FCC filing reveals that Google is working on a new mesh Wifi router

Despite the original product only having been released in December, a new Google Wifi already appears to be in the works. According to FCC filings that surfaced today, the general form factor and functionality is mostly unchanged.

With Google requesting confidentiality for the majority of details, documents do confirm that the device in question is a dual-band Wi-Fi router with mesh networking capabilities. Carrying model number AC-1304 (versus NLS-1304-25 for the original), the bottom label also has a help URL to g.co/wificare.

Judging from the two available images, this router might be slightly more oval-shaped than the original circle. It still features two Ethernet ports and one input for power.

Test reports mention 2.4GHz and Bluetooth 4.0 for connectivity. Android Police notes that support for the ZigBee IoT protocol is absent. While hardware for the spec shipped in both Google Wifi and OnHub, it was never enabled in software.

This FCC filing comes as rumors suggest that the next Google Home will include mesh Wi-Fi networking. If Google is combining smart speakers and connectivity together, Google will likely still sell a regular standalone router.

Given that the original Google Wifi only began shipping in December, it’s slightly surprising for a new model to already be at the certification stage.