Wireless Reviews

ASUS Google OnHub Reviewed

Details: Published: Monday, 23 November 2015 08:00; Written by Tim Higgins

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At a glance
Product	ASUS Google OnHub Router (SRT-AC1900) [Website]
Summary	Feature poor AC1900 class router built by ASUS and powered by a Google OS.
Pros	• Dedicated dual-band monitor radio
Cons	• Extremely limited feature set • Must be logged into a Google account to administrate

Typical Price: $98 Buy From Amazon

Introduction

Update 1/19/16: Corrected routing throughput

When Google sent another TP-LINK OnHub for retest, it also sent a brand-new ASUS SRT-AC1900 OnHub. ASUS' take on the OnHub starting shipping at the end of October, trailing the TP-LINK version to market by a few months.

The image below shows the two OnHubs side-by-side. The two look like they could nestle snugly together with their almost mirror-image styling, but their inverse curves would prevent that.

ASUS & TP-LINK OnHubs

Key differences are shown in the spec table excerpt below. One difference not noted: TP-LINK's outer shell is removable, while the ASUS's is not.

ASUS & TP-LINK OnHub differences

Port complement is the same for both OnHubs: one Gigabit Ethernet WAN; one Gigabit Ethernet LAN; and one USB 3.0. The USB port remains non-functional, as does the ZigBee (802.15.4) radio.

ASUS OnHub ports

Inside

I learned my lesson on the TP-LINK OnHub and didn't attempt a complete disassembly of the ASUS. But I was able to get it partially disassembled fairly easily, thanks to the use of screws vs. hidden plastic locking tabs (thanks, ASUS!) Removing the bottom cover reveals the first difference: the ASUS' speaker is bottom mounted. The TP-LINK's sits on top.

ASUS OnHub inside bottom view

Removing a few more screws allowed me to slip off the outer shell. The view below shows two different angles.

ASUS OnHub inside - outer shell removed

Removing the antenna ring,then a partial inner shell reveals the view below. The main assembly has a processor board (left) and RF board (right) attached to an aluminum frame, with heatsinks atop the RF cans covering pretty much all components on each board. That's the dual-band monitor radio antenna at bottom left and the ZigBee antenna above it. The Bluetooth 4.0 radio is peeking out from the rear, behind the RF board. The single tri-color LED is the small white square at the bottom of the board assembly.

ASUS OnHub inside front view

The left side view affords a better view of the processor board heatsink.

ASUS OnHub inside left view

The right side view shows the RF board with its heatsink. The Bluetooth antenna is mounted to the plastic frame in the right-side photo area where the heatsink fins are cut back.