TECH

Google OnHub reaches the end of its lifecycle

If you're still using a Google OnHub router, Google wants you to know you're reaching the end of the line. According to Android Police, the company is emailing OnHub owners to let them know that support for the router ends December 19, 2022. The router will still function at a basic level after that date, but the advanced services and router configuration will no longer be available through Google Apps, and you will no longer receive security updates.

In the email sent to OnHub users, Google also offers 40% discounts on Nest Wifi hardware for those who want to replace OnHub with another Google router.

OnHub has always been a little weird in Google's hardware lineup; it was released with mediocre performance and was never very flexible or configurable, and was replaced by Google Wifi (now Nest Wifi) just a year after release. OnHub's first adapters could always integrate the older router into your modern Google or Nest Wifi setups like a router or satellite, but that functionality will presumably disappear when Google ends support a year from now.

The fact that Google takes an old, perfectly functioning router and turns off much of its functionality is one of the drawbacks of networking hardware that requires you to sign up for an account or use an app to administer it. While most advanced mesh routers are moving in this direction, offerings from Asus, Netgear, Linksys and others at least maintain some sort of web admin interface so you can continue to handle basic configuration tasks if those companies discontinue support or cease to exist. Mesh systems like Google's Nest and Amazon's Eero offer simple setup, affordable prices, and an overall ease of use that these more advanced products can't always match, but the downside is that your router manufacturer may decide that It's time for you to get a new router, whether you're having problems with the old one or not.

mundophone