A new hardware rumour coming out of the Android community this morning brings the promise of even more Google hardware to be launched at their October 5th hardware extravaganza. Today’s rumour from Android Police, is a home mesh network WiFi router that will contain ‘smart features’ and boasts increased WiFi range. Oh no, you say, mesh WiFi devices like the Eero are about $500 AUD that’s too much, well it looks like the Google WiFI will retail for $129 USD which shouldn’t be much more than $250 AUD after taxes and local costs.
For those who don’t know what a mesh WiFI network is, it is basically a way of allowing multiple WiFi devices to all broadcast the same WiFi name from different locations around your home. Simply put a device in a couple of corners of your house and all of a sudden you have high-quality WiFi all over your house. There’s a catch with the price, however, unlike other Mesh WiFI devices you will apparently only get one Google WiFI in the box, so if yo want a Mesh Network you’re back up into the $500 AUD range.
Seriously is Google trying to bankrupt me or cause a divorce with all of this hardware? So what does this mean for the OnHub? Well, we’re guessing it may just slip into obscurity and become on of those failed hardware platforms you don’t hear much about.
What will it look like? Initial reports are describing it as a small white puck style device which would let it blend into your home decor. We, in fact, wonder if it may even fit under your Google Home device as a kind of plinth or some kind of home transformer!
The big question is will it come to Australia? And unfortunately, the answer is we just don’t know. Google is inconsistent with their product launches, at best, and with the OnHub never making it to our shores officially that’s a strike against it.
However, with Google clearly going hard after the hardware market, and with Rick Osterloh heading up a large hardware division within Google, they just may pat attention to markets outside of the USA. Additionally, if Google WiFi is intended to complement Google Home and provide a reliable network for it to operate over the perhaps we will indeed see it?
What would you pay for a Mesh network WiFi router from Google? Let us know below.
“…a way of allowing multiple WiFi devices to all broadcast the same WiFi name from different locations around your home…”. But isn’t that already really simple to do? I have a cheap D-Link wifi router that plugs into a power socket set up with the same SSID as the main router and it works great. What does Mesh do differently?
Going to guess its way to feature poor like the onhub is to even consider it.