If dealing or handling routers is not your cup of tea, the new Google OnHub router has got you covered. The $200 device hit the shelves on August 31st, promising to solve humankind’s problems with router blinking lights and unattractive cords.
What makes the Google OnHub router so special? First of all, it’s quite a sight for sore eyes. You definitely won’t be throwing this in a corner, hiding it in a drawer or sticking a brown paper bag on top of it.
Secondly, it’s easy to set up. That means you won’t waste hours on the phone with customer support to get help for installing it and answering questions like “Is your device plugged in?”.
The first tests all seem to sing Google OnHub’s praises. Compared to an Apple router, the Google OnHub was faster by six megabites per second and performed better on long distance tests, from three rooms away.
The cylindrical device comes with a swappable shell in black and blue, with Google pinkie promising there will be other colors in the future.
Google OnHub doesn’t light up like a Christmas tree and it only blinks when it wants to tell you something. You can also adjust the brightness so it doesn’t ruin your mojo.
You can setup the Google OnHub only through a mobile app, iOs or Android. The steps are easy to follow. The same app shows you how many devices are currently using the network and it also keeps you in the loop with how much data each of them is eating up. You can prioritize the devices if you have a God complex.
The nifty app of the Google OnHub also allows you to share your network with guests (instead of passing around a stained piece of paper) and it will also help you pinpoint any issues, suggesting ideas for fixing them. You can also manage the router remotely, which comes in handy if your parents were born in the 50s.
Google OnHub is made by TP-LINK, a third party networking hardware maker. Other companies are bound to design and start selling their own versions of the OnHub, like the Taiwanese company ASUS.
The router has some other aces up its sleeve, in the form of unactivated features. The Google OnHub will have Bluetooth and ZigBee low power wireless which will probably be activated at a later date by an automatic update.
Excited to get your hands on the Google OnHub? Personally, I’m more excited to see if this router will turn into a hub for all the devices in my house.
