Google will end support for OnHub, a $200 router and smart home hub launched in 2015, in December 2022, offering owners 40% off the latest Nest Wifi router
Taylor Kerns / Android Police :
Context & Ripple Effects
OnHub entered Google's home-networking lineup with a $200 price tag, but an early review found its performance and functionality weak for the price. Google later introduced mesh-capable Nest Wifi as its newer router family, giving existing owners a defined replacement path.
The move also follows Google's decision to shut down Android Things, another smart-home-facing initiative. Together, the coverage shows Google reducing support for older, standalone smart-home products while directing users toward maintained brands.
First-order effects
- OnHub owners lose support in December 2022 and can use Google's 40% Nest Wifi discount to replace their router.
- Nest Wifi becomes Google's designated upgrade path for affected OnHub customers, bringing those users into the newer networking product line.
Second-order effects
- Google concentrates router support, retail demand, and customer migration around Nest Wifi rather than maintaining a separate OnHub install base.
- Owners who decline the discount must choose between an unsupported OnHub device and a replacement router, making Google's migration offer a practical lever for retaining them.
Third-order effects
- Google's retirement of OnHub and Android Things points to a smart-home portfolio organized around fewer actively maintained product families rather than long-lived standalone experiments.
- If that support posture persists, buyers of connected-home hardware will place greater value on upgrade paths and ecosystem continuity, not just the device's initial capabilities.
The trend: Google is consolidating smart-home support around current product families, using discounts and migrations to retire older hardware platforms.