Google Announces The OnHub WiFi Router
by Brandon Chester on August 18, 2015 1:40 PM EST
Today Google announced that they are moving into the WiFi router market. The new router is produced through a partnership with TP-Link and it's called OnHub. Google is marketing OnHub as a router that is simple to setup, effortless to maintain, and highly reliable. Much like Apple's AirPort Extreme, the OnHub is a very tall router in order to integrate internal antennas, and it is managed via an app for your iOS or Android device. The mobile app will also allow you to see which devices are using bandwidth, and to apply QoS rules to limit devices from using too much. During setup it will automatically select the best channel for minimal interference, and can adjust on its own as necessary. Software updates are also automatically downloaded and applied, which makes it essentially self maintaining as long as Google's promise of reliable connectivity is met.
As far as specifications go, OnHub is marketed as an AC 1900 router which really says it's a 3x3 802.11ac router that which has a data rate of 1300Mbps on an 802.11ac link and 600Mbps on an 802.11n link. In addition to being a dead simple WiFi router, OnHub also comes with support for the major protocols which will be used by home automation devices, including Bluetooth Smart, Google Brillo/Weave, and IEEE 802.15.4. The OnHub router is available for preorder now from various retailers in the US, and both the blue and black versions cost $199
Source: Official Google Blog
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Scabies - Tuesday, August 18, 2015 - link
Oh, hey, Google FiShadow7037932 - Tuesday, August 18, 2015 - link
Will it support DD-WRT? If not, no way would I buy that.Billy Tallis - Tuesday, August 18, 2015 - link
It's running an OS based on Chrome OS. There are some bootloader differences that will have to be worked out, but aside from that the hardware is standard Qualcomm-Atheros stuff that OpenWRT and DDWRT have supported for years.BMNify - Tuesday, August 18, 2015 - link
Not going to buy a WiFi router from an Advertising company, Google should sell these for $0 as they will earn money from all the data mining and profiling.cfenton - Tuesday, August 18, 2015 - link
I like the idea of a simple router, but the price is way to high for people who want a simple router. People who don't understand how to go through a five minute set-up process through a web-browser aren't going to spend $200 on a router. They're going to buy the $50 router that gets them on the internet just as well.The home automation support is interesting, but hardly a mainstream feature.
webdoctors - Wednesday, August 19, 2015 - link
I had the exact same thoughts, how would I explain to my mom this router is worth $200! That's crazy. For a power user like myself, I won't care what it's running, I'll just wipe it and put DDWRT or anything else for that matter.wolf5963 - Wednesday, August 19, 2015 - link
To the Techies who have responded with "people who don't know about computers will buy a $50 router" You are making a very obvious mistake. GOOGLE is an ADVERTISING GIANT. So take 200 million people a day who know very little about pc's and show them something simple. Bam. Sold.PrinceGaz - Wednesday, August 19, 2015 - link
I think a better choice would be one of the similar wifi-speed Asus routers, like the RT-AC68U. The Asus routers offer tons of options out the box, and are fully supported by DD-WRT.steven75 - Wednesday, August 19, 2015 - link
So if I buy a $200 AC router from Apple/Netgear/ASUS and have a defective unit I can swap it same day at the store I bought it from. Home internet outage is a rather serious problem these days considering working at home, streaming for all entertainment, etc.What am I supposed to do if that happens with this one?
Visual - Thursday, August 20, 2015 - link
Would it have killed them to add a few more LAN ports and make it a real router?Anyway, what I am actually curious is the OS and programs it will run and what can OpenWRT et al "borrow" from it. Maybe finally an NTFS driver with adequate performance for a change? Can't wait for it to get rooted.