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From [1] Get started Welcome! To set up your OnHub, you’ll also need: Google account Android or iOS device Broadband connection Google account? Th

From [1] Get started Welcome! To set up your OnHub, you’ll also need: Google account Android or iOS device Broadband connection Google account? That seems like an unnecessary requirement for a router. [1] https://on.google.com/hub/support/#get-started https://on.google.com/hub/support/#get-started

dafrankenstein2 11y ago
haha..u got it right!!
Spooky23 11y ago
Sounds a lot like the Meraki model. Makes sense... I'm sure one of the top consumer issues is losing router credentials.
- scott_karana 11y ago
  > losing router credentials I suspect 95% of people do not change the default credentials, which are stickered or engraved on their routers.
  - nadams 11y ago
    > default credentials, which are stickered or engraved on their routers. Which having a seemingly random admin and wifi password with WPA pre-configured is better than no password. I remember a story where an individual connected to an open AP, scanned the network, found a windows network share with everyone read access, that had NES roms and their tax returns. The sad part, and still is true today, you couldn't help them without admitting that you committed a crime (a felony I believe).
    - raldi 11y ago
      Sure you could -- just drop off a file someplace visible.
      - DaFranker 11y ago
        > read access
        raldi 11y ago
        If you have their tax returns, you can mail them a letter, or often even phone or email them.
      - nadams 11y ago
        That would require committing a crime (in the US at least). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_piggybacking#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_piggybacking#Unite... This is too funny - why would you admit, to a cop, what you are doing??? You just say you are sitting in your car enjoying a nice day - and it wouldn't be a lie because technically you are. It just so happens you are doing other things as well. > He had been accessing the Internet through a nonprofit agency's network from a car parked nearby and chatted with the police officer about it. If you are thinking "but surely the legal system should understand this concept, right?" > "I had a feeling a law was being broken, but I didn't know exactly what" Or how about the library who didn't mind a patron was using their wireless system - but the police still wanted to press charges: > The library director said that Tanner had not broken any rules, and local citizens criticized police for their actions. From one of the news articles: > The police officer confiscated Tanner's laptop in order to inspect what he may have been downloading, That is a big NO. If a police officer ripped my laptop from my hands - I guarantee it would be a decision we would both regret.
        raldi 11y ago
        I think you meant to attach this reply to some other comment.
        nadams 11y ago
        No - you said drop off a file somewhere. Connecting to their open AP is a crime in itself. I was trying to point out that the legal system has no idea how to deal with the legalities of accessing APs. Of course, they would have prove I had a malicious intent (assuming they could track me down).
  - smackfu 11y ago
    And honestly that probably greatly improved home wifi security.
- azernik 11y ago
  Yup - my first thought too. I used to work there, and one eternal subject of lunch-table conversation was how interesting it would be to make consumer routers with the same ease of management... but how the consumer market is such a hellhole to work in because margins are so low and consumers are more sensitive to price than to management complexity in their purchasing decisions. A good brand like Google's can get around that, though.
tdkl 11y ago
How can they link all collected data then ? Could be worse - a G+ account.
- jayfk 11y ago
  Yay, more wifi data. Android wasn't enough ;) http://www.businessinsider.com/google-collecting-wi-fi-passwords-2013-9?IR=T http://www.businessinsider.com/google-collecting-wi-fi-passw...
- jevgeni 11y ago
  A Google Wave account.
  - drdeca 11y ago
    Do you mean because they aren't available, or because of something about wave? When I tried it after hearing it would shut down soon, it seemed neat.
    - mintplant 11y ago
      Yeah, Wave was a great tool for remote collaboration/project management. There's the Apache Wave bundle you can self-host, but it's not as simple as just linking someone to wave.google.com.
    - jevgeni 11y ago
      I was just being snarky. A router requiring you to have a Google account seems needlessly complicated. We could crank it up a notch and allow only the users of an esoteric and obsolete messaging system use it. Wave was a cool idea, though. But refusing to integrate it with e-mail under the assumption everybody will stop using it was a tad optimistic.
endtime 11y ago
(Disclaimer: I work for the same former-division-of-Google-and-now-Alphabet-subsidiary that built this, though I don't work on OnHub.) I think you need an account for cloud-based configuration, credential sharing, etc. Maybe it's not for everyone, but I think it makes sense as a product. I highly doubt they added a Google account requirement to improve ad targeting.
- foobarqux 11y ago
  What division is that?
  - Shooti 11y ago
    Fiber was part of "Access and Energy" led by Craig Barratt. Has a spot on their super out of date management page: https://www.google.co.uk/about/company/facts/management/ https://www.google.co.uk/about/company/facts/management/
- chm 11y ago
  I highly doubt they added a Google account requirement to improve ad targeting. You might be right but it's really hard for me to agree with you. It could be optional, but it appears not to be.
  - skj 11y ago
    I believe the post was not disputing the existence of the requirement, but the idea that it was to improve ad targeting.
    - chm 11y ago
      I understand, and I still think an ad company has every interest to improve its ad targeting. What is so controversial about that?
- andresmanz 11y ago
  Thanks, but shouldn't these features be optional? I still don't get why I need a Google Account.
RexRollman 11y ago
It's computer fascism and people are stupid enough to sign up for it.
- 9872 11y ago
  The fact that you can decide to sign up for it or not means it's not fascistic at all.
TD-Linux 11y ago
Not only that, why do I need an Android or iOS device? Are we too hip for web configuration pages now?

dafrankenstein2 11y ago

haha..u got it right!!

