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If you live in a home with dreaded Wi-Fi dead spots, you know the frustration of slow or unusable Wi-Fi connections. Maybe that dead spot is in your family room, making you unable to stream videos. Or perhaps the dead spot is in your kid’s bedroom, making it more difficult for them to finish their homework. Or maybe that dead spot is in the backyard, where you wanted to escape to stream music.
eero is a device that can solve the problem of Wi-Fi coverage throughout your home. With an eero, your home can be bathed in a strong Wi-Fi signal, eliminating the problem of weak coverage.
Beyond extending your Wi-Fi network throughout your home, eero has other features to help you control your network. With eero, you can see who is on your Wi-Fi network, set up guest networks, and block devices from connecting to your network.
About eero
eero is a router that sends out a Wi-Fi signal and connects with beacons to extend the range of the signal. You control Eero through an app on your phone. This eero is the second generation router from the company.
eero includes a base unit that is the router, sending out the Wi-Fi signals to connect your devices to the Internet. To extend the signal coverage, the base unit connects to eero beacons that also send out Wi-Fi signals to your devices.
Setting up the eero network is quick and easy using the eero app. Connect the eero base unit to your modem (the device that brings the Internet into your home). Then plug the beacons into electrical outlets in the areas of your home that don’t get a strong Wi-Fi signal. The app walks you through the process.
Features of eero
In addition to eliminating Wi-Fi dead spots, eero comes with other features to give more control of your network. Using the eero app, you can see which devices are connected to your network. The app tells you the name of the device and what sort of device it is.
If you see a device you’d prefer not be on your network, you can block it using the app.
That ability to disconnect a device from your network can come in handy if you see an unknown device that happens to be poaching on your network, and when you have a child who might need a break from the Internet.
You can set up profiles in the app for family members, so you can see which of their devices are connected and easily disconnect all of a family member’s devices at once .
The app also lets you see whether each device is connected to the base unit or a beacon.
You set up a guest network using the app so you can let people log into your Wi-Fi without giving them your home network password. See eero help page to find out how to set up a guest network: How do I share my eero network with guests?
An added bonus of the beacons is that they come with a nightlight feature. You can adjust the nightlight, via the app, to turn on when the room is dark, or have it on or off constantly.
eero and Alexa
eero can also work with Alexa, Amazon’s digital assistant, so you can use voice commands to find your connected devices, turn the beacon’s night lights on or off, and pause the Internet. See, eero help page, How do I use Amazon Alexa with my eero WiFi system?
Note that when Alexa finds your device that’s connected to eero, Alexa tells you whether the device is connected to the eero base or which beacon it’s connected to in your Wi-Fi network.
My Test of Eero
After several of my favorite podcasts began running advertisements about the eero, I generously decided to get one for my dear husband. Our family room is his favorite place to hang out, but the Wi-Fi coverage there is weak to non-existent. That’s probably because our family room is an addition to the house and the Wi-Fi signal has to travel through two brick walls and a stone fireplace.
You cannot possibly imagine his delight when he opened his present of an eero on Christmas morning. (Actually, he didn’t quite express his delight until he found out just what an eero is…)
Setting up the eero was very quick using the app. In fact, my nephew Matthew who was visiting was eager to help and we had fun naming the network and the beacons, and setting up the system.
The only glitch we had in set up was placing a beacon in a spot in our home farthest from the eero router. The router couldn’t find the beacon. By moving the beacon slightly closer to the router, we were able to connect the beacon and get full Wi-Fi coverage for our house.
In about 10 minutes our house was fully covered in a strong Wi-Fi signal. My husband can now comfortably surf the Net from his comfy couch and we no longer have a Wi-Fi Black Hole in our home.
eero Plus
With an eero Plus account, you can do other things, such as put parental restrictions on your kids’ devices, restrict them to safe searches and filter their content. You can also schedule times to disconnect their devices from the Internet.
eero Plus also offers advanced protection from malware, viruses and hackers.
These extra services cost $99/year or $9.99/month and have a 30-day free trial period.
I have not tested eero Plus.
Eero Privacy Policy
An important part of network routers is privacy. The manufacturer of your router has access to what you do on the Internet and when and has access to your data. If you’re getting a new router, be sure to check out the privacy policy that comes with it.
Here is Eero’s statement about how it treats user data, including a link to their Privacy Policy: What type of data does eero collect and why?
Availability
eero is available with one or two beacons from:
- the eero website
- amazon.com (currently on sale)
Be sure to shop around to find either coupons or a sale on the eero. The base price is:
- $299 for the eero with one beacon
- $399 for the eero with two beacons
The company says the eero with one beacon is best for 1-2 bedroom homes and the eero with two beacons is best for three to five bedroom homes. I purchased the eero with two beacons from Best Buy in November for a sale price of $349.
A similar product that I have not yet had a chance to review is Google Wi-Fi.
Your Thoughts
Do you have Wi-Fi dead spots in your home? Do you want the power to disconnect devices from your Internet network? Do you like the idea of setting up a guest network for your home Wi-Fi?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
Apple HomePod
Those of you have been waiting oh so patiently for Apple’s HomePod smart speaker can rejoice. Apple announced this week that the HomePod will be released in the US, UK and Australia beginning February 9, with pre-orders beginning tomorrow, January 26.
The HomePod was originally scheduled to be launched in December 2017, but in November Apple announced that the release would be delayed until early 2018.
The price of the HomePod in the US is $349. Pre-orders will be available at the Apple HomePod page.
If you’re thinking of getting a HomePod, be sure to update your devices to iOS 11.2.5, which allows them to control HomePod.
