There is a new update that is rolling out to OnHub devices today that brings the first step in IoT and automation support. The update is a firmware update on the device itself (although there is an update to the Android app too) that brings support for IFTTT. IFTTT stands for If This, Then That and there is now a dedicated OnHub channel on the site so you can automate and control devices and events in your house. It’s the first step for Google’s smart home functionality that the OnHub is built for and it is probably the first step of many in this process.
The firmware update is being automatically pushed out to OnHub’s now and the firmware you are looking for is 7978.51.0. Once you have that firmware on your router, then the IFTTT recipes will
OnHub Wi-Fi Router
start working. Right now there are over 50 different recipes available that allow you to do a wide range of things. For example, when your phone connects to your OnHub network, you can have it turn on your Hue lights. Or you can have Bluetooth enabled on your Android device when you connect to your router. Take a look through the list and undoubtedly you will find some great things to help you or inform you of activities on your network. As you would expect, there are several recipes available for your Nest products given that that is owned by Google.
Accompanying this firmware update is an update to the Android app too. That update now gives you the ability to see usage charts on wired devices, not just wireless, as well as updated usage graphs for all devices. That update is rolling out in the Google Play Store now and you should see it comes to you via an OTA update over the course of the next few days. Do not that the app update is not required to get the IFTTT recipes working. That’s completely dependent on the firmware update. The software update just gives you the new graph data.
I reviewed the OnHub device a few months back and while it does not have all the knobs to turn of a more traditional router, it is super simple to set up and the overall performance of the device, for me at least, has been great. There is still some growing up to do but these early steps are certainly in the right direction.
