Google OnHub Announced & Reviewed

[remixedcat]

Even tho they are constantly struggling with their 7260/7265 drivers?

Since I switched to a new laptop that has a 7265AC, I've been having a lot of problems connecting to the 5 GHz band, with both the RT-AC87U and the new router I've been testing recently. So I know it's not the RT-AC87U''s Quantenna chipset's fault. I'm forced to disable beamforming and use a lower band channel. I also have to disable the throughput booster option they added with their 17.x driver, or else my upstream plummets to 1-5 Mbits out of a 760+ Mbps link.

I'm increasingly wondering if Broadcom, Qualcomm, Quantenna or Intel know what they are doing, or are at least even trying to talk to one another to ensure their stuff works properly in mixed environments.

Most people I know that have those they gloat about how stable they are... Are you on windows 10?

 

[System Error Message]

The intel wifi NICs have a minor flaw in which they are unable to connect to wifi after your computer has been woken up from sleep until you disable and reenable the adapter otherwise it is stable. This shows that some features do not play well with intel NICs other than for normal use.

 

[RMerlin]

Most people I know that have those they gloat about how stable they are... Are you on windows 10?

Currently Win10, but it doesn't matter - back when the 7260 was released, the Intel support forums were filled with people having issues with Win7/Win8.1, and it took several driver releases before it managed to become stable.

 

[RMerlin]

The intel wifi NICs have a minor flaw in which they are unable to connect to wifi after your computer has been woken up from sleep until you disable and reenable the adapter otherwise it is stable. This shows that some features do not play well with intel NICs other than for normal use.

That's another hit-or-miss thing. I have no problem with sleep mode here with my 7265, but I have a customer who did.

 

[L&LD]

I have the AC7260 adaptor and Windows 10 and it is rock steady. Best client I have used for throughput and responsiveness for a range of routers from the RT-N66U (mine) to customers AC1200 to AC3200 routers (most of them Asus models running RMerlin firmware, latest).

 

[RMerlin]

I have the AC7260 adaptor and Windows 10 and it is rock steady. Best client I have used for throughput and responsiveness for a range of routers from the RT-N66U (mine) to customers AC1200 to AC3200 routers (most of them Asus models running RMerlin firmware, latest).

The 7260 was rock stable in my Asus K53E under Win10. Can't say the same with the 7265 in my Yoga 15 however, I have to tweak a lot of settings both on the router and in the Device Manager to get it to work properly. This is with a newer driver however (18.1, vs whatever Win10 was using in the Asus, probably 17.x), so it's either a 7265-specific issue, or the 18.x driver that's seriously bugged.

 

[L&LD]

The 7260 was rock stable in my Asus K53E under Win10. Can't say the same with the 7265 in my Yoga 15 however, I have to tweak a lot of settings both on the router and in the Device Manager to get it to work properly. This is with a newer driver however (18.1, vs whatever Win10 was using in the Asus, probably 17.x), so it's either a 7265-specific issue, or the 18.x driver that's seriously bugged.

The AC7265 is a different chip though.

I don't have access to the AC enabled laptop right now, but I'm pretty sure it is also in the 18.x driver series (I let WU find the latest for the wireless and for the Bluetooth too).

 

[RMerlin]

The AC7265 is a different chip though.

I don't have access to the AC enabled laptop right now, but I'm pretty sure it is also in the 18.x driver series (I let WU find the latest for the wireless and for the Bluetooth too).

To connect reliably, the 7265 required me to switch channel from 157 to 36 (it would randomly fail to connect on that higher band), disable beamforming, disable the throughput booster (otherwise sending a file from my laptop to my NAS would drop to 1-3 Mbps, until the SMB connection flat out errored out). However after doing all these tweaks, I managed to transfer a file at 50 MB/s while sitting about 2 feet away from a router - that was pretty impressive I must admit.

But back to the original topic, Intel does have its share of issues. They are sadly just as bad as BCM/QTN/etc...

So far I don't see much negative feedback about Qualcomm chips I must admit (such as what this OnHub uses). It might be interesting to gather more feedback on QLC in general to see if they do have a more solid wifi implementation than the rest, or it's just that their market share is too small compared to BCM to provide meaningful sample data.

