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Google apologizes for issue that reset some Wifi and OnHub routers

Google Wifi.
Image Credit: Jordan Novet/VentureBeat

Following reports that some Google Wifi mesh network routers and compatible Google OnHub routers would not broadcast a signal and needed a factory reset in order to work again, Google today issued an apology for the issues.

The problems Google ran into today “caused some devices to automatically reset to the initial state you bought them in, and they will unfortunately need to be set up again,” Google senior product manager Ben Brown wrote in an email to Google OnHub and Google Wifi customers. The routers’ software and performance are not affected, Brown wrote.

Brown also pointed to a support page containing instructions for setting up the routers again.

Indeed, when I got home today I saw that one of my three Google Wifi routers was flashing blue instead of showing a consistent white light, and my one TP-Link OnHub was doing the same thing. The Google Wifi app for Android showed that the two routers were offline. The other two Google Wifi units were behaving normally. While working in a room without a router, my Wi-Fi connection was slower than usual.

“We know how important Wi-Fi is to you and share our sincerest apologies for the inconvenience this has caused,” Brown wrote.

Also today, Eero, a startup that offers routers with functionally similar to Google Wifi, cut the price of its three-pack of routers from $500 to $400. A three-pack of Google Wifi routers costs $300.

Google introduced the Google Wifi in October alongside the Pixel smartphone, the Home smart speaker, the Daydream View virtual reality headset, and the Chromecast Ultra 4K streaming dongle.

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