PSA: Buying a Google TV Streamer? Make sure you don't set it up in the wrong place

Google’s latest media streaming device, the Google TV Streamer, is a massive upgrade over previous Chromecast models. It features more powerful internals that promise significantly better performance, and it even doubles as a smart home hub to help you easily set up and control other smart home devices. Google has also given it a sleek new design so that it doesn’t look out of place on your media console, as the company doesn’t want you to tuck it behind your TV.

While previous Chromecast models were designed to remain hidden behind TVs, Google says the new Google TV Streamer is meant to be placed in front of your TV or on a media console. In a press briefing, the company stated that it designed the new streaming device to be as beautiful and streamlined as possible so that users keep it outside and visible for better connectivity and smart home controls.

Google explained that mounting the device behind the TV or stashing it in a cupboard could negatively impact Wi-Fi or Thread Border Router connectivity, resulting in a poor experience. To ensure users don’t mount it behind their TVs, the company even placed the power, Ethernet, and HDMI ports at the back so that connected wires drop out and fall behind the console for a clean look.

You can still choose to mount the Google TV Streamer behind your TV, but the company advises monitoring connectivity for some time before committing to a mounting solution. We’ll test the impact device placement has on connectivity as soon as we get our hands on the product and let you know if there’s a significant downside to mounting it behind a TV.

The new Google TV Streamer will be available for $99.99 through the Google Store and other retailers starting September 24. If you’d like to get one for yourself, you can pre-order it by following the link below.