Eero Router Review – A Deeper Look Into Mesh Wifi

Mesh wifi systems are becoming the norm at a time when people are spending more time in their homes, working, browsing, streaming movies and TV shows. Mesh wifi is very useful when you need to provide better speeds and a stable internet connection in all the house rooms.

The systems are currently used as an alternative to the traditional single router system, where people complained of dead spots in the house and unstable connections in rooms far from the router. So, does your home have poor connectivity in some areas? If yes, then there are countless reasons why you should consider a mesh wifi system. This brief covers information you want to know about mesh wifi and, most importantly, all you need to know about the Eero router.

Eero Router overview

Eero is credited for popularizing the mesh systems when they released their first product 5 years ago. Since their first action, the market has exploded with new and more advanced wifi mesh products. Over time, Eero has become so popular to the extent of being part of the Amazon Community. Recently, the company introduced faster second-generation systems. I have checked online for user comments and reviews about Eero products, tested the Eero products, and checked a couple of Eero alternatives to give you a good review.

I’ve noticed that this new Eero router is a top performer and very easy to use. It has proven that it can powerfully blanket the home in a strong and stable wifi signal. But still, many other competitors are hitting the market with better features and functionalities.

Eero is actually a mesh system that will bring the internet around the walls, across the rooms, and in all the house corners. The system uses multiple devices that work harmoniously to send Internet connections in all dimensions. This technology is known as TrueMesh technology. The last Eero mesh kit is built around inexpensive and small devices, but unfortunately, it lacks speakers and microphone, as it’s the case with Google Nest Routers. Now that this router is a follow-up of some of the best mesh wifi systems on the market, we had to spare enough time to test how good the router is and what it can deliver.

Why do you need Eero Router?

Most advantages of having a mesh router are very obvious. The Eero router can eliminate dead-spots in your house and ensure that every space is a hub of stable connectivity. Most homeowners don’t know that Mesh routers can provide the house with seamless roaming to ensure stable connections around the house.

The Eero Router equally improves the speed of the broadband. The speed is another plus point for mesh wifi. Seamless roaming eliminates one of the most popular pitfalls of using traditional routers. Even though a wifi extender can do the same work, you might not like the fact that you have to log out of some devices in order to log in to others. The Eero Router works as an interlocking network, meaning that you can connect other devices automatically and more efficiently.

Scalability is an added benefit of using Eero Router. Each node in the Eero router works as its own router. The nodes communicate and work with all the other systems to direct traffic. Some users choose to add or remove nodes as a way of scaling the traffic to fit the home. Additionally, it’s easy to add range to an existing network using mesh systems. Lastly, setting up mesh systems is very easy.

Eero router pros and cons

Pros

• It has a very simple setup and management
• Good wireless coverage
• Its relatively cheaper
• Wider range

Cons

• Not as fast as other alternatives
• The Alexa Integration is largely gimmicky

Eero Mesh router: Design

Amazon purchased eero in 2019, and the company has made significant improvements in its design. The company has engineered a smaller mesh kit and improved the performance of the router significantly. The prices for the routers have also come down to almost half of its previous versions. The design is important to some people, especially if you want a good device that would complement your interior design. It is a small white and rounded corners device that has been marked as the smallest design ever. It’s only 3.9” by 2.4”, which means it’s smaller than Google Nest and several other competitors. It’s very easy to hide if you don’t want it to be visible, but it’s still good enough to leave in the open.

The device is not available in many colors. Equally, it misses the opportunity to double as a smart speaker, as the case with Google Nest. It actually lacks the microphone, speaker, and audio amplifier. So, most people usually think of an echo speaker as an alternative to the house-wide sound system. The eero can also act as a router or an extension, which factors down to how the device is configured.

The Eero router has a pair of Gigabit RJ45 Ethernet ports. This is a step forward compared to the Nest wifi extensions. The units can either connect wireless or using an Ethernet cable. It also has a reset button on the bottom side that can help you clean the settings. Despite hitting the market recently, it can work with older Eero units. The company specifically says that there’s no limit to the number of Eero devices on a network. If you choose to go with more devices, each of them will cover 1,500sq feet, but the three-pack can cover the 5,000sq foot area. This is actually larger than most houses or apartments.

The devices are stuffed with powerful technology for both wireless and wired connections. Each of the units consists of three built-in antennas. They also have a Bluetooth version 5.0 that is used during configuration and setup. The Bluetooth can as well be used when communicating with the device. Lastly, the Eero Router used the Mu-MIMO to maximize the bandwidth and beamforming to transmit the data. Unlike most of its competitors, it lacks wifi 6 technology. The system uses a dual-band design, which is a noticeable improvement from the previous versions.

