eero Pro WiFi System (Set of 3 eero Pros) – 2nd Generation - Advanced Tri-Band Mesh WiFi System to Replace Traditional Routers and WiFi Range Extenders – Coverage: 5+ Bedroom Home
This is long updated review on 6 different wifi systems and why we picked and are still using Eero. We were very happy with the 1st Gen Eero system and just upgraded to 2nd Gen with 2 beacons and wanted to share our experience to end wifi issues/dead spots in our home. This is our overall experience and perhaps it will help you with your decision.
WIFI SYSTEMS PURCHASED:
Orbi, Velop, Amplifi HD, Google Wifi, 1st Gen Eero and 2nd Gen Eero with 2 beacons
LOCATION:
3000Sq Ft Townhome with at least 45 devices connected at any time. 3D printers, Sonos players in every room and outdoors, Phillips Hue, Amazon Dots, Ooma, Smart TV’s, IOS/Android phones, tablets and computers, Apple Tvs, 10+ POE 4MP Security cameras, Ring/Chime devices and the list goes on. Work remotely so lots of video calls, exchanging, uploading, downloading and working on design files online. My Little Pony and a bevy of others streamed for the little one via Netflix/Hulu etc. ISP is Comcast with 200mbps down and 10mbps up. Wifi dense community of townhomes with lots of interference which affect signal penetration. This was the place where Wifi went to die!
SITUATION:
Started with Comcast router/modem then tried Comcast modem with Netgear X6, Comcast modem with Netgear X8, Arris SB6190 with Netgear X8 and Netgear extender. Signal was great close to the modem/router but the further away you moved service degraded quite rapidly in our home. Also multiple SSID were a huge pain. Enter the wave of Wifi systems. We researched different products and read reviews on multiple sites. Reviews were too close so we bought the top 6 systems for real life testing in our home.
CRITERIA:
We bought these test systems with no promotions and no promises of a good review. We established simple criteria for our testing:
1) Product design
2) System setup
3) Ethernet wired backhaul
4) Firmware updates
5) System app
6) Customer service
7) Seamless roaming
8) Throughput/signal strength
9) Conclusion
We ranked the systems from 1st to 6th under each criteria. Here are our results.
PRODUCT DESIGN:
The designs are in different directions. The Orbi is the largest with an industrial design direction. Eero is the shortest an has an Apple-lesque minimal design. The new beacons are much better designed and inconspicuous when compared tot he Amplifi beacons. The nightlight is a welcomed additional feature. The Amplifi main units has a cool techy feel to it with a main unit with a bright LCD screen but thats where the design stopped because the satellite units have a quirky magnetic design - A child magnet because my daughter was always trying to adjust them for us. Google was just simple and quite unassuming. Velop had a modern feel/look to it. We found ourselves drawn to the simple clean design of the Eeros because they blended easily with our decor. (See images) However design is so subjective that it depends on what you like.
Ranking: (1st) Eero 2nd and 1st Gen (2nd) Velop (3rd) Google (4th) Orbi (5th) Amplifi
SYSTEM SETUP:
We set them up using an iPhone 7 Plus except for the Orbi which we used an iMac. We maintained the same room/general location main/satellite units for testing. Orbi setup is through the internet and that was easy and fast and it found the satellites with no issues. Eero set up was easy via the app and it found the satellites with no issues. We had to reposition the Google, Amplifi and Velop satellites during the initial setup for the main units to “see” them - (See Customer service section). After setup we plugged ethernet cables into the Velop, Google and Eero satellites to maximize performance. Orbi and Amplifi do not have this feature. Overall the setup for each 3 unit pack took less than 10mins for Eero/Orbi and less than 30mins for the rest. The 2nd Gen Eero with the updated software have the quickest setup till date. Even better than the previous Eero. Standouts here are Orbi and Eero because set up was simple and straight forward. However the edge goes to Eero due to how simple it was to set up with the app.
