7 ms·

Curious: what do you do with the management app? I have an Apple Airport thing and had a similar experience - years of buying cheap routers then suddenly I had

by untog 11y ago

Curious: what do you do with the management app? I have an Apple Airport thing and had a similar experience - years of buying cheap routers then suddenly I had one that "just works". To the point that I haven't had to open/use the administration panel in an absolute age.

potatolicious 11y ago
The management app is a pretty neat way to set up a router - it certainly beats futzing around with a shitty HTML UI. Other than that I've found it useful for testing WiFi signal strength - in old brick buildings you can get unintuitive dead spots, and the app lets you put your phone somewhere and test signal quality.
- greggman 11y ago
  Actually I have the opposite experience. I need to use my routers at events for all kinds of situations. If the router uses html I can configure it regardless of os and having to go find an app. I also often use the router without internet (only need lan) which means no internet to download an app Apps to configure routers are an anti-feature IMO
cmrdporcupine 11y ago
The app also gives you insights into what's happening with your OnHub -- per device traffic sums, speed tests, alerts, etc. And we're constantly improving it. IMHO that's the real win with the OnHub; the router itself is constantly upgraded with up to date firmware with security updates and new features. And the mobile app that administrates it is constantly getting new features. Maybe I should transfer to marketing.
- umsm 11y ago
  I completely agree with untog. Apple's Airport device is so seamless that it's a pleasure to use. What kind of firmware / security updates do you get with OnHub? Aren't firmware updates dangerous if everything is working perfectly (the possibility to introduce issues)?
  - westernmostcoy 11y ago
    I feel like asking "what kind of updates" is too vague a question to reasonably answer. Yes, updating any software adds some risk of something breaking. This is not unique to OnHub. This is still a pretty nice feature for most people.
  - dannyr 11y ago
    Is there anything out there that is already perfect and should not be improved?
  - Zombieball 11y ago
    Until you need to define static routes and realize it's not possible on the Apple routers (happened to me this week).
  - mikecb 11y ago
    They issued a security update within 24 hours of the cve, and > 99% of users had it within 48. That's what we need to happen.
- seanp2k2 11y ago
  Honestly Google's rep for discontinuing support for stuff is why I'm not interested in such a connected device. Will it continue getting updates after Google drops it in 0-5 years? Who knows. Will the open-source community be able to put OpenWRT on it or something to give it life after it can no longer receive firmware updates? Not sure. I do know that my current Ubiquiti and Apple network infrastructure devices will still work if I plug them in in 10 years. I can't say the same for this. $200 seems reasonable for what it does, but less so if it's knocked down to dumb router mode if Google pulls the plug some day.
  - narrowrail 11y ago
    As an aside: I'm in the OpenWRT camp right now, and minimizing my exposure to large companies, but I find this constant drum beat about "Google shutting products down" to be tiring. It also derails from the topic at hand. I think it's great what they're doing with OnHub, and hope we can have iOS/Android apps for managing OpenWRT installs too. I wouldn't personally recommend buying one unless you can at least install ddWRT, but I haven't even bothered to learn what CPU they are using.
    - alphapapa 11y ago
      Yes, it is tiring when Google does this. I'm so tired of it that I'm not willing to invest my time, data, or processes into new Google services or products. If you are also tired of this drumbeat, please ask Google to stop beating the marching-products-to-their-doom drum.
  - dannyr 11y ago
    You're not over Google Reader yet?
    - exhilaration 11y ago
