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OnHub

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Re: OnHub

#321

Post by astrocyte »

My biggest issue with this is that Google wants to inject a piece of hardware into my home that acts as the gateway to my data. A device through which all :

> Incoming data runs through

> Internal data runs through

> Outgoing data runs through

And then wants to be vague about what data they will be pumping to their back-end for analytics/data mining.

I have had a long standing proposal for home automation and I'm curious to know, in this era of insecurity and people vacuuming up all your data, how many of the tech minded people here would be interested in a device which ensures your 'home automation' data stays in your home. This can be quite clearly achieved in hardware and by having an out-of-band oversight controller that literally will not allow certain data to exit the physical domain of your home...

Cloud nonsense? It's called an application and a home automation application doesn't need to run in someone's cloud...

Whose interested? I think it's about time this cloud foolishness for the sake of monetizing someone else's data in an insecure manner come to an end. Everyone loves to rant about 'disruption'... I feel its about time this data monetization cloud bananza be disrupted.

Re: OnHub

#322

Post by TeMPOraL »

mtgx wrote: post #313
cmrdporcupine wrote: post #285

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The router is cloud configured from your mobile device, that is how it works. Some cloud services for the device are actually optional. But AFAIK you still need a Google Account. Here is the help page on the topic of data collection and privacy: https://support.google.com/onhub/answer/6246642?hl=en&ref_to... And see also, how to set a whole bunch of privacy settings: https://support.google.com/onhub/answer/6279845?vi…

That's bullshit. It should use something like Thread or Bluetooth 4.0 to let you configure it from your mobile device , which already assumes you'll be in the same room with the router in 99% percent of the cases. There's no reason for this to be sent over the Internet, when you're both in the same room.

I wouldn't phrase it so negatively but I do share the same sentiment. I think this is the craziness that seems to be so widespread that people don't notice how crazy it is - the primary way for two devices sitting few meters from each other to communicate should not be routing packets around half of the planet. I get it's easier, but it's bad engineering, unnecessarily wasteful energy-wise and I bet the only reason this is the default is for companies to lock people down and make money on data.

Re: OnHub

#323

Post by falcolas »

mentat wrote: post #314
mtgx wrote: post #312

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cloud-based configuration? Isn't that virtually always a terrible idea security wise for a router? Is it another form of "lawful intercept"?

Depends on if you think un-updated, bad PRNG devices are better.

This isn't an "either-or" situation. You can have an auto-updating router which doesn't depend on configuring via a third party service.

Re: OnHub

#324

Post by electriclove »

No Z-Wave support? That's a huge FAIL for home automation.

Sooooo close Google. Add Z-Wave support and you'll have an instant winner. Make the speaker high quality (if it isn't already) and encroach on Sonos and Amazon.

But without Z-Wave, you won't sell enough to make an impact.

Re: OnHub

#325

Post by recursive »

driverdan wrote: post #87

Why would anyone want this over the latest Asus AC1900 router? Asus' web interface is easy to use and their QoS is surprisingly good out of the box. Also, Asus isn't going to spy on everything you do.

> Why would anyone want this over the latest Asus AC1900 router?

Because they've heard of the Google one.

Re: OnHub

#326

Post by kuschku »

endtime wrote: post #224
mtgx wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To understand why certain products, which are seemingly unrelated to Google's core competency, have stayed with Google and haven't moved on to Alphabet, or why Google created a product such as OnHub and not Nest, you have to realize why all of these product are under Google - to track all the data that goes through them under the same generic/unified "privacy" policy, and then feed it into its advertising system. Tha…

I hate to burst your bubble, but it's actually just a branding thing, and has been in the works for much longer than anyone involved knew that Alphabet was going to happen. The team that built this is part of the same company as Google Fiber (disclaimer: for which I work), which is in fact no longer part of Google Inc.

Well, if they wanted to track data through this, though, they either have to make it under the Google brand, or can’t sell it in Europe.

Re: OnHub

#327

Post by TeMPOraL »

astrocyte wrote: post #321

My biggest issue with this is that Google wants to inject a piece of hardware into my home that acts as the gateway to my data. A device through which all : > Incoming data runs through > Internal data runs through > Outgoing data runs through And then wants to be vague about what data they will be pumping to their back-end for analytics/data mining. I have had a long standing proposal for home automation and I'm cur…

I'm very interested.

The whole idea of home automation (and most of IoT) over cloud is absurd. The devices in your home should not communicate by sending packets around the entire globe. The data should never leave your internal network unless explicitly meant to (web interfaces are cool and all, and you want to have remote access).

I'm actually somewhat surprised people don't seem how wrong the current model is, but I suspect it's a mix of cloud being The Hot Sexy Thing and being paid not to understand this (via business models that rely on monetizing users through cloud solution; as some of my hardware startup friends told me once after talking with the investors, hardware won't be making money, the cloud platform will).

So yes, I would be very willing to help reverse this and make local network communication the default for home automation and relevant technologies.

Re: OnHub

#328

Post by kuschku »

outworlder wrote: post #171
fweespeech wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> routers have always a pain to configure Eh? You must buy some shitty routers, no offense. Compared to the rest of the market, paying $200 for a router isn't competitive. It just is not worth it given Google's "eh-we-will-do-it-and-stop-if-people-complain/sue" mindset. ---- To Melvin, since I'm submitting to fast: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013ALA9LA?ref=spks_0_0_2170510902&... > OnHub Wireless Router from Google and…

So what's your magical router? Does it have options actually make sense? And a help that is, like, helpful? I'm talking about things such as "Enable XPRESS whatever". Help: "Turns XPRESS whatever on or off". And then you find out that no matter what the feature was supposed to do, theoretically, in practice it makes the router slow and unstable. Or, at worst, crashes it. No brand is immune. Many (non-enterprise) rout…

Have you ever tried an AVM Router? Amazing things, several of their Fritz!Box lineup are actually better specs-wise than this Google router (and don’t come from a company with rather questionable update and privacy record)

Re: OnHub

#329

Post by DaFranker »

raldi wrote: post #256
nadams wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

Sure you could -- just drop off a file someplace visible.

> read access

Re: OnHub

#330

Post by makeitsuckless »

I'll try not to put this in a way that may be interpreted as "gratuitous negativity", but I stopped caring about Google branded hardware a long time ago, since the odds of it being available in many countries outside the US sometime this century are near zero.
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