Ranking: (1st) Eero 2nd and 1st Gen (2nd) Orbi (3rd) Velop (4th) Google (5th) Amplifi
ETHERNET WIRED BACKHAUL:
The best connection is a wired connection so we wanted a system with the opportunity to hard wire the satellites. Orbi and Amplifi HD don't support wired backhaul. Amplifi HD uses a portion of its bandwidth to communicate between router and satelllite. Orbi has a dedicated band for its communication. Google Wifi, Velop and Eero support ethernet backhaul so you can hardwire all the units. These systems also work wirelessly. With the 2nd Gen Eero you can only have a wired connection with the main unit. The beacons only work wirelessly. Surprisingly the 2nd Gen beacons work better than the 1st Gen - Much better.. (See throughput/Signal section)
Ranking: (1st) Eero 2nd and 1st Gen (2nd) Google (3rd)Velop. Other 2 systems do not offer ethernet backhaul
FIRMWARE UPDATES:
This is the method employed by the manufacturer to improv and add features to your wifi system. With all the systems you have to update them with the latest software out of the box. Orbi was the most difficult because We had to download the update then apply it - It did not work for us the normal way. Velop, Amplifi and Eero worked in the normal way through their respective apps. After the initial firmware update they all updated automatically. This a splendid feature and how new and improved services are added to your wifi systems. Firmware notes and descriptions are always available on the manufacturer website.
Ranking: Even across the board
SYSTEM APP:
The app is where you interact with and glean all the information about your network and devices. Orbi has an app but its basically worthless and you have to use a net based portal to really access and customize the system. Next is the Amplifi app which at the time of testing wasn't so great. Google, Velop and Eero have the most user friendly apps. You can access your system remotely to control all available features. We are not complex users so advanced features like port forwarding etc etc were not a huge selling point to us. Features we looked for in the app were quality of service, devices connections, which nodes were connected to what device, signal strength to each device, guest access, network diagnosis, number of devices connected (easy way to see what device is actually on your network and what device should not be on your network), pausing internet/blocking devices, built in speed tests, device priority setting and device seamless roaming from node to node. With all this in mind Eero App was the winner hands down. The app was well laid out, information was easily visible and accessible and that made it a joy to use
Ranking: (1st) Eero (2nd) Google (3rd)Velop (4th) Amplifi (5th) Orbi
CUSTOMER SERVICE:
With new tech there is always the possibility of issues so going in we knew we might have to deal with potential issues and were ready. We had to spend a couple of hours with each companies customer service for different issues even after the set up process went well. Velop and Orbi customer service appears to be offshore and we had a difficult time explaining and understanding what they were saying and it sounded like they were reading from scripts. Amplifi customer service was through chats and that really did not help much. Google Wifi customer was decent and they are in the US. We were unable to improve the performance in our home and they were sold out so we could not get a replacement. Eero service was and is still light years ahead of the others and they are in the US. We were able to speak with, understand and formulate a plan for our specific situation. It did not feel as if they were reading from scripts but more trying to understand our issue, troubleshoot and resolve. They followed up with calls and emails to make sure our issues were addressed. We felt that if we had any issues in the future we knew who to call. With the 2nd Gen we did not need to contact customer service as everything went smoothly.
Ranking: (1st) Eero (2nd) Google (3rd)Amplifi (4th) Orbi (5th) Velop
SEAMLESS ROAMING:
A major selling point of Wifi systems is seamless roaming/handover between nodes. Basically as you move through your home/office the systems connects your device to the node that is closest or the one that gives it the best signal. Its actually fun to watch the switch offer through the app. Theoretically Orbi, Amplifi and Velop state that your devices switch between nodes for best service but offer no way to view the transitions. No way for you to see what node you a device is connected to at any time. This is another area where Google and Eero outshine the competition. Both apps tell you which node your device is connected to. However Eero goes a few steps further and shows you what band is being used, signal strength of connected node and activity levels. As the signal strength weakens (goes from 5 green bars to 1 red bar) you can watch as the devices switches to the next node. Eero unleashed new software and it shines with the 2nd Gen. The switches are quicker and smoother. It was fun watching as Eero switched nodes as we moved from room to room. We actually turned that into a game to see which node would step up and take over.
