eero Mesh WiFi (and wired) From a user's perspective

Summary

This is Harvey Rubinstein’s experience with setting up an eero Mesh WiFi network in his home.

Overview & Conclusion

I have 3 eeros ($499.00), rather than the 1 eero and 2 Beacons ($399.00).

- More/broader coverage

- More capability (12 devices)

- And I’m a sucker for always buying systems with more growth potential and advanced features, and our March guest speaker, Dave Hamilton, unofficially preferred that configuration.

Major differences between eero & Beacon-

Beacon:

- Dual-band, 2.4 & 5.2 Ghz

- No Auto-sensing ports

eero:

- Tri-band, 2.4, 5.2, & 5.8 Ghz (for more capability and less interference).

- 2 Auto-sensing ports for Wan or Lan connectivity.

• Notes:

- For Apple products, the eero app requires iOS 9.3

or later.

- eero is not compatible with Apple’s WiFi products.

- eeros & Beacons can be mixed & matched.

- Max Wifi download is 600 Mbps (wired is 1Gbps).

Setup:

Setup could not be easier (about 15 minutes).

Download the eero app, launch, and follow the simple iPhone instructions, e.g., name the units, select location, assign the network name and password.

A few tips are suggested, such as do not place on TV, stereo gear, higher is better than lower, etc.

I tried to keep them equidistant (apart) so they could easily “talk” to each other.

At each step, there is an affirmation that things are properly done before continuing to the next step.

One unit was DOA (2 days later) and was replaced the following day. Even operating on two units, my signal was as robust as ever. Support is excellent, but the initial phone queue may be long (about 10 minutes). Early morning (9-10 AM) seems best.

A few of the features:

The 2.4 GHz and 5.2 & 5.8 GHz signals are ever-present and the network selects the strongest. All my Apple products are using the 5.x GHz, but the AirPrint on my Epson printer uses the 2.4 GHz (as do all printers), so long-distance printing is available. I don’t know if my old AirPort Extreme did that.

My signal is MUCH stronger throughout my house. On my old system, the signal would drop precipitously with the distance from the Airport Extreme (5th Gen, 802.11n). With SuddenLink my plan is 100 Mbps down and 10 Mbps up. And indeed I got that at the modem. But in my living room, even with an AirPort Express, I was lucky to get 50 Mbps down & 5 Mbps up. Now, I get 107 down and 11 up. That’s exactly what the modem gets, and with no dropouts.

Very easy to create a Guest Network, just enable & give it a name and password. (Full privileges, but can’t access network files or stream audio to devices on main network). Once that’s done, very easy to toggle On & Off.

Can easily block anyone from using your network.

Numerous optional settings, even IPv6, which probably negates need for port forwarding.

All updates, including Security, are “pushed” to users.

Conclusion:

I give eero 3.5 stars: Minus .5 star for the DOA EERO and minus 1 star for a rare (yet to be resolved), drop-out problem.