Google Partners With TP-Link To Launch $199 OnHub Smart Wi-Fi Router
Google wants to solve your wireless woes with a new router that's designed for ease-of-use and ongoing upgrades without the fuss. Called OnHub, the spiffy looking router is the result of a joint effort between Google and TP-Link, the latter of which is plenty experienced in the realm of routers, extenders, and home networking in general.
OnHub sports a cylindrical design that's aesthetically pleasing enough to place in the living room or other central location in your home. There are no external antennas sticking out of the thing or blinking LEDs. Google isn't being vain here; the focus on physical design is to encourage users to place the router in plain sight where it can perform it's best.
Despite the unassuming look, there are 13 antennas inside the OnHub, with the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands getting six each, plus a congestion-sensing antenna to make a baker's dozen. They're arranged in a circular pattern to ensure reliable coverage throughout your home
OnHub is an 802.11ac router powered by a 1.4GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of DDR3L memory. It also has 4GB of eMMC flash and 8MB of NOR flash, a USB 3.0 port, built-in 3W speaker, WPA2-PSK security, Bluetooth 4.0, and 802.15.4 conformance. It supports speeds of up 1,900Mbps.
Of course, Google isn't flaunting the above specs, and instead is focusing on OnHub's usability and support for smart devices, both today and tomorrow through Bluetooth Smart Ready, 802.15.4, and Weave protocols. And whether it's adding features or beefing up security, updates are downloaded and installed automatically without interruptions to your connection.
As for setup, OnHub communicates with a mobile app that "speaks human," meaning there's little to no technical jargon. However, that ease-of-use and everything else comes at a price -- OnHub runs $199.
You can pre-order OnHub today in blue or black and it will ship in the coming weeks. Alternately, Google will announce another model later this year, one that's being built in partnership with Asus.
OnHub sports a cylindrical design that's aesthetically pleasing enough to place in the living room or other central location in your home. There are no external antennas sticking out of the thing or blinking LEDs. Google isn't being vain here; the focus on physical design is to encourage users to place the router in plain sight where it can perform it's best.
Despite the unassuming look, there are 13 antennas inside the OnHub, with the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands getting six each, plus a congestion-sensing antenna to make a baker's dozen. They're arranged in a circular pattern to ensure reliable coverage throughout your home
OnHub is an 802.11ac router powered by a 1.4GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of DDR3L memory. It also has 4GB of eMMC flash and 8MB of NOR flash, a USB 3.0 port, built-in 3W speaker, WPA2-PSK security, Bluetooth 4.0, and 802.15.4 conformance. It supports speeds of up 1,900Mbps.
Of course, Google isn't flaunting the above specs, and instead is focusing on OnHub's usability and support for smart devices, both today and tomorrow through Bluetooth Smart Ready, 802.15.4, and Weave protocols. And whether it's adding features or beefing up security, updates are downloaded and installed automatically without interruptions to your connection.
As for setup, OnHub communicates with a mobile app that "speaks human," meaning there's little to no technical jargon. However, that ease-of-use and everything else comes at a price -- OnHub runs $199.
You can pre-order OnHub today in blue or black and it will ship in the coming weeks. Alternately, Google will announce another model later this year, one that's being built in partnership with Asus.