Ranking: (1st) Eero 2nd Gen (2nd) Eero 1st Gen (3rd) Google. Other 3 systems did not offer the ability to monitor
THROUGHPUT/SIGNAL STRENGTH:
With our old units we had lots of inconsistent signals and loss of speed. We pay for 200 down and 10 up and old systems never even got close. All 5 systems tested improved upon our situation. From last to first we would rank them as follows. 5) Google Wifi never gave us more than 50% of upload speeds. 4) Amplifi gave us about the same as Google wifi. 3) Velop was not consistent and varied between 50% and 96%. 2) Orbi was also inconsistent and varied between 70% and 100%. 1) Eero provided 100-120% consistently however the new system with the beacons provided 110 - 135% consistently. Even though we got signal improvements with all the units the differentiator was “consistency of signal, speed and connection”. Hands down best performer were both Eero systems. We got consistent speeds at each node and at all corners of our home. The Eero system with the beacons connected slightly faster. Unlike Orbi and Velop the Eero systems did not cut in and out or have lapses of slow speed. They were also consistently faster than all the other units.
Ranking: (1st) Eero 2nd and 1st Gen (2nd) Orbi (3rd) Velop (4th) Amplifi (5th) Google
EERO VS EERO
The 2nd Gen was slightly faster, smoother, quicker to set up. However the main difference here is ethernet ports. The first generation 3 pack has a total of 6 ports - 2 on each unit. The newer system has just 2 ports on the main unit and no ports on the beacons. If you need ports at ever Eero location the new version with beacons will not work for you. If most of your devices are wired and you need a stronger consistent Wifi signal then the newer units perform better than the first and will be great. The Eero pro with 3 units would be the best of both worlds and we have that on order and will update the review when we get that. We switched from the 1st Gen to the 2nd Gen because we have most of our devices wired and just needed a strong wifi system. The new system with the beacons are much stronger than the old 3 pack system. In our home the beacon system is so strong that we won't need to add more whereas we added extra units of the 1st generation
IMAGES:
We have switched from using our 5 1st Gen to 3 2nd Gen Eeros (Eero and 2 beacons). We included images of our Eero locations (Gen 1 and 2) as well as size compared icon for the beacons and the night light feature. We also included images showing the differences between the 1st and 2nd Gen main units. 2nd Gen has a physical reset button and now charges with USB C. The beacons once plugged in are basically inconspicuous. We now only use 1 main unit and 2 beacons. Awesome!
CONCLUSION:
For our home we ended up with an Eero system because it won in all the categories that mattered to us. We loved the minimal design, easy set up, wired ethernet backhaul, fluid app, seamless roaming and customer service Eero provided. In real life use in our home Eero (1st or 2nd) just worked with no complications. This is our Eero experience in our setting. Now all of us can do what ever we want with wifi anywhere in and outside our home. We hope the review will help you and we will help with questions you may have. Eero gets a full recommendation from us. Hands down the best overall system out there by far. Great job Eero!!
Ok, I will admit that I bought these with the full intention of probably having to send them back. Through the years I have tried several different systems to put good wireless throughout our 3-story home. I've used several different routers, and have had an Apple AirPort Extreme and two Airport Express' running (which still provide the backbone in the house for our less needy machine system). But nothing I did could get a good signal into the master bedroom in the back of the house, especially with the main router being in the home office upstairs on the other side of the house. My better half constantly let me know I was a poor excuse of a Network Engineer when she wasn't even able to watch the latest Korean drama in peace while laying in bed.
