Review: Google OnHub Wi-Fi Router

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

A useful feature is the ability to choose and prioritize one device in your network for up to four hours. If I am uploading video (or downloading files from a cloud backup), I can prioritize the machine I am using over the other devices on the network. 

Wi-Fi routers are the least sexy devices consumers have to deal with. They’re usually designed to be well out of view (ugly), have arcane set-up and maintenance requirements, and are rarely brought out (unless something goes wrong and they need to be reset).

Google’s OnHub purposely defies all the aspects of a router. It is designed to be kept in the open and even shown off as a piece of functional furniture. It requires very little set-up and almost no maintenance. Inherently easy to use with an iOS or Android enabled smartphone that runs through the setup in a number of minutes.

Unboxing the OnHub is similar to unboxing a cool new appliance. TP-Link, who is making the router for Google, has done a great job in packaging the OnHub to look and feel like a lifestyle accessory rather than a piece of networking equipment.

Setting up the OnHUb is quite easy. Plug it into your router and plug in the included power adaptor and you can manage everything using the app.

The OnHub itself is devoid of buttons and switches, simply plugging it in wakes it up and a reassuring orange glow appears on the device’s circular surface. You also get a loud alert coming from a speaker on top.

Once the initial installation is complete, you can whip out the OnHub app and do various things. You can view and monitor how many devices that are connected to your hub.

You can also enable a network check that serves to give specific download and update speeds (which helps assess if you’re getting the right bandwidth that your provider promises). 

A useful feature is the ability to choose and prioritize one device in your network for up to four hours.

If I am uploading video (or downloading files from a cloud backup), I can prioritize the machine I am using over the other devices on the network.

This quickly ensures that you can shape your internet access via Wi-Fi to specific devices at a specific time.

OnHub also manages and optimizes speed and access depending on what is available, if your device can handle higher speeds, then OnHub will ensure it is getting the fastest transfers.

OnHub gives you Wi-Fi at a speed of up to 1900 Mbps by supporting both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies, which means faster Wi-Fi overall.

After using the OnHub router for a week, which replaced a more powerful although glitch prosumer tri-band router, I found that my connections were generally faster, optimized to specific devices and trouble free.

Users could get on the network faster and without the usual errors plus I didn’t ever have to restart my Internet modem, Wi-Fi router or Internet to get it to work properly.

OnHub also promises future connectivity with possible Internet of Things devices, which makes sense given it seems to have a faster processor, and more storage and RAM than competing Wi-Fi routers.

That said, despite the convenience, great industrial design and smooth software and hardware integration, OnHub’s pricing is going to be an issue for users who a) aren’t invested in Google’s ecosystem and b) who might just want a reliable Wi-Fi router that can give users the fastest performance.

Another limitation is the lack of Ethernet ports for connecting to printers or other devices that may not have Wi-Fi as a connectivity option.

I like that the OnHub router works great and offers trouble-free installation and monitoring. Past routers I used required setup via a webpage and a complicated step-by-step process. OnHub makes everything work through a sleek Material Design inspired app on your mobile device. Updating the OnHub happens in the background and ensures that users are running the latest firmware and features. Google promises to update OnHub's features and capabilities periodically.

If you need an easy to use router for all your devices at home or at your home office and don't need to connect PCs and Printers via Ethernet, Google's CAD $279 OnHub may be worth looking into, specially if you're leaning towards controlling various smart appliances and Internet of Things devices in the future.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5