Google announced Tuesday that it is making a Wi-Fi router called OnHub, which is designed to alleviate the typical frustrations of buggy routers.
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Google’s latest foray into the wireless routers segment is reminiscent of how the company gate crashed into Wi-Fi networks in homes and businesses around the world for more than two years beginning in 2008. The hub will initially be available in the US and Canada, but we’d expect it to launch in the UK, Europe, and other territories as well.
The device supports 2.4 and 5GHz Wi-Fi with some pretty beefy specs, including a dual-core, 1.4GHz Qualcomm Atheros IPQ8064 with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of storage.
Google is pledging not to use OnHub to monitor a user’s Internet activity. “Many of us keep our router on the floor and out of sight, where it doesn’t work as well”, Trond Wuellner, Group Product Manager writes.
Google claims that “The Google On app guides you through an easy-to-follow setup, so you’ll be online in minutes”. It says, however, that the router will not track you across the web, or collect any information on your web-viewing habits.
It doesn’t look like the OnHub name will be exclusive to Google. It can be managed with the Google On mobile app that also works on Apple’s iPhone as well as devices running on Google’s Android software.
Google’s On app controls the OnHub, and it’s supposed to be easy to use-you get a visualization of connected devices, easy setup, and bandwidth monitoring and prioritization tools, even if you’re not at home. “Consider also that Amazon is working to place its Echo device in users’ homes with the same purpose – to allow Amazon services to be easily consumed”. OnHub searches the airwaves and automatically selects the best channel for the fastest connection, according to the blog post.
Some people may be concerned about Google, an ad-reliant business that is known for tracking people, getting a peek at everything accessed over WiFi.
Google said OnHub automatically updates with new features and the latest security upgrades, just like the company’s Android OS and Chrome browser.
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Although Google insisted it hadn’t broken any laws, it paid $7 million in 2013 to settle allegations of illegal eavesdropping in the U.S. made by 38 states and the District of Columbia. Google promises the OnHub orders will start shipping in the next few weeks.