Unpacking - simple and clean. Download and install the app. on your smart phone before you start doing anything as it walks you through the install (and does an incredibly simple and great job of it). Install and setup of the main hub took me all of about 5 minutes with most of that time spent finding an extension cord. As I was replacing an existing wireless setup once I had the system up and running all my iPads and such connected automatically as I had used the same SSID and password. Setting up the Beacons took about 30 minutes, with most the time taken in selecting location so I would have a good mesh of the signal. Again, the App. walks you through every step, and lets you know if you have selected a good spot or if you might want to move a beacon to a different location for a better mesh. The App. is a thing of beauty, with all the information you need right at your fingertips. The stuff you usually want to customize (like the names of the Beacons) are customizable. Once I had all the Beacons set up I went through the house trying to find a weak spot or dead spot. Couldn't find one - not one! Guess I won't be sending this stuff back after all. Sure put a smile on my better half's face! Oh, and is this thing FAST!!!
Also, a note about Apple products. I have read the other reviews that say the eero doesn’t work well with Apple products. I don’t know why they are having problems. My system has been up and running for about two months now with zero problems. And it stays connect rock solid to all manner of devices (about 26 I believe) including two iPads, two iPhones, an iMac, a MacBook Pro, a Smart Thermostat, a couple Apple TV’s, a Ring Smart Doorbell and three Ring remote doorbells. Oh, and two of them do double duty as night lights. And the system has updated itself twice that I know of (I would only know as it would tell me after the fact).
Welcome to the first day of the rest of your WiFi. After years of going through WiFi routers I have FINALLY found a mesh network that works in this haunted house.. I live in an all brick house. 4000 sq feet. 2 stories. This has been a daunting task for as long as I have lived here for about 5 years. Constantly plagued with wifi problems. No matter what. I've gone through a stack of 10 different wifi dongle/adapters over the years.
I have a router graveyard in my basement of very high end routers (they all still work, just not in this house lol). Including Netgear Orbis (2 router mesh), Linksys Velop (3 router mesh), ASUS RT-AC3200, Apple Airport Extreme, ASUS RT-N66U, Securifi Almond, TP-Link AC3200 Archer.
Orbis would drop out. It couldn't even get a stable connection 20 feet away. The Velop system, similar issues. You'd think with 3 Meshed network, it would work better than the 2 Orbis. Nope. Orbis has no flexibility whatsoever. The channel selection process was horrific. Another great thing about this, the size! It's so small! It's by far the best performance I've ever measured. Also, the setup is the EASIEST I have EVER done. Typically, when Netgear or Linksys say go download their App - its so easy, it really never is. There's always some issue.
Eero's, is a company that is thinking outside the box. They know the problems that plague users today. This new generation of eeros, absolutely demolishes all previous mesh networking competetion - utterly and completely. I'm so extremely happy. I used to have to run a 150+ foot Ethernet cable, all the way from upstairs to downstairs. Across the kitchen, down the stairswell, into a guest room. It was awful. No longer!
For 5 years, my wife would not stop talking about that cable. We're renewing our wedding vows tonight.
Still a lot better than Google and Linksys but not worth to upgrade from the old Eero to this one. If do don't have an Eero already and you want fast and reliable internet without spending time on setup and maintenance get this one (or a smaller bundle for a smaller house).
Eero is easy to setup (same as the older one) and is very reliable but a Mesh network is not magic, if you have an older house with chicken-wire in the walls or shielding in the floors you will still need to connect each of them to a cable. Just test it, it might work without but the good thing of Eero is that you have that option and it works perfectly, also during setup. This bundle allows all three devices to be connected to a cable, if you don't need that or have a smaller house, get the cheaper bundle. These ones don't have the USB port anymore so you cannot use it to charge your phone or Fitbit and it will never have the option to connect a hard-disk unless you buy a separate NAS.