 

[sfx2000]

iFixit has completed and published their teardown of the Google On-Hub router...

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/OnHub+Teardown/48129

enjoy

 

[thiggins]

iFixit has completed and published their teardown of the Google On-Hub router...

Nicer pictures. But SNB readers already had all that info except for the cutesy commentary.

And BTW, the case does NOT come apart easily. My sample, at least, was glued together. I dinked a teeny tiny chip capacitor while prying it open and killed the Ethernet ports.

 

[Andrew911tt]

When is the follow up coming out?

Thanks

 

[thiggins]

When is the follow up coming out?

Not until end of this month. Google is waiting for their first update release, which is end of October.

 

[RadarJammer]

The OnHub is a Chromebook without a display and has now even been rooted as such:

http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/1...s-out-to-be-a-chromebook-in-routers-clothing/

https://blog.exploitee.rs/2015/gaining-root-on-the-google-onhub/

 

[RMerlin]

The OnHub is a Chromebook without a display and has now even been rooted as such:

http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/1...s-out-to-be-a-chromebook-in-routers-clothing/

https://blog.exploitee.rs/2015/gaining-root-on-the-google-onhub/

So much for people who misunderstood the "based on Gentoo" as being "It runs Gentoo".

 

[Andrew911tt]

Not until end of this month. Google is waiting for their first update release, which is end of October.

Thanks for the update. Can you give a preview if its a lot better then before?

 

[thiggins]

ASUS version announced. Software update is still "in the coming weeks".

 

[RamGuy]

New version already. What gives? Doesn't sound like there will be any difference between the models besides this "wave" feature which seems rather pointless. Same AC-1900 specifications, same completely locked-down and in-accessible software/firmware, seems like the same "unique" antenna array/design.

Only reason for bringing this one out would be in order to push for higher throughput (AC2400) or go with Broadcom X-Stream "Tri-Band" technology (AC3200 / AC5200) but it doesn't seem like either is the case? Otherwise they could try to aim for a lower price point, but as you point out this one seems to become 20-dollars more expensive compared to the previous model.

Perhaps Google figured they got so popular that they need to separate the production between TP-Link and Asus? But I guess it's too early for that to be happening this fast after the release of the original / first gen OneHub as Google and Asus couldn't possibly have gotten this model out of the door already if it was due to high demand on the first one.

 

[pege63]

http://www.nordichardware.se/Spel/asus-goer-egen-onhub-router-efter-misslyckad-tp-link-version.html you can translate it to English i ur browser

 

[RMerlin]

New version already. What gives? Doesn't sound like there will be any difference between the models besides this "wave" feature which seems rather pointless. Same AC-1900 specifications, same completely locked-down and in-accessible software/firmware, seems like the same "unique" antenna array/design.

Only reason for bringing this one out would be in order to push for higher throughput (AC2400) or go with Broadcom X-Stream "Tri-Band" technology (AC3200 / AC5200) but it doesn't seem like either is the case? Otherwise they could try to aim for a lower price point, but as you point out this one seems to become 20-dollars more expensive compared to the previous model.

Perhaps Google figured they got so popular that they need to separate the production between TP-Link and Asus? But I guess it's too early for that to be happening this fast after the release of the original / first gen OneHub as Google and Asus couldn't possibly have gotten this model out of the door already if it was due to high demand on the first one.

It's not a surprise. Right when Google announced the TP-Link model, they already announced that other partners were also developing more devices, with Asus being mentioned as being one of them. So it was expected, they just didn't have any target release date at the time, nor any technical details to share.

Google is trying to build a new ecosystem/platform here, more than they are trying to push out a router. The ultimate goal is probably to have 4-5 different manufacturers providing similar products, each with their own variations in terms of quality, performance or unique features, while retaining the same core of having support for wifi and various connected home protocols.

 

[flamaest]

Why does it feel like these onhub routers will be in the BestBuy bargain bin in 6 months..? Why would anyone pay more for less 'real' features? 2 cents...