Google Unveils OnHub, a Smart Wi-Fi Router - Personal Tech News - WSJ

Evidently N does not stand for Nexus, in the new Alphabet; also see Google announces OnHub, a $200 router focused on simplicity (The Verge), which explores potential Amazon Echo overlap, and Rejoice: Google Just Created a Stupidly Simple Wi-Fi Router (Wired)

"And while it has the latest flavor of Wi-Fi (AC) and a 360-degree antenna array for pointing the Wi-Fi in your direction, wherever you are, its specs also include two other forms of wireless—Bluetooth and ZigBee (aka 802.15.4)—which enable the router to talk to smart-home appliances. Google doesn’t specifically say what these would do, instead labeling them as “future friendly.” One thing is clear: This combination of wireless protocols will allow the device to use Weave, a new Google communication system for connected devices to talk to each other using a common language.

There aren’t any publicized smart-home features at launch, but people who buy Google’s router may not have to buy some other $200 hub later on, when they decide to take the smart-home plunge."

Final paragraph from the Wired article:

"OnHub is only the latest move in Google’s relentless attempt to make it easier to get online. See, when you go online Google tends to make money. So it’s making balloons that fly around the world beaming connectivity to Earth, and it’s digging trenches for Fiber in cities around America. Now, with OnHub, it’s trying to solve that impenetrable jungle of cables, blinking lights, and error messages that we’re forced to live with. And once it’s placed proudly on our shelves in our living rooms, who knows what OnHub could do?" 

Google Unveils OnHub, a Smart Wi-Fi Router - Personal Tech News - WSJ