer's job. You're missing that this solution solves one small singular point in the office. You're missing that the configuration may not meet the requirements of your office environment (bonus points if your DNS is configured to not even allow you to access the configuration page from your corporate laptop). You're missing that most $19 amazon routers shit themselves royally when more than 5 devices connect at a time, to say nothing of the several hundred in range of it in the office.
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Re: SNAFU (Score:2)
MOST companies are not going to require any special security access to plug something into Ethernet. But MOST companies will have policies that make that a firable offense.
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MOST companies are not going to require any special security access to plug something into Ethernet. But MOST companies will have policies that make that a firable offense.
What company did you work for where they did not lock down the network so that random people can get into the intranet by plugging in a random computer. The Mac address of every company computer most likely on a white list. Guest networks are separated. When I was consulting, the security conscious companies either issued me a company laptop to use in their network and granted my laptop guest network access only OR went through a process of vetting my laptop into their network. Everyone normally preferred t
Re: SNAFU (Score:2)
I've worked at about 8 or so tech companies on SoCal over the years. One required a network engineer to turn on the port, but nothing further. One didn't have any Ethernet drops. Every other company was completely open to connect to the Ethernet.
MOST companies are not giant Fortune 500s. MOST companies are cobbled together using SaaS. They are essentially Internet native. And those companies don't need any fancy security on their networks because all their resources are secured at the app layer.
Re: SNAFU (Score:4, Interesting)
I've worked at about 8 or so tech companies on SoCal over the years. One required a network engineer to turn on the port, but nothing further. One didn't have any Ethernet drops. Every other company was completely open to connect to the Ethernet.
And that is idiocy when it comes to security. That means anyone walking in with a laptop and an Ethernet port can penetrate access the company Intranet.
MOST companies are not giant Fortune 500s. MOST companies are cobbled together using SaaS. They are essentially Internet native. And those companies don't need any fancy security on their networks because all their resources are secured at the app layer.
1) Google IS a Fortune 500 company. 2) By "fancy" security, you are saying not letting random people onto a company's Intranet is "fancy".
Re: SNAFU (Score:2)
Who cares if people are on the Intranet? That's the part you don't seem to grasp.
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Who cares if people are on the Intranet? That's the part you don't seem to grasp.
What kind of idiocy is this? You do know that the first part of hacking computers requires getting access to computers, right? If hackers cannot get onto the network, there is zero chance they can hack the computers on the network. How do you not know that about computers?
Re: SNAFU (Score:2)
You do know computers can be secured right?
You do know people work at coffee shops right?
Where are all the stories about corporations getting hacked from coffee shop workers?
Cause it's very easy to find companies that get hacked through their fancy VPN appliance and the hackers find once they're inside it's open season.
Why do you grant access to resources just because a device comes from the same network? Do you know the first thing about security?
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You do know computers can be secured right?
This is opposite to what you wrote. You wrote: " Every other company was completely open to connect to the Ethernet." COMPLETELY OPEN is not "secured".
You do know people work at coffee shops right?
And what does that have to do with leaving Ethernet ports physically located inside the company open to random people. We are talking about open ETHERNET.
Where are all the stories about corporations getting hacked from coffee shop workers?
What stories? Again what does that have to do with open ETHERNET?
Cause it's very easy to find companies that get hacked through their fancy VPN appliance and the hackers find once they're inside it's open season.
So your tangent has nothing to do with ETHERNET then. You brought up an unrelated topic because you don't understand security.
Why do you grant access to resources just because a device comes from the same network? Do you know the first thing about security?
You were the one
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> I assume you mean to go to Amazon and buy networking equipment to plug into a companyâ(TM)s network without authorization.
He means Google IT should get off their ass and acquire Google WiFi AP's and get them installed /tomorrow/ while they fix their shit.
If Amazon gets them there fastest that's fine - they are probably burning $50K per day in salary in that building.
Unless Google knows their branded gear has backdoors and this would be a terrible idea ... hmmm!
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Googles APs are not designed for a corporate environment. They would be a poor solution.
Re: SNAFU (Score:1)
Most laptops have to plug into the wall for power, use a docking station.
Oh no! (Score:5, Insightful)
"Its recliner-laden collaborative workspaces do not work well for teams carting around laptops, since workers must plug into ethernet cables at their desks to get consistent internet service.
