Jimmie
Recycles dryer sheets
I thought people might find this review worthwhile. We decided it was time to replace our inexpensive TP-Link AS-3000 wifi router with something much better. Vast majority of our electronics that need an internet connection are wifi-connected vs hard wired. TV streaming has been having issues with buffering, plus wanted the ability to use the new router to block certain domains from my network traffic. For information purposes, we have a reliable 500MB Xfinity Internet service. Currently, we have 14 devices needing wifi access to the Internet, but only two are Wi-Fi 6E devices (both LG TVs).
I decided on the latest generation two unit Eero Pro 6E system, which means one unit will serve as the official Internet gateway to my Xfinity Internet service and the other will be a normal mesh wifi device (mastered by the Eero gateway device). These two devices can cover 2000-4000 sq ft. I placed one device in the top floor, SW corner and the other on bottom floor, NE corner. My home is a two-story 2600 sq ft home.
You have to download/install the Eero phone app (or the Eero tablet app) to install the Eero router and manage your network after installation. You also have to create an Eero account using the downloaded app. I found the installation experience to be very simple to complete. My technical ability is intermediate level as it applies to computer networks & network devices, so my installation experience should be judged from that perspective.
The installation process starts with activating the Eero gateway device. You begin by opening the phone/tablet app, logging in, then following the easy to understand steps presented by the Eero installation wizard. Instructions are clear and easy to navigate. You will be asked unplug the power cord to your Internet modem towards the end of the process and then plug the power cord back in. Once done with the gateway device and it's successfully communicating with Eero servers through the Internet, you will select the option to add another Eero device to the network. Follow the same screen-by-screen instructions as before to provision the new Eero wifi mesh device until it is successfully communicating the Eero servers over the Internet.
One interesting aspect of the Eero Pro 6E network devices is that it is now not necessary to run ethernet cable between the Eero gateway device and the Eero wifi mesh device. They now communicate using the built-in Wi-Fi 6E signal. I believe running ethernet cable instead of using the WiFi 6E signal is still a viable option if desired, but I can state that the 6E network running inside my house is plenty fast for our streaming purposes. Note, there is very little you can change or adjust using the phone/tablet app. That means you won’t inadvertently break it. Unfortunately, it also means there is very little you can change or adjust.
We've been using the new wifi router for over a month now and have had no issues whatsoever. DW no longer complains about our home network. I can pick up a phone wifi signal from my home wifi network over 200 ft down the street from where I currently live. The Eero network provides a main wifi network and a guest network, both on separate VLANs. It also doesn't provide separate 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz wifi networks. The Eero devices band steer the 2.4 & 5 Ghz signal bands into one main signal.
PROs: Easy to install, great wifi signal strength, Eero devices now communicate via wifi 6E signal (no need to run ethernet cable between devices), easy to manage network with phone/tablet app, can block URLs by domain, great network reporting (have to subscribe to Eero Plus service), can create reserved IP addresses for those devices that require it (Pi-hole for example)
CONs: It's expensive, can't create additional VLANs (e.g. network for just IoT devices), can't use a smart/managed switch in your home network unless you really know how to set it up
I decided on the latest generation two unit Eero Pro 6E system, which means one unit will serve as the official Internet gateway to my Xfinity Internet service and the other will be a normal mesh wifi device (mastered by the Eero gateway device). These two devices can cover 2000-4000 sq ft. I placed one device in the top floor, SW corner and the other on bottom floor, NE corner. My home is a two-story 2600 sq ft home.
You have to download/install the Eero phone app (or the Eero tablet app) to install the Eero router and manage your network after installation. You also have to create an Eero account using the downloaded app. I found the installation experience to be very simple to complete. My technical ability is intermediate level as it applies to computer networks & network devices, so my installation experience should be judged from that perspective.
The installation process starts with activating the Eero gateway device. You begin by opening the phone/tablet app, logging in, then following the easy to understand steps presented by the Eero installation wizard. Instructions are clear and easy to navigate. You will be asked unplug the power cord to your Internet modem towards the end of the process and then plug the power cord back in. Once done with the gateway device and it's successfully communicating with Eero servers through the Internet, you will select the option to add another Eero device to the network. Follow the same screen-by-screen instructions as before to provision the new Eero wifi mesh device until it is successfully communicating the Eero servers over the Internet.
One interesting aspect of the Eero Pro 6E network devices is that it is now not necessary to run ethernet cable between the Eero gateway device and the Eero wifi mesh device. They now communicate using the built-in Wi-Fi 6E signal. I believe running ethernet cable instead of using the WiFi 6E signal is still a viable option if desired, but I can state that the 6E network running inside my house is plenty fast for our streaming purposes. Note, there is very little you can change or adjust using the phone/tablet app. That means you won’t inadvertently break it. Unfortunately, it also means there is very little you can change or adjust.
We've been using the new wifi router for over a month now and have had no issues whatsoever. DW no longer complains about our home network. I can pick up a phone wifi signal from my home wifi network over 200 ft down the street from where I currently live. The Eero network provides a main wifi network and a guest network, both on separate VLANs. It also doesn't provide separate 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz wifi networks. The Eero devices band steer the 2.4 & 5 Ghz signal bands into one main signal.
PROs: Easy to install, great wifi signal strength, Eero devices now communicate via wifi 6E signal (no need to run ethernet cable between devices), easy to manage network with phone/tablet app, can block URLs by domain, great network reporting (have to subscribe to Eero Plus service), can create reserved IP addresses for those devices that require it (Pi-hole for example)
CONs: It's expensive, can't create additional VLANs (e.g. network for just IoT devices), can't use a smart/managed switch in your home network unless you really know how to set it up