I also have tried Google Wifi which is a bit slower and unreliable (one died after 30 days, a real hassle to get it replaced, they only want to give a refund for a third of the value for which I cannot buy another unit) and the Linksys Velop which would constantly disconnect the Ring Doorbell and then it lost settings which was extremely painful to setup from the beginning (got rid of it after two days).
Some feature requests if somebody from Eero is reading this, I will give another star if one of these features is implemented:
1) Make it possible to setup a third network besides main and guest. A special one for IOT devices, I don't want my doorbell on my internal network and also not on the guest network, just let those IOT devices connect to the internet, not each other or anything else.
2) Make it possible to prevent certain devices to access the internet, like my printer, I would like to access my printer from my main network but there is absolutely no reason for my printer to call home to HP.
3) Make it possible to limit the bandwidth of the guest network, 5 down and 2 up should be enough, if so I can be a good net-citizen and can leave off the password so anyone can use it.
4) Expose the list of MAC addresses on an API, so you can auto populate it and remotely monitor new devices.
5) Make VPN easy, partner with one of those cheap VPN providers so they can make an one step setup that will enable the Eero to have a persistent VPN connection going out (auto-re-connect), in the App you should be able to select which device(s) needs to go over that VPN channel or block it from accessing internet.
We had such terrible wifi in our house from the moment it was installed. This was using the $200 gateway we have to use with our xfinity cable with phone. We have a three level house, and the router is on the top level. We had spotty internet on the main level, with so much buffering on our Firestick that I usually gave up trying to watch anything with it. We had a terrible connection on the lower level--nearly impossible. We had no wifi to speak of outside the house. About three weeks ago, we installed our Eero system. It took a few minutes. I bridged the gateway, so our wifi is solely via Eero. It's almost miraculous, seriously. We're getting download speeds in the 80's-90's throughout the entire house. I did a speedtest this morning out on the deck, and I got 89.11 down and 13,79 up. This was money well spent! I'd give 10 stars if I could. Total game changer!!!
Feature Product
- WHOLE HOME WIFI SYSTEM: eero Pro WiFi System (3 eero Pros) replaces the traditional WiFi router, WiFi extender, and internet booster by covering a 5+ bedroom home with fast and reliable internet powered by a mesh network.
- eero SECOND GENERATION: With the most intelligent mesh WiFi technology and powerful hardware, the eero 2nd generation WiFi system is 2x as fast as the original eero WiFi. Backwards compatible with 1st generation eeros.
- CUTTING EDGE HOME WIFI: Unlike the common internet routers and wireless access points, eero automatically updates once a month, always keeping your home WiFi system on the cutting edge.
- MESH NETWORK: Powered by proprietary TrueMesh technology, the eero mesh WiFi network leverages multiple wireless access points to create an incredibly dependable internet experience, all on a single mesh WiFi system.
- QUICK & EASY SETUP: Replacing your old WiFi router has never been easier than with the eero Whole Home WiFi System. Set up takes minutes and the companion mobile app makes managing your home WiFi simple and intuitive.
Description
The ultimate Wi-Fi experience. The Pro systems comes with three eeros. Their built in Ethernet ports and powerful tri-band mesh make this system the perfect solution for work from home professionals, entertainment systems, and homes with Ethernet wiring. Ios requirements: device running iOS 8.0 or later, Android requirements: device running Android 4.3 or later (tablets included). the Pro system is powered by true mesh, the software and mesh routing algorithm at the Core of every Eero. It’s the next generation of wireless mesh technology, custom-built from the ground up to work perfectly with Eero. Taking full advantage of the hardware, it means that your Wi-Fi is not only fast and resilient, but also intelligently adapts to your home.
It all starts with strong, reliable and secure WiFi coverage!!!
When I decided to build a smart home ecosystem, my thoughts were to build from the outside in, thus allowing me to ensure greatest device flexibility and compatibility for future expansion. I studied and followed reviews of every available mesh system for 3 months before making a decision.
Choosing Eero and Eero Plus has proven to be the single most important choice as the backbone of my operation.
