Jordan O'BrienWithout the Internet, Google would not make as much money as it does – after all much of its revenue comes from advertising in its search engine.
Now, Google is hoping that its expertise in all things Internet can help solve common problems people face with routers.
Consumers often find routers confusing, which is why when setting up a network to connect with all their smart gadgets, they often enlist the help of installers.
Google is hoping that it can make it simpler for everyone involved however, and its solution is the OnHub.
OnHub is a $199.99 (£130) WiFi router that is supposedly both easy to set up and troubleshoot.
All interaction with the OnHub is done via an App available for iOS and Android, which will tell users how many devices are connected to the router and what kind of speeds they should be expecting.
Design-wise, the OnHub looks similar to Amazon’s Echo ‘smart’ Bluetooth speaker, although that’s pretty much where the similarities end.
While Amazon’s Echo is designed to play music, give answers to simple questions and control a user’s home, OnHub is solely focused on ensuring a strong WiFi signal.
Google says that the router’s circular design should allow it to have better penetration throughout a home.
TP-Link, the company partnering with Google to launch OnHub, has built 13 antennas inside the device itself; six dedicated to a 2.4GHz channel and six dedicated to 5GHz. The last antenna is designed to sense any congestion on the network.
The router will automatically detect the best channel to broadcast on and includes support for 802.11ac and 5GHz WiFi.
While these features are not unique to the OnHub, Google’s focus is on simplicity – although it comes at the expense of certain features such as port forwarding.
That is not to say OnHub won’t get that feature in the future; Google is already promising software updates for the router – which will happen automatically in the background.
While WiFi is the key focus for the OnHub, there’s also support for more networking protocols – including Google’s new smart home language, Weave.
Bluetooth Low-Energy is also supported.
While TP-Link is partnering with Google on the OnHub, Wired claims that a second router is being developed by Asus.
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