Based on recent filings with the Federal Communications Commission, Google plans to follow on the release of its new OnHub router with more Wi-Fi devices.
Although very little information can be gleaned from the paperwork, the Google filing specifically calls out a “802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Access Point operating in the 2×2 MIMO 20 and 40 MHz bandwidth modes.”
Tech watchers have theorized online that it could be anything from a repeater that’s compatible with OnHub, to a router that’s tailored to work with Google Fiber, the company’s move into the service provider space by providing fiber-to-the-home in select markets. Currently Google Fiber is up and running in Kansas City, Mo., Provo, Utah, and Austin, Texas.
For regulator filing purposes, whatever the new devices is falls into the equipment category of “digital transmission system.”
Last month Google announced a new router, OnHub, that it said is built to support the latest in video streaming, while saving users the savvy fix of unplugging and plugging the unit.
The OnHub router was developed with partner TP-Link and is available for $200 on preorder.
Google Group Product Manager Trond Wuellner announced OnHub in a post on the company’s official blog.
Wuellner described the new router as “designed for the home,” right down to the device design.
“Many of us keep our router on the floor and out of sight, where it doesn’t work as well,” Wuellner said. “We replaced unruly cords and blinking lights with internal antennas and subtle, useful lighting, so you’ll be happy placing OnHub out in the open, where your router performs its best.”
