A year ago, we introduced OnHub — a router that’s easy to use, and built to be placed front and center in homes (where Wi-Fi works best). Since then, we've been busy delivering on our promise that OnHub keeps getting better.

Today, we’re celebrating OnHub’s first birthday and announcing a new partnership with Philips Lighting, the first connected home device you can control directly with OnHub. We know people don’t like having too many apps on their phones, so we made it possible to control your home’s Philips Hue lights without downloading an app. Now anyone connected to your OnHub can type “On.Here” in a computer, tablet, or mobile browser and control the most popular features of your Philips Hue lights from there. Crank up the party lights!

Apart from Philips Hue, here are 10 awesome things OnHub lets you do:

1. Be the host with the most (Wi-Fi). The OnHub guest network is a place just for guests. And since you may not want to make all of the devices on your primary network available for guests to access, you can pick and choose which gadgets you share (like your printer or TV).

2. Pinpoint what’s slowing you down. OnHub's Network Check feature measures both the speed of your Wi-Fi router and the speed of the service you're getting from your ISP. This lets you pinpoint if there's a problem with your ISP or Wi-Fi.

3. Find the fastest Wi-Fi channel. OnHub constantly scans to make sure your Wi-Fi is on the fastest possible channel. In addition, OnHub automatically switches devices to whichever Wi-Fi band is faster (2.4GHz or 5Ghz) to give you a better Wi-Fi experience. Many Wi-Fi devices don’t automatically select the fastest available connection, so OnHub does it for you.

4. Stay secure. OnHub gets automatic security updates from Google’s cloud to help protect your network, your data, and all of your devices, without interrupting your connection. That means you’ll never have to worry about missing critical security upgrades.

5. Control with a wave of your hand. Sometimes in a busy home, one device needs more bandwidth than others. With the OnHub from ASUS, Wave Control allows you to boost Wi-Fi speed for a specific device simply by passing your hand over the top of your OnHub.

6. Call your Chromebook “Game of Chromes.” Or something. With so many devices online in a typical home, you’ll need a clear name for each one so you can properly prioritize. Custom device naming allows you to give each one its own unique name on the OnHub network.

7. Give your network name some ❤️. Spice up your home’s Wi-Fi network by giving it a name with personality, or if needed, a name with direction (i.e., “UseThisOneMom”). OnHub lets you choose whatever name you want for your router network, and you can even include emojis. &##127925; &##129302;!

8. Get shells to match your home design. Custom shells in white and gold, black and silver, and natural bamboo make it easy for you to place your OnHub in a central location, where Wi-Fi works best. You can find all the shells today on the Google Store.

For those who want to design their own router shell, we also created the OnHub Makers site, where you can access open source design files. With or without these shells, OnHub was created to be out in the open. Its hardware design was honored as a Top Winner at the 2016 International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA®), and a Gold winner at the 2016 International Design Awards (IDA).

9. Make basic tasks more… basic. OnHub is the first router to support IFTTT — a service that lets you connect different websites, apps, and other devices to create “recipes” which perform simple actions. That means you can use your OnHub to automate basic tasks and devices. For example, if a particular mobile device connects to your OnHub, then prioritize Wi-Fi on that device. Learn more at go.co/onhubifttt.

10. Share and share alike. Everyone connected to your OnHub — on both the primary and guest Wi-Fi networks — can enter “On.Here” into any browser on a phone, tablet, or computer and quickly see all of the devices that are available on the guest network. Philips Hue lights are the first connected home device you can not only access, but control, directly from On.Here. Learn more about On.Here.

As you can see, OnHub is a lot more than a router that gives you fast Wi-Fi. Watch our video to see the Top 5 Reasons Why OnHub is More Than a Router:

We’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who has given us feedback on how OnHub is solving their Wi-Fi problems. If you’d like to see for yourself, we’re offering $20 off OnHub from TP-LINK sold in the Google Store and Amazon in the next month — just grab your OnHub online between now and September 30. Happy birthday, OnHub!

Posted by Ben Brown, Product Manager