Google’s OnHub router gains IFTTT support on its way to becoming a smart-home hub
IFTTT is a website and mobile app that lets users automate tasks through “recipes” (IFTTT stands for If This, Then That). These recipes tie into various online services, along with a growing number of connected-home devices. OnHub can now serve as a trigger for these recipes, sensing when various devices connect to its Wi-Fi network.
Here are some example recipes for IFTTT and OnHub:
In addition to acting as a trigger, OnHub can also respond to external triggers as a way to set bandwidth priority on the router. For instance:
IFTTT integration is free to use with Google’s OnHub routers, which cost $200 and are manufactured by TP-Link and Asus. Bear in mind that the automation and bandwidth priority privileges don’t extend to people with only guest access to the network.
Why this matters: While Google has been coy about the OnHub’s future, it’s been pretty clear from the outset that it was designed to be more than just a Wi-Fi router. That's why it has (currently dormant) features such as Bluetooth and IEEE 802.15.5 radios (the latter is a low-data-rate PAN—Personal Area Network—that’s ZigBee's kissing cousin), and support for Weave (Google’s nascent IoT platform).
But Google's not the only router manufacturer going down this path. TP-Link's upcoming SR-20 802.11ac router combines 802.11ac Wi-Fi with Z-Wave and ZigBee radios, and you can add Z-Wave and Bluetooth radio dongles to Securifi's Almond 3 802.11ac Wi-Fi router.
If you already own an OnHub, you might find IFTTT support useful, but it doesn't change our lukewarm opinion of the router.