Prior to Eero, WiFi in my home was horrendous. I have always subscribed to very high speed (.5-1G) internet but could never get more than 2-3% performance from it. Everything on our system would buffer constantly, even standing next to the router. Now we have no dropped signals and achieve 80-90% even in the backyard and front street. None of the devices on our system experience buffering.
The idea of mesh was enough to sell me on Eero, but considering the low fee for having Eero Plus as the all inclusive anti-virus for every device on my network was icing-on-the-cake. I’ve found that many people don’t understand the importance of having active antivirus, phishing, bot, spy and malware protection for every device on their network. Especially televisions, locks, thermostats, WiFi plugs and switches as these devices are highly susceptible to being hacked. Eero provides live protection from these attacks.
The sprinkles are the ability to “lock-down” and limit my teenagers use, guest access and viewable content. Might I add that customer service is impeccable. It really does seem like this system would have been invented by Apple. The Team at Eero gives “live” support. Having added Alexa and compatible components, I have designed a highly complex yet simple to operate smart home ecosystem.
**Update** Dec 18, 2017**
Eero Plus has gone above and beyond by allowing me to add their "anti-everything" to the three laptops that frequently leave my home. This means that while out on wifi-hotspots Eero is actively working to ensure my device/data integrity.
Hands down best mesh system and customer serivce (period)
I have a two level, 1900sq ft condo. Apple router for years has been o'l steady. Easy to set up and maintain, but as I've added more and more devices and put more demand on it (like big TV upstairs) it just seems tired. I get stutter or just very poor connection; have even used turned off the wifi on my iphone sometimes when in bed at night because it can't keep up with Instagram etc.
So I've been ready for a modern solution. There are a few companies making these so-called mesh systems and I tried the 1st gen Eero without luck. Actually boxed it up and sent it back the first day. I need something that works and works right out of the box. I don't want to spend time with tech support and blah, blah, blah. Too busy for that.
Since Amazon makes it easy, I went ahead and took a chance on version 2. Due to the first trouble I had, I planned on following the instructions one step at a time to give it the best chance of working. The software is really nice this round. I had an easy time with it. And I got better guidance on placement of the beacons. I am now "solid" throughout the house with multiple users and no hiccups after 3 days. Plan on selling my Apple router because this is just a lot better.
I have had my Eero network running for about 6 weeks, and I can say that I am fully satisfied. All the interference with my neighbors wifi is no longer an issue, and since I finally optimized the topology, I haven't had one instance of buffering while streaming a video on my FireTV. That being said, the network did take some effort in finding a configuration that worked in my home.
When I first installed the eero network, I placed the gateway and beacons symmetrically down the central hall of my home. After a few hours, first one and then the other beacon would go offline. After at least an hour with customer support, we determined that one of the radios on the gateway was faulty. I replace the gateway, and the network was more stable, but I experienced lags and buffering on my TV. After a few days, one of the beacons went off line. I tried running with only one beacon and the gateway but eventually the other beacon went off line as well. Additionally, I had trouble keeping our Nest camera connected. The eero network kept trying to connect using a 5Ghz channel through an exterior wall. Outside, there were so many other 5Ghz signals from the neighbors that the camera would constantly drop off the network. At this point I was getting frustrated. I then tried setting up the network, not based upon room location and physical distance between eero devices, but based upon client connection distances and obstructions. I place one beacon right next to my TV and far away from the Nest camera. The other beacon I placed at the other end of the house to service a laptop. With this configuration, the eero network constantly uses a 2.4Ghz channel to connect to the nest camera, and I have not had the camera drop since the change. The TV has worked for over 3 weeks with no buffering issues, and I have full (100Mbs) connectivity everywhere in my home. All beacons are now stable and have not dropped since the change. I am now a very happy camper.
