Google's new $220 OnHub lets you boost your Wi-Fi signal with the wave of a hand

Two months after releasing the first OnHub router using TP-Link hardware, Google today announced the new OnHub it created with the help from Asus.

According to Google, the new Asus OnHub is essentially the same as the one made by TP-Link. This is a dual-band AC1900 Wi-Fi router with the top speed on the 5GHz band of up to 1,300Mbps and on the 2.4GHz band, up to 600Mbps. It also has just one Gigabit LAN port and one USB 3.0. The new router also has built-in Bluetooth and supports the Home Automation wireless standard, though these functions are not activated at launch.

Designwise, the Asus OnHub has the same cylindrical shape as the TP-Link OnHub, but now with a base that's wider than the top. You will also need a live Internet connection and an Android or iOS portable device to set it up and manage it, using the Google On app.

Google says with the Asus OnHub, it introduces a new feature called Wave Control, which "lets you boost the Wi-Fi speed for a particular device by simply waving your hand over the top of the ASUS OnHub." It's unclear how the router knows which device to boost its signal to when there are multiple devices in the same direction, however. One thing is clear; the new Asus OnHub is not cheap, costing $219.99, double that of many AC1900 routers.

Google says, together with the availability of the Asus OnHub, it will release the first firmware update for its OnHub router in the coming week. One of the improvements will be a new feature called Smart Antenna that enable the OnHub to "intelligently select the best combination of antennas to send Wi-Fi to your devices, based on their location and orientation" to deliver faster and more reliable Wi-Fi."

Shopping for a faster internet speed?

We’ll send you the fastest internet options, so you don’t have to find them.

 

The new Asus OnHub is avaiable for preorder now and will ship sometime in November. Check back then for its full review.