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Google's OnHub routers are getting a smart new guest network feature

Google's OnHub routers are getting a smart new guest network feature

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When Google launched its line of OnHub routers last year, the message above all else was simplicity. Simple to set up, simple to use, simple to troubleshoot. That laser-focus on simplification didn't come without consequences: the OnHub routers are stripped of many of the features that other, similarly priced and specced routers offer. This week, OnHub is getting a proper guest network mode, which is perhaps something that should have been there from the start.

Control exactly what your guests can useThe new guest mode, which is available via the updated OnHub iOS and Android apps and a firmware update for the router itself, lets OnHub owners create new networks specifically for guests, complete with a different name and password than the primary Wi-Fi network. That's all pretty standard, but Google's goes a bit further and lets owners customize exactly which devices are accessible on the guest network. Want visitors to access the Chromecast in your living room, but not the wireless speakers in your bedroom? You can configure the guest network to do just that. Guests can access the approved devices by visiting On.Here on their smartphones or laptops when connected to the new guest network.

Google OnHub guest network

Other new features in the OnHub app include the ability to rename connected devices for easier identification. The updated Android app is available now and the firmware updates to the router and iOS app should be available this week.