The eero system works well if you take the time to find the optimum topology for your setup. The trick for me seemed to be to not place the beacons so they were equal signal strength from any one client. The client device kept switching back and fourth between the beacons and the gateway, and eventually one of the beacons would drop. One feature that eero could add would be to allow a way to tell the mesh network to only use 2.4Ghz channels for selected devices. The eero app is a perfect place to add this feature. Also the placement suggestions on the eero website are, in my opinion, too simplistic. Home coverage is just one variable. As I discovered, placing the beacons based upon where the clients are is also very important.
In summary, I almost rated this 5 stars because in the end my network seems to work flawlessly, but I think a few improvements could be made to the app to allow some user customization of channels, and some feedback when devices are seen switching between nodes frequently. Incidentally, eero support was also very good. The people I spoke with were helpful and knowledgable. Eero is a good choice for improving wifi coverage.
I purchased the eero Pro WiFi System to replace my aging Apple AirPort Extreme AC access points, which were causing me problems. While maximum speeds on the AirPorts were quite high, I found that they were not easily sustainable and my devices would achieve speeds that were wildly different throughout the day, failing to take advantage of my fast gigabit internet connection by delivering speeds, on average, of ~150 Mbps down and up. Eero has been a highly respected player in the home WiFi game for some time now, so I decided to bite the bullet and jump into mesh WiFi technology with what is regarded as the best (though not cheapest) option. I am not disappointed!
HOME WIFI SYSTEM: eero replaces your existing WiFi access points/router, but not the modem that may be required by your internet service provider (ISP). Simply put, eero is your new WiFi solution, providing you with more flexibility in placement and coverage than what your ISP gives you, without clunky additions like network extenders. You manage everything through the eero app, which securely authenticates you and allows you to see which devices are connected, how much network traffic they are using, and which eero node they are connected to. I’ll get into more details about the app below. Security and feature updates happen automatically, so you can stop worrying about that while still keeping your network and devices secure, and gaining new features along the way.
DESIGN: I absolutely love the way these things look. Apple did a great job with their AirPort devices, but I much prefer eero’s thin and squat frame to the taller design of many other access points. The soft white light on the front that shows you everything is working great is nice, and can be turned off in the app if you prefer. Unfortunately each eero Pro node has just two ethernet ports on the back, which means I had to buy a couple of switches to allow me to plug in devices like my PlayStation 4, Arlo security cameras, desktop PC, etc. Most other brands offer more ports than this, but most people will probably not notice.
MESH WIFI TECHNOLOGY PERFORMANCE: This is the crown jewel of the eero WiFi System, and what differentiates it from most other WiFi systems. This mesh system allows each eero node to intelligently speak to other nodes and your devices, determining the best path for the connection to take to ensure you get the best speeds possible around your home. In real world terms this means that I never have to think about how well my devices will perform as I move around the house. I get insanely awesome coverage from my backyard, basement, main level, porch, and upstairs - and can often use my connection at the park across the street. Speeds vary once I get outside (my house has brick exterior walls), but eero powers through the lathe and plaster, and drywall walls that make up the interior of my house. Coverage issues are not a worry any longer. These pro units are incredibly powerful and do not disappoint in any situation I use them in.
QUICK & EASY SETUP: This is no lie. From start (opening the package) to end (running my first speed test), I invested around 10-15 minutes. I just opened things up, plugged the first unit I grabbed into my first ethernet cable, and watched as the eero app handled everything. I was prompted for a network name and password, and then saw the app take over to get everything configured. After my first eero was set up and turned into the gateway (main) unit, I was asked if I wanted to set up other devices. I went ahead with my next Pro unit, and literally just connected it to power. The app detected it and configured it for my network quickly and automatically. I repeated this process for my third and final unit. Super easy. No configuration beyond the basics is required, and I almost couldn’t believe how quickly I was done. Even the most inexperienced users can get this running in minutes.