      Well that and the Nest Smart Home hub they decided to kill off a few weeks ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11423411 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11423411 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11435245 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11435245
- vox_mollis 11y ago
  All due respect, as you don't represent your employer, but a LAN-facing router that is automatically updated by a PRISM partner is an immediate no for those concerned about surveillance (dragnet or targeted) inside the home. Edit: misread the specs, point still stands.
  - wmf 11y ago
    OnHub doesn't have a microphone.
    - TheSpiceIsLife 11y ago
      But the other x number of devices connected to it in your home do. Automatic Security Updates is a contradiction in terms.
      - Karunamon 11y ago
        The average user is a lot more likely to be a victim of a targeted attack by a hacker than a targeted attack by the state.
        nitrogen 11y ago
        Nobody's worried about targeted state attacks, they're worried about dragnet state attacks.
        Karunamon 11y ago
        ...which don't seem to rely on vulnerabilities introduced via update mechanisms.
        nitrogen 11y ago
        I don't think we can say that for sure. For one example, there was the Skype update that removed most peer-to-peer features and added interception abilities.
- AdmiralAsshat 11y ago
  So, at the risk of sounding hostile, the article notes the following: Eight months later, the OnHub still doesn't support IPv6, and the USB port still can't be used for network storage. Bluetooth, Thread, and Weave support are all still dormant. IFTTT support is great, but shouldn't the priority for a $200 router be in delivering features that were promised from the get-go?
  - knz 11y ago
    Google I/O is in a few weeks - is it possible this is a precursor to something more involving Weave and other IoT systems?
    - i2shar 11y ago
      I've been waiting to buy a router for the same reason. Expecting newer versions with support for Weave/Brillo being announced. I had also read somewhere that it has a disabled Zigbee/Z-wave radio - don't know if that's true. But it would be nice to have a "smart hub" integrated into your router.
  - mikecb 11y ago
    The PM has been very active on various forums talking to users about best ways to implement things like storage. IPv6 is enabled in beta channel (channel switching was accelerated after many users expressed desire for it), and is waiting on upstream stability fixes, which afaik they are submitting directly to the linux kernel. It will roll out when ready, not before. This is what I want from a piece of infrastructure.
    - dingaling 11y ago
      > IPv6 is enabled in beta channel ... and is waiting on upstream stability fixes I'll be interested to see the kernel patches because in my experience the kernel-side of IPv6 has been stable for over a decade, including the past seven years with a native IPv6 Internet connection through Linux routers. Google itself enabled public IPv6 connectivity in 2009 so I am surprised that a Google-affiliated team is having issues with IPv6. > This is what I want from a piece of infrastructure. I want infrastructure to support current networking standards.
- Nullabillity 11y ago
  Aside from the idiotic mandatory app, that's not at all exclusive to OnHub.
rdegges 11y ago
I use it for a bunch of stuff: to share access to my guest network with visitors: you can basically click the 'share' button and send an SMS / hangout / * message to someone with your network SSID / password for quick access. I also use it to monitor my connection: do speed tests directly from the router (even remotely!). And finally: monitoring network usage, stats, etc. It's a beautifully designed, fluid, fast, and just all around amazing app!
matwood 11y ago
Same. I have an older Airport and it just works. I also have an express to extend the network and it also just works. I don't know the last time I had to use the management tool except to apply updates.

