Google inadvertently reset some WiFi and OnHub routers (update: some mobile devices also affected)

Update (2/24): According to a report from Android Police, its not just OnHub and WiFi Routers, some mobile devices are affected to. The issue isn’t a hack or malicious activity, simply an error that prevents proper sign-in. Thankfully fixing the issue is as simple as reseting things, as highlighted here at Google support.

Original (2/23): If you own a Google WiFi router or one of the older OnHub devices, and you found that they stopped working all of a sudden on Thursday evening, you can relax a little because you were not alone. There were a number of online reports that night with people experiencing those kinds of issues, and as it turned out the problem was caused by Google itself.

Many people who own more than one Google WiFi router in a mesh network said that while the central one was blinking blue, indicating that it was working properly, the other mesh points started flashing red and were unable to connect to the main router.

In a post on the Google support forum on Thursday night, a rep for the company offered its “sincerest apologies for the inconvenience”. It said the problem with Google WiFi and OnHub routers was due to “an issue with our Google Accounts engine” which caused some of those devices to reset back to their default settings.

The bad news is that those folks affected by this glitch will have to set up their WiFi networks, including their passwords, all over again. Google has set up a support page for those affected, with steps on what to do next. The problem seems to be attributable to poorly handled error codes sent from the Google account auth servers, resulting in a reset. No assurance has yet been made of a permanent fix for this, but hopefully Google will ensure it won’t happen again.

Do you own a Google WiFi or OnHub router and, if so, did you experience these same issues? Let us know in the comments!