Google OnHub Shells Introduced To Customise Your Router

This past summer Google launched the $200 OnHub router in partnership with hardware makers TP-LINK and Asus; a light was seen at the end of the wireless tunnel. Google nixed the antennas traditionally found on routers and made the device cylindrical.

Designers of the range of OnHub covers include Bower, a Brookyln studio that produces contemporary furniture; James DeVito, an interactive lighting and electronics artist; and Brook&Lyn, an LA-based husband-and-wife team that create objects, furniture and interiors that are inspired by fashion and culture. Google’s aim was to promote the idea that having your router in sight will provide better internet connectivity.

Apart from giving a nice touch to your home, the new designs also have a practical use: if you don’t hide the Internet router anymore, you will surely have a stronger WiFi connection.

Fruit bowl, slinky or fur?

The coverings are made from a variety of materials, including hand-blown iridescent glass, papier-mâché and 3D-printed thermoplastic. Sound off on your favorite design offered by Google.

These routers are created to complement your home decorations, the one from TP-LINK is available in two colors, blue and black, and now, Google is introducing three new interchangeable shells to make it look even less like a piece of technology. Google has named this the OnHub Makers Project. The Mountain View company is calling them shells, and they’re available in both bamboo and plastic. Whether you’re using a laser cutter or simple finger paints, download the Maker Packet for 3D files, 2D patterns, and useful guidelines.

For starters, Google is selling its own Shells for OnHub in the Google Store, with prices ranging from $29 to $39 a pop, including one with a (presumably faux) wood finish.