Performance and Speeds

The Eero devices consist of a 700-MHz squad core processor. This is half the speed of the processor used by Google Nest. It also has 4GB Flash storage and 512MB RAM. The router is one of the best in terms of performance. It has been put to a couple of tests by different users, and most of them claim that the router is a high performer. However, some of them claim that it’s an average router when it comes to performance. I like the fact that the router doesn’t heat up soon enough. During the test, the router did get near to warm to the touch. All the devices use 3.6 watts of power, which is half the power consumption of other major alternatives.

Some users claim that the Eero 6 doesn’t have good speeds. As a matter of fact, it is among the last routers on the list when speed is a consideration. It has slower average speeds than the Google Nest and Netgear Orbi AC1200 Versions.

The setup process

The setup process for the Eero router is a very easy thing. There’s actually very little to explain here. You just have to put the router on the modem and eventually to the power outlet. After that, you should follow the onboarding instructions provided on the App to name the network, choose a password and add the satellites. This might take 5-10 minutes to get the home wifi up and working.

This is not surprising news because most manufacturers concentrate on the ease of setup in the current world. But the Eero app is one added advantage that is not common with the competitors. The Eero app gives users all the tips and strategies to setup the system and manages settings. But you should equally note that the simplified setup process is an indication that the router has limited features.

Do you want to subscribe to the Eero secure? If yes, then this is a major consideration during the setup process. The Eero secure is a $3 per month plan that includes parental filters and blocking some websites, which is necessary for parental control. You can as well choose the $10 Eero Secure plan, which comes with additional benefits such as adding password management to five of the family members, VPN access using the encrypt.me and periodic anti-virus scans for up to three devices in the household.

Eero Router Alternatives and Competition

We have already learned that the Eero router is of great value for people looking to blanket their entire home with Strong wifi connections. However, the matter of speed and performance has been in question. So what are some of the most effective alternatives to Eero Router?

Nest wifi

Nest wifi is the most viable alternative to Eero Router. The router became a breakout hit for its easy setup and the ability to improve on speed. It even doubles as a smart speaker and is relatively cheaper than most mesh routers on the list. On average, the Google Nest Router scored the best marks in terms of speed and performance. The two-piece setup offered enough range in 5,800 sq feet, and the signals were strong enough for a typical internet user.

NetGear Orbi AX6000

This router is a top performer currently selling on Amazon. However, it’s comparatively expensive and might be cumbersome to setup. The first selling point is the full support for the wifi 6 and a second 5GHz band. It’s one of the fastest routers for typical sized homes. With an incoming speed of 300Mbps, the Netgear Orbi AX6000 returned 289Mbps which means that the speeds to the furthest part of the house were up to 95% of the incoming speeds. Though, $700 is not a cheap price for the router. But recently, Netgear produced a cheaper version costing $450.

Asus ZenWi-Fi AX

The main reason why this router is on the list is that it has the best wifi 6 systems. It’s not as fast as the Netgear AX6000 described above, but it’s affordable and high performing. The router offers the same multi-gig WAN ports as the orbi 6. Another thing is the depth of control in the ASUS app. It lets users manage the network and customize it to their needs. The price is a great value for budgeters, and if you still don’t want to pay $450 for this router, you can go for the cheaper and smaller version of it known as ASUS ZenWiFi AX Mini.

FAQs

Do I really need wifi mesh?

If you wish to cover a home larger than 3,000 square feet, you might consider getting mesh wifi. The house probably has dead zones in some heavily trafficked rooms. Even those with smaller houses can also get mesh wifi to eliminate unstable connections from metal and glass doors and metal-framed walls.

Why is mesh wifi better?

A good mesh router can sling a speedy signal in a larger home. Regardless of the size of the entire home, you definitely want to establish speedy connections all-round it. Although extenders can help in this case, they have a couple of disadvantages that can be directly eliminated by mesh wifi.

Is mesh better than extenders?

Yes, mesh wifi is more seamless, quick to update, and efficient. The mesh systems work as complete replacements of the home wifi, which is different from extenders.

The verdict

Eero router retails at $279 currently for the three-piece system and $199 for a two-piece system, which shows that it’s a good value for mesh routers. The system is also popularly known for maintaining a steady connection. However, its average speeds suffered heavily. The speeds are enough to stream and browse, but the performance is incomparable to Google Nest and Netgear Orbi AC1200.