How horrible! Imagine the nightmare of taking three seconds to plug in a network cable and have reliable, stable, fast connectivity. The nightmare these poor sods are operating under. Quick, hand over some government money to make things right.
What a bunch of whiners.
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On the bright side, fewer people doing work in the toilet stalls.
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That's no USB port.
It's a trap!
Re:Oh no! (Score:4, Funny)
When I die, I plan to have Ethernet to my coffin so I can work from home in the great beyond.
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Re:Oh no! (Score:4, Insightful)
How horrible! Imagine the nightmare of taking three seconds to plug in a network cable and have reliable, stable, fast connectivity.
I think that the point was that the fancy recliners were useless, because they probably don't have ethernet jacks like the desks do.
But IMHO, the actual reason that these lounge chairs are useless is because to get real work done, you need a couple of big monitors, a real keyboard and a real mouse. And if you're in a "collaborative workspace", a white board and a table might be a better investment than recliners.
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It depends on the nature of the work at that particular moment.
Many times I've been working on something and go to sit in a comfy chair for a while. Why? I'm considering what the next step should be.
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I could build Google recliners with Ethernet jacks for $50K each.
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How horrible! Imagine the nightmare of taking three seconds to plug in a network cable and have reliable, stable, fast connectivity.
Three seconds? Not sure what perfect utopia of an office you work at but typical normal offices have a variety of the following: ... cables, and thus cause connectivity issues if you suddenly need to take your laptop somewhere while doing something.
- Network cables which fell under a desk.
- Network cables which are damaged.
- Network cables which are
- Network cables missing.
- Meeting rooms with 1 or 2 network cables and 5 people in them.
I can't remember ever taking only 3 seconds to plug in a cable. I can ho
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This is Google. If they can't have functioning cables, they shouldn't be in business. This isn't Bob's PC repair and Butcher Shop.
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This is Google. If they can't have functioning cables, they shouldn't be in business. This isn't Bob's PC repair and Butcher Shop.
Google doesn't manufacture cables. They are however a manufacturer of wireless mesh equipment. I like your point, but you're making it in the wrong way. Google shouldn't be in business if they can't sort out ubiquitous office wifi. You've set a bizarrely low bar focusing on cables.
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I don’t mean to offend here, but what you actually don’t remember is exactly how wired business was done before WiFi came along and made building planners brain-dead regarding installing what actually provides “reliable, stable, fast connectivity”, as either your primary or backup infrastructure.
From landlords to the spoiled shit demanding to run laps while working, I can’t imagine how crippling something as simple as WiFi interference (organic or otherwise) can be for a compan
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No I remember it. But dwelling on the past doesn't solve the problems of the present. Just because my car broke down doesn't mean the solution is to buy a faster horse.
But then while you talk about the past and it's wonderful cables, you seem to actually not remember how office computers was done before WiFi came along. I do. And the answer was simple: We didn't have 500 employees in an office carrying a computer + tablet + phone around under their arms. People used to sit at desks, in cubicles, like the se
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Re: Oh no! (Score:2)
USB dongle to Ethernet.
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"reliable, stable, fast connectivity."
Until the retention clip breaks off, or the plug otherwise fails because you have exceeded the number of insertion cycles.
And THEN the sockets start failing...
Re: Oh no! (Score:2)
Imagine the nightmare of an OSHA complaint about loose cable hazards. Imagine the nightmare of replacing one laptop per week as each one gets yanked onto the floor twice a week
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"“Its recliner-laden collaborative workspaces do not work well for teams carting around laptops, since workers must plug into ethernet cables *at their desks* to get consistent internet service."
Did they Google 'Why is the Wi-Fi bad?" (Score:2)
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No. They queried Bing.
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A worthless inoperable wifi system is what you get when you hire transgenders as network engineers.
But it's against woke orthodoxy to admit they are wrong.
Add some more APs? (Score:1)
Re:Add some more APs? (Score:5, Informative)
If your phone wifi hotspot works, it's not the "swooping, wave-like rooftop."
I'm pretty sure their IT staff know exactly what's wrong but can't get approval to buy the equipment they need.
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Given the construction, my guess is that the APs' placement is poor. The ideal place would be somewhere over the canopy structure, but good luc
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I'm pretty sure their IT staff know exactly what's wrong but can't get approval to buy the equipment they need.
That seems the most likely scenario.
