[HN Gopher] Google to end support for OnHub routers in 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ Google to end support for OnHub routers in 2022 Author : sahaj Score : 44 points Date : 2021-12-20 22:16 UTC (44 minutes ago) (HTM) web link (support.google.com) (TXT) w3m dump (support.google.com) | jeffbee wrote: | Abstractly bogus, but on a rational analysis my TP-Link OnHub has | already lasted wayyyyyyy longer than any other access point I've | ever owned. Its predecessor, an ASUS RT-N66U, lasted barely two | years. | qmarchi wrote: | In case anyone wants it, here's how to root a TP-Link OnHub. | They're essentially glorified chromebooks, with some magic sauce | on them. | | https://www.exploitee.rs/index.php/Rooting_The_Google_OnHub | | Dis: Googler, not near Nest/Home | CaliforniaKarl wrote: | > Since OnHub routers were introduced 6 years ago... | | I'm curious, does anyone know when the product stopped being | sold? | mnd999 wrote: | Amazon still has them on sale. Google still promotes them - | https://on.google.com/hub/?main=retail | makerofspoons wrote: | How scummy, not even a banner saying that support is ending. | pvarangot wrote: | It's worse than that, this ones haven't even had security | patches for a while. | andybak wrote: | Let's all buy one and join a class action. | Spivak wrote: | You can still buy the TP-Link one new on Amazon | | https://www.amazon.com/Google-WiFi-Router-TP-Link-Managed/dp... | akaij wrote: | I think it was 2018, because that's when I was looking for a | way to install OpenWRT on it. | bochoh wrote: | I could see them doing this if they hadn't already migrated the | OnHub devices to the new google home app that controls the new | Nest WiFi devices. It's not like the control plane is going away | here - the hard work of migrating to their new cloud has already | been done. | lgleason wrote: | It is stuff like this, where they take perfectly usable hardware | and turn it into a paperweight that exposes the hypocrisy of any | of their pro environment/green talk. The right thing to do would | be to give us the option of uploading firmware that allows us to | update settings etc. after that date like is done with older | routers. | quaintdev wrote: | On their search page they mention that they have been carbon | neutral since 2007. | | I had like to ask them what about the millions of perfectly | usable phones that had to be ditched because of Android and the | vendor lock ins. | 14 wrote: | Carbon neutral is not the same as filling the landfill with | plastic and electronic waste. Just because they use solar | power for energy has little to do with other environmental | impacts. | bragr wrote: | The answer is carbon offsets | | Whether carbon offsets actually work is another issue though | wtallis wrote: | "End support" as used in the headline apparently means turning | off various cloud and smartphone dependent features, which I | think includes basically all management features. Software | updates (including security patches) are already stopped, so any | remaining users should plan to migrate to either new hardware or | an alternative OS sooner rather than later. | intricatedetail wrote: | When a company stops supporting the product, should they release | source code so community can support it? If it turns out the | product is unsafe through unfixed security holes should you be | able to get a refund? | [deleted] | jeffbee wrote: | Maybe.. OnHub has a command-and-control network in the cloud, | with which you interact using the Home (formerly: Wifi) app on | your mobile. I guess they are ending support for OnHub control | protocols in the cloud. So you'd need to replace the software | in the router such that it could be controlled some other way. | ms7m wrote: | > You won't be able to update things like Wi-Fi network settings, | add additional Wifi devices, or run speed tests. | | Wow, I'm not familiar if users are forced to use the Google Home | app, but that seems a bit drastic to stop users from even | changing the most basic settings? | matt_heimer wrote: | The dedicated apps are being discontinued across the board. I | have Google mesh Wifi system and get told that "Your network | was migrated to the Home app" when launching the Google Wifi | app. You can continue and it still works so far. You can also | use the Google Home app now if you want to manage your wifi | settings with a worse UX. | | Edit: Being forced to use an app is not new. If you visit your | routers ip address you get a single page that links to the app | for the app stores. Funny enough it still links to the Google | Wifi app and not the Google Home app. | akaij wrote: | > I'm not familiar if users are forced to use the Google Home | app | | Yup. | | On a related note: I haven't been able to find a way to root it | for OpenWRT. Does anyone know of any resource, other than the | OpenWRT website, that could be helpful? | aagha wrote: | Seems some work is happening on this: | | https://openwrt.org/inbox/toh/google/google_wifi | akaij wrote: | If I'm reading correctly, that page is for the newer | "Google WiFi" products, which are different. | tandr wrote: | Oh Google... People do not care when it was introduced - people | care for support from the time when the last one got sold! | jeffbee wrote: | The TP-Link OnHub is still for sale on Newegg right now. I | don't see how Google can control the behavior of retailers of | 3rd-party hardware. | tandr wrote: | They still advertise it on their own website | https://on.google.com/hub/?main=retail , so they expect it to | be still selling. | wtallis wrote: | > I don't see how Google can control the behavior of | retailers of 3rd-party hardware. | | That hardware bears trademarks that Google controls, so it's | not purely a third-party product. Google may not be able to | prevent retailers from selling off their remaining stock, but | they should at least be able to prevent the manufacturers | from sending any more to retailers, and inform retailers that | the products are discontinued. | jeffbee wrote: | TP-Link EOL'd this thing many years ago. | ClumsyPilot wrote: | How come smaller companies like Zyxel and Asus have solved | this problem decades ago? Maybe because they support their | hardware for years after they stopped producing? | | Why do you feel the need to make up excuses for billion | dollar company with increadible amount of resources, | pretwnding they can't solve a trivial problem? | ay wrote: | And that is why the very first thing every new WiFi router in my | household gets is a fresh installation of OpenWRT in place of | whatever vendor software it has. | | And I look at compatibility matrix before buying it. | | This strategy has worked very well. I upgrade on _my_ terms. | eloop wrote: | And they expect people to buy hardware from them in the future? | [deleted] | aagha wrote: | What utter BS! | | > "After that, your router will still work, but it will not | receive any new software features or security updates, and | performance cannot be guaranteed. You will not be able to use any | Google Home app features to do things like update network | settings, add devices, or run speed tests. And Google Assistant | commands like "Hey Google, pause my Wi-Fi" will also not be | available." [0] | | It'll work, but you won't be able to control it in any way! | | 0 - From the email I received telling me support was ending ___________________________________________________________________ (page generated 2021-12-20 23:00 UTC)