Setting up a wireless router can become complicated and frustrating even for the more technology-inclined consumer. And once you finally get the router up and running, people often face other Wi-Fi related issues that leave them scratching their heads.
But now Google is entering the market to make setting up your Wi-Fi easy, while providing faster and more reliable connecting, along with suggestions on how to fix the connection when something goes wrong.
Google announced its OnHub on Tuesday, an app-controlled Wi-Fi router and smart-home hub it developed in partnership with TP-Link.
Retailing at $200, OnHub is Google's solution to making accessing Wi-Fi much easier. The wireless device is equipped with 13 antennas inside—an upgrade from the traditional routers that have wires and cables coming from everywhere—that makes it simpler to get a strong Wi-Fi connection throughout the home. Along with casting signals that automatically detect the best channel to broadcast to, one of the antennas measures the congestion of the network, which then allows users to distribute bandwidth between multiple devices and prioritize a specific device, so that you can make sure your Netflix binge goes as seamlessly as planned with the fastest speed.
Users manage the router via the Google On app that is available for both iOS and Android. Setting up the wireless device is easy since it uses sound to find the router and then asks the user to create a username and password, allowing them to text or email the info to the family members who may need it. No longer will you read the numbers and letters off the router or look frantically for that Post-it note that has the Wi-Fi information.
OnHub uses Bluetooth and ZigBee (802.15.4), along with Google's communication system called Weave to connect with smart home appliances, a feature Google calls "future friendly," which could later be used when the company launches more smart-home products.
The router is cylindrical in shape, resembling the Amazon Echo, and comes in black or blue. The device lights up with four different colors depending on its Wi-Fi status. When the light is green, the user can rest assured their connection is fine, and an orange light signifies that the user should launch the app to see the issue. Users can troubleshoot their connection right from the app and it will provide information on how to fix the problem.
Google's OnHub is available to preorder for $199.99 from online retailers including the Google Store and Amazon in the U.S., and will hit retail shelves in the coming weeks.
Via: Wall Street Journal
