Yeah, yeah, we all know that stuff is annoying but more often than not it’s the connection to the outside world that is the problem.
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Google has launched a Wi-Fi router, the latest move in the company’s efforts to get ready for the connected home and draw more users to its services.
The OnHub has yet to be released but promises something dramatically different to the usual home router box: power and usability. It will also come with a mobile app called Google On, which is compatible with the iPhone and Android devices. It wants to have a stake in every stage of your Internet access, and your home network is one of the few remaining holes in the chain. Remember when Google had its knuckles rapped for eavesdropping on home Wi-Fi routers whilst patrolling neighborhoods for StreetView?
And in an era where reports of router vulnerabilities are becoming as common as weather updates, the OnHub is outfitted with a Trusted Platform Module – a component more typically found on computers marketed to the enterprise.
An interesting feature of OnHub is that it supports Bluetooth and Weave, which is the search giant’s new smart home language.
Of course, Google has not mentioned any of this in its blog post, concentrating more on the aesthetics of the device, its simplicity to set up and operate and its reliability.
TP-Link is Google’s collaborator in making OnHub.
Future plans for OnHub include the design of new OnHub devices with other hardware partners, including Asus.
Router manufacturers have made great strides when it comes to building faster and more powerful routers, but they’re still struggling to make these essential devices easy to install and maintain. It’s created to be out in the open, where it works its best.
CNN Money reveals that users can set-up the router with a new simple app called Google-On, which works on iPhones and Android phones.
From a form standpoint, the cylindrical router features all-internal wiring with neither cords nor lights on the exterior, both of which the Google design team considered eyesores. The home router even lets users prioritise which device gets the fastest connection speed. Google aimed to make a better looking device so it can be displayed out.
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In 2010, Google acknowledged that company cars taking photos for its digital maps also had been intercepting emails, passwords and other sensitive information sent over unprotected Wi-Fi networks. Preorders of the router began on Tuesday through Wal-Mart, Amazon and the Google Store.
