I get a lot of readers asking about Wi-Fi in their homes and whether Wi-Fi extenders can help them cover dead spots.
My advice is to avoid cheap Wi-Fi extenders and spend the money on a mesh Wi-Fi router system, which uses two or more devices to cover all of your home or office.
If you work in a large office, or use the Wi-Fi in a hotel, hospital or university, you have used a mesh Wi-Fi system.
You might think your home isn’t big enough to need mesh, but Eero introduced affordable mesh systems for the home back in 2015.
Eero, bought by Amazon in 2019, continues to produce very easy-to-use mesh Wi-Fi systems.
I’ve been testing the Eero Pro 6 (starting at $229), which is the company’s newest and fastest system.
Eero Pro 6
The Eero Pro 6 uses tri-band Wi-Fi to allow for more ways for your devices to connect to your home network.
Wi-Fi runs on two wireless radio frequency bands — 2.4 gigahertz and 5 gigahertz.
Tri-band means Wi-Fi with one radio for 2.4 GHz and two radios for 5 GHz.
In this case, three bands are better than two. The Eero devices automatically figure out the fastest path for your wireless devices to connect to your home’s network and for the Eero devices to talk to each other.
The Pro 6 comes in three configurations with one, two or three access points. Each Pro 6 has two Ethernet ports and gets its power from a USB-C wall plug.
You have to connect the first Eero to your broadband modem with an Ethernet cable.
Any other Eeros can connect back to the first Eero wirelessly. You can use any open Ethernet ports to connect wired devices to your network.
You can add as many Eero devices as you need for your space. The system can handle up to 128 Eero devices.
How many do you need?
Each Eero Pro 6 device covers about 2,000 square feet, so you can plan accordingly for the size of your home. One Eero may be all you need. But if you’re considering mesh Wi-Fi, it’s likely because your existing Wi-Fi router doesn’t quite reach all areas of your home. Perhaps your broadband modem is in one end of the house and your home office is at the other end.
I’d recommend a configuration with two Eero Pro 6 devices to start. You can always add a third or fourth device as needed. They are a bit cheaper if you buy them in a two- or three-device kit, so you’ll save yourself some money if you buy more than one to start.
Setup
Eero has always been known for easy setup.
The setup and administration of the Eero system is done through an app on your iOS or Android device (phone or tablet).
Also, you should know Eero is designed to replace your current Wi-Fi router. It won’t work with your current router.
If you are like me and your broadband modem has a built-in Wi-Fi router, you’ll be setting up the Eero as a separate network. My old Wi-Fi network is still in place, I just don’t use it.
After you unpack the Eero devices, pick one, plug in the power and use the included cable to connect it to an Ethernet port on the back of your broadband modem.
Then download the free Eero app, set up an account and follow the onscreen instructions to configure the initial device.
You’ll have to give your Eero network a name and password.
Then you set up and place the other devices. The app will walk you through this as well.
If you have a dead spot, or a room with very spotty coverage, you’ll be tempted to set up the Eero in that room. The app will tell you if your placement is good in relation to your other installed Eeros.
The mesh devices have to be close enough to communicate with each other.
If the troublesome room is too far from the first Eero, you may be asked to try setting up the second one a bit closer to the first one.
Think about proper placement to cover the areas that need more signal.
If you want better coverage in the backyard, put an Eero in a room that faces the back yard and put it near a window. Note, the Eero is for indoor placement only. It’s not designed to be exposed to the elements.
You can place them on separate floors. But remember that they have to be close enough to talk to each other.
Once all the Eero Pro 6 devices are set up, your work is pretty much finished. You can sit back and enjoy the newer, faster Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi 6
The newest Wi-Fi standard, called 802.11ax or Wi-Fi 6, is fast. It is designed for gigabit networks like AT&T’s fiber internet service. Wi-Fi 6 is capable of transmitting data at speeds of more than a gigabit.
I have fiber internet, and speed tests show my download speed is around 950 Megabits-per-second (Mbps). The Eero Pro 6 Wi-Fi network connects to my MacBook Pro at 1,200 Mbps. This means the Eero Wi-Fi moves data a bit faster than my home network, which is great.
Do you need Wi-Fi 6 at home?
Wi-Fi 6 only works at the top speeds if you have devices (computers, phones, tablets) that also have Wi-Fi 6 radios inside.
You’ll have to check with your device’s manufacturer to know for sure.
My MacBook Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max both have Wi-Fi 6, so I knew I was ready for a Wi-Fi 6 system at home.
If your devices don’t have Wi-Fi 6, you won’t be seeing the fastest wireless speeds. But like any standard, Wi-Fi 6 will become more popular as new devices are introduced.
Also, if you don’t have gigabit (1,000 Mbps) internet service, but you’d still like mesh, you might be better off with Eero’s slower and cheaper systems.
You can check Eero.com for details and specifications.
Security subscription
Like many companies, Eero offers a subscription service to add additional security and convenience features.
There are two levels of subscription.
Eero Secure ($2.99 a month or $29.99 a year) helps protect your devices from threats, provides parental controls to filter content and an ad blocker for devices on the Wi-Fi network.
You also get activity reports and access to VIP support when you need help.
Eero Secure+ ($9.99 a month or $99 a year) includes all the above features, plus a license for password manager 1Password, a subscription to Malwarebytes to help scrub your computers of malware, a subscription to Encrypt.me, which is a virtual private network service to encrypt all your internet data and a subscription to DDNS, which is a service that allows for safe access to your network devices outside your home.
Secure+ is a pretty good deal, especially if you are paying for one or more of those services already (I am).
These subscriptions are optional and not necessary at all to use the Eero system.
App
The Eero app is your control center for the Eero network.
It is easy to see what devices you have connected and the network’s status.
You can check the usage of each device and run diagnostics on the whole setup.
The app is where you’d change the Wi-Fi password or set up guest access. Guest users can get on the internet, but not the rest of your connected devices.
Home Automation
Eero devices have a built-in Zigbee hub to connect compatible home automation devices to Alexa in your home. To use this feature, you link your Eero and Amazon accounts in the Eero app.
Conclusions
Eero is the system I recommend for most people who want a simple, but robust mesh Wi-Fi system throughout their home. You don’t have to be a technology columnist to set it up.
You can have it up and running in about 15 minutes and it is one of those gadgets that you won’t need to worry about — it just works.
Eero is also very good about keeping things up-to-date with fairly frequent software updates that happen behind the scenes.
There are other mesh systems that offer more features, but I have yet to find one that is as user-friendly as the Eero.
Pros: Simple to set up and expand. Easy control via app.
Cons: Some features are subscription-only.
Bottom Line: This is the system I recommend most often, and I use it in my home.
