Today Google have released their first Wifi Router for homes, the Google OnHub, designed to improve internet speed and guide the future of Wifi connectivity.
The cylinder-shaped router, named OnHub, comes with 13 in-built antennas that scan the airwaves to find the fastest connection available.
OnHub allows users to prioritise a device so that they can get the fastest internet speeds possible for data-heavy activities such as streaming movies.
Based on the specifications, the OnHub certainly has what it takes to make a good home router. It supports 802.11ac, the latest and greatest type of wi-fi communication tech. It’s an AC1900 router, which means it supports wireless communications of up to 1,900Mbits/sec, with 600Mbits/sec supplied across the 2.4GHz spectrum and the remaining 1,300Mbits/sec delivered over 5GHz.
Google have said that the OnHub will automatically update itself when new features arrive and the latest security is upgraded.
The OnHub comes days after Google’s announcement of their new parent company ‘Alphabet’. Alphabet is the parent company that will house Google and its subsidiary companies. It looks as though household devices will come under the Alphabet company.
Last year Google purchased Nest, a smart thermostat maker, in hopes to lead the way with how household devices link to each other and electricity grids.
It is expected that the global market for “Internet of Things”, the concept of connecting household devices to the Internet, will nearly triple to US$1.7 trillion by 2020. The OnHub appears to be Google’s attempt at being industry leaders in this movement. The OnHub has been created with the technology to connect to household products when they eventually come equipped with Wifi.
For more information on the specifications of the OnHub, see CRN’s report.
At this stage it has not been confirmed when Google’s OnHub will be for sale in Australia, but it is currently retailing for $199 in the US.
