At Google’s event today, the internet giant has revealed their latest entry into the Wi-Fi market, aptly named Google Wifi. It’s fair to say that the past year has seen some significant advancements in the router market, including Google’s own unique OnHub router lineup which was announced last year, though these were manufactured by other companies. Google Wifi, on the other hand, is made in-house by Google itself.
Although the new router may be similar to Google’s OnHub lineup – and Google even confirms that it builds upon this series – there is one significant difference between the two. With Google Wifi, customers can link up more than one router together in order to create a larger, more reliable network in order to avoid and dead zones or slower speeds in certain areas due to the distance. Other than this feature, Google has developed and improved a number of Wi-Fi related technologies that it claims will help connected devices select the nearest access point with more ease. Also, the router supports beamforming technology, Bluetooth Smart, and the company claims it will handle all channel management and routing on its own without the need for external input. In addition to this, owners, namely parents, will be able to switch off access to other users, such as kids, and manage the network as a whole through the accompanying app, which should be similar to the OnHub app.
Design wise, the routers offer a very clean and simplistic design, with the overall shape being that of two very thick cylindrical disks sitting on top of each other, along with a thin LED light strip in between them which glows and can change color. As is the case with a number of competing Wi-Fi routers, Google will be selling Google Wifi on its own or in a pack of three. A single unit of the new product will set customers back $129 while a pack of three units will cost $299, with both options being available at the Google Store, Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart. Regarding the availability of the product, the router goes up for pre-order in November, with shipments to customers beginning in early December.