Google introduces ASUS-made OnHub, pre-orders begin this week

It’s clear that Google wants you out and interacting with your router in ways we haven’t seen, and waving your hand in front of it to make your Internet more robust is a good example of that.

Other features include a tri-color LED for lighting at the base, a proximity sensor (for Wave Control), a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 4GB of eMMC flash storage.

Like the first router, the new OnHub comes with faster Wi-Fi, easy set-up, and simple management via the Google On app.

OnHub solves this with an app, which allows you to do things like monitor who’s connected to the network, diagnose potential problems, and prioritize connectivity to one device or another. The router will also be able to select the best antennas to send Wi-Fi over depending on the location of the devices it’s connected to; that feature will also be rolling out to the original OnHub, which is made by TP-Link. A router you can have a meaningful physical interaction with is just another reason not to hide it away somewhere that prevents it from doing its job well. That particular router was developed in collaboration with TP-Link and it’s not going to be the only model in the OnHub lineup. Like its predecessor, it’s a an array of 13 high performance Wi-Fi antennas, arranged in a cylinder. Whereas the previous OnHub looked a little like a combination between a Bluetooth speaker and a Muji-designed trashcan, Asus’s OnHub has more of an organic, hourglass shape which seems more sculptural and vase-like.

Google has introduced a new model of its OnHub line to the masses. But it’s also about letting different companies play and adapt with the OnHub’s form factor.

The new OnHub is now available only in the United States and you can pre-order it if you are ready to shed $219.99. It’s now only available in the United States (the TP-LINK OnHub is available in both the USA and Canada). The more you hide a router from view, the worse your WiFi signal is.