by untog 11y ago

potatolicious 11y ago

The management app is a pretty neat way to set up a router - it certainly beats futzing around with a shitty HTML UI. Other than that I've found it useful for testing WiFi signal strength - in old brick buildings you can get unintuitive dead spots, and the app lets you put your phone somewhere and test signal quality.

greggman 11y ago
Actually I have the opposite experience. I need to use my routers at events for all kinds of situations. If the router uses html I can configure it regardless of os and having to go find an app. I also often use the router without internet (only need lan) which means no internet to download an app Apps to configure routers are an anti-feature IMO

cmrdporcupine 11y ago

The app also gives you insights into what's happening with your OnHub -- per device traffic sums, speed tests, alerts, etc. And we're constantly improving it. IMHO that's the real win with the OnHub; the router itself is constantly upgraded with up to date firmware with security updates and new features. And the mobile app that administrates it is constantly getting new features. Maybe I should transfer to marketing.

umsm 11y ago
I completely agree with untog. Apple's Airport device is so seamless that it's a pleasure to use. What kind of firmware / security updates do you get with OnHub? Aren't firmware updates dangerous if everything is working perfectly (the possibility to introduce issues)?
- westernmostcoy 11y ago
  I feel like asking "what kind of updates" is too vague a question to reasonably answer. Yes, updating any software adds some risk of something breaking. This is not unique to OnHub. This is still a pretty nice feature for most people.
- dannyr 11y ago
  Is there anything out there that is already perfect and should not be improved?
- Zombieball 11y ago
  Until you need to define static routes and realize it's not possible on the Apple routers (happened to me this week).
- mikecb 11y ago
  They issued a security update within 24 hours of the cve, and > 99% of users had it within 48. That's what we need to happen.
seanp2k2 11y ago
Honestly Google's rep for discontinuing support for stuff is why I'm not interested in such a connected device. Will it continue getting updates after Google drops it in 0-5 years? Who knows. Will the open-source community be able to put OpenWRT on it or something to give it life after it can no longer receive firmware updates? Not sure. I do know that my current Ubiquiti and Apple network infrastructure devices will still work if I plug them in in 10 years. I can't say the same for this. $200 seems reasonable for what it does, but less so if it's knocked down to dumb router mode if Google pulls the plug some day.
- narrowrail 11y ago
  As an aside: I'm in the OpenWRT camp right now, and minimizing my exposure to large companies, but I find this constant drum beat about "Google shutting products down" to be tiring. It also derails from the topic at hand. I think it's great what they're doing with OnHub, and hope we can have iOS/Android apps for managing OpenWRT installs too. I wouldn't personally recommend buying one unless you can at least install ddWRT, but I haven't even bothered to learn what CPU they are using.
  - alphapapa 11y ago
    Yes, it is tiring when Google does this. I'm so tired of it that I'm not willing to invest my time, data, or processes into new Google services or products. If you are also tired of this drumbeat, please ask Google to stop beating the marching-products-to-their-doom drum.
- dannyr 11y ago
  You're not over Google Reader yet?
  - exhilaration 11y ago
    Well that and the Nest Smart Home hub they decided to kill off a few weeks ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11423411 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11423411 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11435245 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11435245
vox_mollis 11y ago
All due respect, as you don't represent your employer, but a LAN-facing router that is automatically updated by a PRISM partner is an immediate no for those concerned about surveillance (dragnet or targeted) inside the home. Edit: misread the specs, point still stands.
- wmf 11y ago
  OnHub doesn't have a microphone.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 11y ago
    But the other x number of devices connected to it in your home do. Automatic Security Updates is a contradiction in terms.
    - Karunamon 11y ago
      The average user is a lot more likely to be a victim of a targeted attack by a hacker than a targeted attack by the state.
      - nitrogen 11y ago
        Nobody's worried about targeted state attacks, they're worried about dragnet state attacks.
        Karunamon 11y ago
        ...which don't seem to rely on vulnerabilities introduced via update mechanisms.
        nitrogen 11y ago
        I don't think we can say that for sure. For one example, there was the Skype update that removed most peer-to-peer features and added interception abilities.
AdmiralAsshat 11y ago
So, at the risk of sounding hostile, the article notes the following: Eight months later, the OnHub still doesn't support IPv6, and the USB port still can't be used for network storage. Bluetooth, Thread, and Weave support are all still dormant. IFTTT support is great, but shouldn't the priority for a $200 router be in delivering features that were promised from the get-go?
- knz 11y ago
  Google I/O is in a few weeks - is it possible this is a precursor to something more involving Weave and other IoT systems?
  - i2shar 11y ago
    I've been waiting to buy a router for the same reason. Expecting newer versions with support for Weave/Brillo being announced. I had also read somewhere that it has a disabled Zigbee/Z-wave radio - don't know if that's true. But it would be nice to have a "smart hub" integrated into your router.
- mikecb 11y ago
  The PM has been very active on various forums talking to users about best ways to implement things like storage. IPv6 is enabled in beta channel (channel switching was accelerated after many users expressed desire for it), and is waiting on upstream stability fixes, which afaik they are submitting directly to the linux kernel. It will roll out when ready, not before. This is what I want from a piece of infrastructure.
  - dingaling 11y ago
    > IPv6 is enabled in beta channel ... and is waiting on upstream stability fixes I'll be interested to see the kernel patches because in my experience the kernel-side of IPv6 has been stable for over a decade, including the past seven years with a native IPv6 Internet connection through Linux routers. Google itself enabled public IPv6 connectivity in 2009 so I am surprised that a Google-affiliated team is having issues with IPv6. > This is what I want from a piece of infrastructure. I want infrastructure to support current networking standards.
Nullabillity 11y ago
Aside from the idiotic mandatory app, that's not at all exclusive to OnHub.

rdegges 11y ago

I use it for a bunch of stuff: to share access to my guest network with visitors: you can basically click the 'share' button and send an SMS / hangout / * message to someone with your network SSID / password for quick access. I also use it to monitor my connection: do speed tests directly from the router (even remotely!). And finally: monitoring network usage, stats, etc. It's a beautifully designed, fluid, fast, and just all around amazing app!

matwood 11y ago

Same. I have an older Airport and it just works. I also have an express to extend the network and it also just works. I don't know the last time I had to use the management tool except to apply updates.