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Ultimate Guide (FAQ) to understand onHub routers bricking and best use of it

DIEGUEZ
Community Member
Hello everybody!
 
I think we OWNERS of at least one onHub router that trusted Google but now we feel betrayed by them we all share the same doubts about what could be done with OUR devices after dec/2022
 
So I will try to enumerate those common questions, hoping to be officially answered by some of Google's agents.  If some of you have official referentes to address some of them please be our guest and reply with a summary and share the link. And if you don't have the answers but you are a victim of this scandal please vote-up this thread to get proper attention from Google's guys.
 
btw: if you are the Google representative that is going to answer our questions please avoid a single, global answer.  put in our feets and try to understand how we feel about this, and what clarifications we are seeking here, so take the time to answer one by one. and if you know some answers but not all of them, please reply to the thread multiple times; don't wait to get all the answers before replying: it will help us to act as soon as possible depending on the situation everyone of us is dealing with.
 
quoting current official Google documentation:
"you’ll no longer be able to manage it (onHub) with the Google Home app."
 
There could be at least 3 typical scenarios where an onHub will be running after the f-date
 
- scenario 1: onHub acting as a primary, solo router
- scenario 2: onHub acting as a primary router meshed with a 2nd onhub router
- scenario 3: onHub acting as a wifi-point of a google-wifi mesh
 
Common questions:
 
Q1) One Google's support guy said that actually will be 2 dates (is this correct?):
- date 1 --> dec/2022 --> where: 
a) onHub will keep the current configuration and will continue to provide wifi and --if applies-- be part of the mesh 
b) google home app won't allow us to change the onhubs configuration (read-only)
 
- date 2 --> a year later --> where the onHub won't even appear in the google home app
 
Q2) if date 2 is true:
- when will it be ?
- will onHub keep its configuration and continue to provide wifi and --if applies-- be part of the mesh
or will it be bricked forever ?
 
Q3) what changes of the configuration will us be allowed to do after date-1 ? 
- change ssid / password --> ?
- set device priority --> ?
- factory reset --> ?
- change advanced conf --> ?
- turn on/off a guest network --> ?
- change family control set-up --> ?
- switch family control on/off --> ?
- wifi tests --> ?
- get notifications --> ?
- none ?
 
Q4) will we be able to remove the onHub from the linked google account after date-1 ?
 
Q5) will we be able to link the onHub to a google account after date-1 ?
 
Q6) will we be able to add our onHub to a network as a: (after date-1)
- a) solo router (even if configuration cant be changed)
- b) wifi-point of an existing mesh ?
 
Specific questions for each scenario
 
- scenario 3: onHub acting as a wifi-point of a google-wifi mesh
 
Q7) how will the mesh be affected if one of its points is an onHub after date-1 ?
- a) will the mesh continue to work ?
- b) will the onHub still being a point of the mesh ? or will it be removed or avoided ?
- c) will the onHub be visible from the google home app ? or will it be hidden forever ?
 
Q8) same question but after date-2
 
Q9) will the onHub change its settings (propagate) if the configuration of the mesh is changed from the google home app ?
- i.e: the password of the network or its parental control are changed
- if not: 
- a) will the onHub be bricked ? 
- b) will it interfere with the mesh in some way ?
 
Hoping we can get the support we deserve,
Hoping we can use our property as expected,
 
5 REPLIES 5

DIEGUEZ
Community Member

@olavrb could you help us on this thread ?

olavrb
Platinum Product Expert
Platinum Product Expert

According to the doc you linked to, it seems simple. You can't change anything on a OnHub device after december 2022. Thus you should replace it if it's acting as main before that, to be able to continue to use it it any meaningfull way.

Whether it's OK to nerf a device like that, rendering it useless, that's a whole other story. As a PE I don't have much to say, and I don't have much insight. I don't know of new products before everyone else. I can't talk directly with the people responsible for such decisions.


I don't work for Google.

DIEGUEZ
Community Member

Hi Olavrb, thank you for answering.

Apparently this parragraph wasn't enought clear at all 🙂

"btw: if you are the Google representative that is going to answer our questions please avoid a single, global answer."

So, are you saying that if we purchase a single google-wifi router, will we be able to set it as a main router but also set our onHub as a mesh point ?

and by doing this, since the main network (google-wifi-router) will be configured or modified (AFTER DEC/2022) using google-home-app will we be able to use other onHub "forever" ?

if so, must this mesh network (google-wifi-router as main and onhub as point) be setup before the date or could also be meshed after?

in other words: to keep using our onHub router (and to avoid its bricking), is our ONLY option to purchase a google-wifi-router ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

olavrb
Platinum Product Expert
Platinum Product Expert

I'm not a Google representative, I just gave my two cents on the topic.

If you can't change any setting on a OnHub after said date, it makes sense to have it as a add-on point only, if at all, after that point. Is how I read that doc.


I don't work for Google.

DIEGUEZ
Community Member

Hi Olarvrb, thank you for trying to help. Do you know any Google agent here to be @ ?