Google unveils OnHub, a wireless router that intelligently finds the fastest connection for you

Google has just published a blog post unveiling OnHub, a wireless router it has developed in partnership with popular router manufacturer TP-LINK, which it says provides a Wi-Fi experience that’s “that’s fast, secure, and easy to use.”

The most important aspect of the OnHub router that Google highlights is a “unique antenna design and smart software” that constantly searches the airwaves in your home. This looks for the ideal frequency channel to deliver data to your devices at the fastest speeds and with the least interference. The router will adjust as needed, and users can even prioritize a specific device in the home to receive the best connection — say, for example, if you have friends over and your focus is just getting through a movie on Netflix without any hiccups. Interference with the radio waves from a wireless router can come from all sorts of things — like concrete walls or other wireless networks in your area competing for the same frequencies — and can cause slow downs or connectivity issues.

Aside from this unique deliverance method, setup and management of OnHub is also meant to be quite easy. Through the Google On mobile app you’ll be able to see in real-time how much bandwidth all the devices connected to OnHub are using (so you can kick Timmy off when he won’t stop playing League of Legends), send the password to friends, and get help setting up and managing the router when issues arise.

In what is some creative thinking, the OnHub router also has a sleek minimalist design that shuns the blinking lights of your typical router for “useful lighting” that is more utilitarian than simply pretty: Google hopes OnHub will be a beautiful enough piece of hardware that you’ll be happy with placing it somewhere at a higher elevation in your home than on the floor, where it’s harder to distribute a strong signal.

OnHub is available for pre-order for $199.99 from online retailers in the U.S. including the Google Store, and Amazon. It will be available for sale in retail stores in the U.S. and in Canada in the coming weeks.

Google’s promo video for OnHub shows a lot of people frustrated with their routers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNnfHP7VDP8