Spooky23 11y ago

Sounds a lot like the Meraki model. Makes sense... I'm sure one of the top consumer issues is losing router credentials.

scott_karana 11y ago
> losing router credentials I suspect 95% of people do not change the default credentials, which are stickered or engraved on their routers.
- nadams 11y ago
  > default credentials, which are stickered or engraved on their routers. Which having a seemingly random admin and wifi password with WPA pre-configured is better than no password. I remember a story where an individual connected to an open AP, scanned the network, found a windows network share with everyone read access, that had NES roms and their tax returns. The sad part, and still is true today, you couldn't help them without admitting that you committed a crime (a felony I believe).
  - raldi 11y ago
    Sure you could -- just drop off a file someplace visible.
    - DaFranker 11y ago
      > read access
      - raldi 11y ago
        If you have their tax returns, you can mail them a letter, or often even phone or email them.
    - nadams 11y ago
      That would require committing a crime (in the US at least). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_piggybacking#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_piggybacking#Unite... This is too funny - why would you admit, to a cop, what you are doing??? You just say you are sitting in your car enjoying a nice day - and it wouldn't be a lie because technically you are. It just so happens you are doing other things as well. > He had been accessing the Internet through a nonprofit agency's network from a car parked nearby and chatted with the police officer about it. If you are thinking "but surely the legal system should understand this concept, right?" > "I had a feeling a law was being broken, but I didn't know exactly what" Or how about the library who didn't mind a patron was using their wireless system - but the police still wanted to press charges: > The library director said that Tanner had not broken any rules, and local citizens criticized police for their actions. From one of the news articles: > The police officer confiscated Tanner's laptop in order to inspect what he may have been downloading, That is a big NO. If a police officer ripped my laptop from my hands - I guarantee it would be a decision we would both regret.
      - raldi 11y ago
        I think you meant to attach this reply to some other comment.
        nadams 11y ago
        No - you said drop off a file somewhere. Connecting to their open AP is a crime in itself. I was trying to point out that the legal system has no idea how to deal with the legalities of accessing APs. Of course, they would have prove I had a malicious intent (assuming they could track me down).
- smackfu 11y ago
  And honestly that probably greatly improved home wifi security.
azernik 11y ago
Yup - my first thought too. I used to work there, and one eternal subject of lunch-table conversation was how interesting it would be to make consumer routers with the same ease of management... but how the consumer market is such a hellhole to work in because margins are so low and consumers are more sensitive to price than to management complexity in their purchasing decisions. A good brand like Google's can get around that, though.

tdkl 11y ago

How can they link all collected data then ? Could be worse - a G+ account.

jayfk 11y ago
Yay, more wifi data. Android wasn't enough ;) http://www.businessinsider.com/google-collecting-wi-fi-passwords-2013-9?IR=T http://www.businessinsider.com/google-collecting-wi-fi-passw...
jevgeni 11y ago
A Google Wave account.
- drdeca 11y ago
  Do you mean because they aren't available, or because of something about wave? When I tried it after hearing it would shut down soon, it seemed neat.
  - mintplant 11y ago
    Yeah, Wave was a great tool for remote collaboration/project management. There's the Apache Wave bundle you can self-host, but it's not as simple as just linking someone to wave.google.com.
  - jevgeni 11y ago
    I was just being snarky. A router requiring you to have a Google account seems needlessly complicated. We could crank it up a notch and allow only the users of an esoteric and obsolete messaging system use it. Wave was a cool idea, though. But refusing to integrate it with e-mail under the assumption everybody will stop using it was a tad optimistic.

endtime 11y ago

(Disclaimer: I work for the same former-division-of-Google-and-now-Alphabet-subsidiary that built this, though I don't work on OnHub.) I think you need an account for cloud-based configuration, credential sharing, etc. Maybe it's not for everyone, but I think it makes sense as a product. I highly doubt they added a Google account requirement to improve ad targeting.

foobarqux 11y ago
What division is that?
- Shooti 11y ago
  Fiber was part of "Access and Energy" led by Craig Barratt. Has a spot on their super out of date management page: https://www.google.co.uk/about/company/facts/management/ https://www.google.co.uk/about/company/facts/management/
chm 11y ago
I highly doubt they added a Google account requirement to improve ad targeting. You might be right but it's really hard for me to agree with you. It could be optional, but it appears not to be.
- skj 11y ago
  I believe the post was not disputing the existence of the requirement, but the idea that it was to improve ad targeting.
  - chm 11y ago
    I understand, and I still think an ad company has every interest to improve its ad targeting. What is so controversial about that?
andresmanz 11y ago
Thanks, but shouldn't these features be optional? I still don't get why I need a Google Account.

RexRollman 11y ago

It's computer fascism and people are stupid enough to sign up for it.

9872 11y ago
The fact that you can decide to sign up for it or not means it's not fascistic at all.

TD-Linux 11y ago

Not only that, why do I need an Android or iOS device? Are we too hip for web configuration pages now?