Eero is back again with their 2nd generation hardware and they remain my favorite whole home WiFi system. Packing tri-band WiFi radios with wall-to-wall coverage and featuring eero’s typical easy-as-heck setup, you can’t go wrong. In the quest for the best WiFi system for your home, you can stop looking once you’ve found eero. Read on to find out why.
You may remember our review of eero’s first iteration, where we heaped praise on eero for its ease of installation as well as the fact that it just simply works and works well. Spoiler alert: eero has only gotten better.
With the first iteration of their hardware, eero only had one form factor; a small rectangular router with two Ethernet ports and a power jack in the back. With their 2nd generation product, eero has upped the ante with a brand new form factor: A small plug-in style WiFi extender called an eero Beacon. eero still maintains their original form factor for the standard eero units, however. Here are the major differences between the eero and the eero beacon:
- The eero has a tri-band radio; broadcasting on the 2.4GHz, 5.2GHz, and 5.8GHz frequencies. The eero Beacon broadcasts only on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies.
- The eero has dual Gigabit Ethernet ports. The eero Beacon has no wired capabilities.
- The eero Beacon also has nightlight capabilities! There’s a small light bar on the bottom of the Beacon that, when the room darkens, automatically illuminates with a 10 lumen LED light. This is perfect for hallways outside of bedrooms.
- The eero can be plugged in using a USB C AC adapter. The eero Beacon needs to be directly plugged in to an outlet.
eero vs. eero Beacon
Rear of the eero
eero Beacon: Front
eero Beacon: Rear
Using eero’s TrueMesh technology, your WiFi signal seamlessly travels between all of your eero devices in any direction. This means that your eeros will spread your WiFi signal throughout your house, making sure you won’t lose service no matter where you are. Plus, eero’s TrueMesh technology also understands the signal strength of each eero and will calculate the best path from your device to the Internet. TrueMesh is the backbone to what makes eero’s mesh WiFi system truly seamless and easy to use.
Check out the screenshot gallery, below, detailing the installation process:
Eero was kind enough to send me their Home WiFi System that’s meant to cover a 2-4 bedroom home. This system retails for $399 and includes one eero and two eero Beacons. We have the eero set up in our living room, wired directly into our Verizon Fios router, which is on the very end of our long, split-level house. Next, we have one of the eero Beacons set up in the den on the lower level. Finally, we have the second eero Beacon set up in the bathroom of our master bedroom, upstairs all the way on the opposite side of the house from the main eero.
The setup was incredibly simple, just like the first time I reviewed eero’s system. Once the eero is plugged into the Ethernet, you use the eero app to set up the two eero Beacons and connect them to your eero network. You set the network name and password within the app and you’re good to go! Instantly I found my house blanketed with high-speed WiFi signal. I brought my iPhone all around our home and could not find a dead zone.
eero Beacon with the lights on
eero Beacon with the lights off
Eero’s app still has all of the great features it’s always had, including easy network maintenance, built-in speed testing, the ability to check device usage and diagnose network issues, the ability to schedule internet usage per device, as well as to easily share your WiFi network access information. Additionally, eero’s software has gotten even better with the advent of eero Plus, eero’s new home security system for your network. For an additional $9.99/month or $99/year, eero Plus protects your family from online threats, including anti-malware, anti-phishing, anti-ransomware, and anti-virus. Plus, it adds deeper content filtering for a kid-safe network and priority access to eero’s support experts.
The eero app’s main screen
I have one complaint with eero’s new hardware and that’s the fact that the eero Beacon is a plug-in style unit. This typically requires an open wall outlet, ideally with nothing plugged in below it to obstruct the nightlight. The reason I had to plug one of our eero Beacons in our master bathroom was that it was the only room upstairs where we had an open wall outlet. The eero Beacon severely limits the flexibility of where you can and cannot plug it in. If you try plugging it into a power strip, you’ll block at least two open outlets. Keep that in mind.
Flexibility aside, eero’s 2nd generation hardware keeps eero on top of the home WiFi system game in my opinion. With sleek hardware, widespread WiFi signal, and incredibly simple use, eero is a must-buy … if you can afford it. Eero’s hardware is quite pricey, but it’s worth every penny.
You can buy eero WiFi systems directly from eero’s website, at www.eero.com.
Source: The eero Home WiFi System was a manufacturer supplied review sample.
What I Like: Very easy installation; Feature-full app interface that’s easy to use; Blankets the house in WiFi with no dead spots
What Needs Improvement: eero Beacon requires an open wall outlet, power outlet is not ideal