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That's possible, but they do have plenty of money. It's possible that there's no easy place to install new APs that wouldn't look ugly, and if they paid a fortune to make it look a certain way, the execs would probably be more pissed off at making it look ugly than connectivity issues. Remember: executives don't care if you can do work, they care if they personally lose face.
Re: Add some more APs? (Score:2)
I read about what I guess is a similar situation.
If you have an unfortunate building shape you can end up hitting the limits of what wifi can do. All it takes is a big open space with reflective surfaces, no damping, multiple layers and a lot of users ... exactly an exciting modern looking open plan office.
If all of your users are in direct line of sight to each other you're pretty screwed, they all end up "shouting" and nothing gets through.
Re: Add some more APs? (Score:2)
More APs, lower power on each AP?
Re: Add some more APs? (Score:2)
Unless the problem is RF interference from all the other APs. Then you need to start removing APs and more precisely determining where they need to go.
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Wi-Fi is for suckers (Score:3, Insightful)
Plug in the cable and get real, consistent speed.
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Wi-Fi has always been, and always will be, problematic. You would think after over 25 years the kinks would be worked out, but nope.
Possibly... (Score:4, Interesting)
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Maybe the company can't afford more APs?
Lol
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My money is on it being deliberate regardless what they (or we) are told. The AI shit they're doing is probably so valuable to foreign governments (or ours) that they've painted the whole place in wifi-absorbing paint and made signal propagation as poor as possible on purpose. Why WOULDN'T they?
Re: Amateurs (Score:2)
TLS and IPSec still make a difference, for now. The idea that WiFi sniffing would be a vector for obtaining company secrets is ludicrous. If you are worried about nation states or competitors eavesdropping on your physical location, there's a lot more to worry about with analyzing key strokes with a camera, or a directional audio antenna.
Re: Amateurs (Score:2)
I do love when an organization has nation-state level security for one entry point and then essentially anonymous open access through other entry points. But I bet they checked that box on the audit that says they're following all the best practices by using the WhizzBang crypto suite.
Re: Amateurs (Score:1)
Re: Amateurs (Score:2)
In this phrase "even" is a verb, not an adverb. It requires no other words to complete the phrase. It means something like "conceive" or "fathom" or the ability to wrap your head around something.
Re: Amateurs (Score:2)
Having done large corporate wifi, pretty hard. First you got to make sure the AP arenâ(TM)t overlapping too much as each needs a set of channels and the more people, the less AP can overlap in coverage. Then there are obstacles, walls and other floors above/below or ceilings where AP also have to be mapped and reflective signals mapped out. Then these patterns may change when doors are open or close, equipment is added, Bluetooth, building controls and other things at similar frequencies. There is soft
The horror! (Score:1)
No Wi-Fi? How can they survive? Has there ever been any group more persecuted and downtrodden than Google workers?
At my office, no transmitter of any kind is allowed, no bluetooth, no RFID tags, nothing. Wired keyboard and mice, ethernet. They open up the laptops and physically destroy the wifi card, camera, and microphone before you can bring it in. Works better that way.
extension cables? (Score:5, Funny)
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Some were issued new laptops recently with more powerful Wi-Fi chips.
This is like hearing from your local government that instead of fixing all the potholes on the roads, they’re just gonna put monster truck tires on every car instead. Problem solved.
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What brand. (Score:2)
The first comment should be “who is the manufacturer”
The second should be, other vendors “start your engines”
A fix should be provided shortly.
Re: What brand. (Score:2)
Google designs and manufactures their own network equipment in the data center. They might use their own stuff.
The Googley Priority. (Score:2)
”Googley interiors" and "an environment where everyone has the tools they need to be successful."
Oh yeah. We can REALLY tell you nailed that goal. The hell did you do, stick “Googley” eyes on every sign that said “WiFi hotspot”?
On a related note, the WFH horde thanks you for the return-to-workplace sabotage tips..
Google has bad IT? (Score:2)
This is my surprised face
Actually not a FU, its how AI research should be (Score:2)
Wired connectors in offices, labs and conference rooms are not problem. Neither are wired phones.
Pics please (Score:2)
Sounds about right (Score:2)
"Return to office, so you can collaborate in person, tethered to your desk"
Those "unconnected" rooms (Score:2)
They have been repurposed as the room where NDA terms and other negotiable items can be discussed freely.
Also this is the room where if you should decide to burn that one bridge you tell the tyrant to go f-- himself, and it will always have a Door That Can Be Slammed.
Really, every company should have one. Like a handicap parking spot