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Report: Google plotting a Google Home/Google Wifi combo device

Google wants a Google Wi-Fi and a Google Home in every room—why not just combine them?

Google Home + Google Wi-Fi = Whatever this new product is.
Enlarge / Google Home + Google Wi-Fi = Whatever this new product is.
Ron Amadeo

Google's home strategy is a little conflicted right now. Aside from the TV-focused Chromecast, Google's strategy revolves around Google Home, a Google Assistant voice appliance and speaker, and Google Wifi, a mesh Wi-Fi router. Google's sales pitch for these two devices is pretty similar: multiple Google Home boxes will work together to give you music and voice commands in every room, while multiple Google Wifi boxes will work together to give you a strong Wi-Fi signal throughout the whole house. Put the two together and Google wants you to have two boxes in (almost) every room. Who wants that?

A new report from The Information (subscription required) claims that Google is working on fixing this. The company is reportedly mulling over "a version of its Google Home intelligent speaker with built-in mesh Wi-Fi networking"—a combo box containing Google Home and Google Wifi. That's a speaker, a voice-command system, and a Wi-Fi router all in one box. Such a combo box would represent a singular device from Google to put in every room. This makes a lot more sense than the current sales pitch.

The report doesn't say much more than that and doesn't have offer anything on price. Both Google Home and Google Wifi cost $130 each, with Google Wifi available in a three-pack bundle for $300. A combo product would certainly help differentiate Google Home from its mortal enemy, the Amazon Echo, and would help Google Wifi stand out from the growing range of mesh Wi-Fi routers.

Channel Ars Technica