Root Method for Google Wifi Router Requires Unscrew Device

A method has appeared to root Google Wifi router. For example, root access allows users to route all internet traffic through a VPN of their choice. The root method requires users to press a button inside the device housing.

At the bottom of the Google Wifi is a single screw. When it is loose, the housing can be opened with a little pry. After that, according to the guide on the GaleForce project’s GitHub page, users must press the reset button for exactly 16 seconds. Then they have to press the ‘bubble switch’ on the pcb, after which the color of the LED on the outside changes from orange to purple. With a USB stick it is then possible to flash the necessary files on the router. After an automatic update, the root method remains.

Rooting the device allows you to set more than is possible by default. In addition to access via ssh, users can put their own vpn on the router or install a dynamic dns service. The name GaleForce comes from the code name Google gave the device: Gale.

The Google Wifi was released last year in the United States, among others. The device, which can not only spread a Wi-Fi signal, but can also form a mesh network in multiple configurations, is not available in the Benelux.

The inside of a Google Wifi with the bubble switch in the highlighted yellow square