WIFI SPEED: I have a gigabit internet connection from Verizon FiOS and while I understand that gigabit speeds are not achievable on home WiFi systems, I wanted to get as close to the theoretical maximum as possible. With my eero Pros I consistently get download speeds around 300-400 Mbps both down and up, depending on where I am located. The closer I am to my gateway (main unit) the faster speeds go, but even through the satellite nodes I am capable of maintaining these speeds. I am just not seeing the usual speed drop-off that tends to happen when you are connecting through satellite WiFi units and not the main base station. Impressive!
MOBILE APP: eero’s app is top of its class. It is easy to use, responsive, and allows for advanced customization (if you want) from anywhere. I love that I can monitor my network and make changes to it while away from my home, allowing me to easily see who is connected and what is using bandwidth on my network. From setup to maintenance the app has everything covered in an elegant but powerful solution.
EERO PLUS: This is a new feature that eero began offering, and I find it well worth the $99 per year fee. This is a completely optional service, but expands the capability of your network significantly. The hallmark feature of Plus is its “Advanced Security” feature, which protects your devices connected to your eero network from accessing malicious websites or services and, if you are already infected, can help prevent the spread of the infection or functionality of the virus by blocking its ability to communicate over the internet. This is especially helpful for smart home devices, which are notoriously vulnerable to hacking. It won’t stop everything, but definitely beefs up your internet security. Next, a new beta feature that blocks ads at the network level was recently introduced. This prevents most ads in websites from being displayed - not only speeding up your browsing but also helping to keep you secure by blocking malicious ads that might try to install spyware or track you without permission. Super cool!
In addition to those great standard features of eero Plus, eero is also introducing new benefits to Plus users in December 2017. This includes free access to 1Password, a super secure and handy password manager, and a VPN app. The VPN keeps your devices secure when you are outside of your network, allowing you to use free WiFi hotspots at Starbucks and hotels (and more) securely. It is an incredible deal and almost pays for the cost of eero Plus!
VALUE: eero is not the cheapest WiFi solution by any means, but it will save you in other ways. eero makes WiFi “set it and forget it”. I don’t have to think about WiFi anymore. It just works, and it’s fast. Constantly rebooting your router is something you’ll stop doing the second you get your eero network set up. New features and updates are happening all the time (especially for Plus users!), which only goes to increase its value over the long lifetime I expect with these. At nearly $500, you can absolutely find cheaper options out there. These alternatives lack eero’s awesome mesh networking, and often have unintuitive user interfaces that require learning to use.
I decided to save myself time and hassle and just spring for this Pro System. It was the most expensive networking solution I’ve ever purchased, but also the one that has made me the happiest.
I replaced a DIY WiFi setup for my 5700 sq ft home with Eero. I'm an IT professional with networking experience, so getting WiFi to cover the house was never a real problem, but AP saturation was becoming an issue with all the kids phones, tablets, laptops, etc. and I needed to do something to replace my older Netgear units. I evaluated Oorbi, Linksys mesh, Ubiquiti, and Eero, as well as building a mesh myself again. I wanted wireline backhaul (I have CAT6 throughout the house and specific Access Point locations with Ethernet connections at each one) so I decided to go with Eero as it is one of the few systems providing this feature. This system is VERY simple to setup, but for IT pros it might be a smidge too simplistic. Everything is done via a phone app, and getting to the details can be difficult if you have any issues. If you have a standalone firewall you will likely have to run in bridge mode, which will also remove many of the more advanced features of the system. One of the frustrating things about this system (again for someone with IT experience) is that it can ONLY be managed via the phone app, there is no deeper or more advanced web or desktop management interface and the company's development roadmap doesn't include one nor do they seem to care about the customer requests for one.
That said, since installing, I've had zero issues with WiFi coverage and unlike my DIY setup where occasionally devices wouldn't cross AP boundaries properly, this is seamless and works flawlessly every time, even for my guest WiFi SSID, which can sometimes be challenging in other systems to get working properly.
This is a great, though expensive system.
