The devices inside look identical, but they aren't - one is designed to serve as the main router, and along with the USB-C power port, it includes two gigabit Ethernet jacks, one of which you'll wire to your modem. Ry Crist/CNET Design and specsĪrriving in a tidy, rectangular box, the Eero 6 three-pack makes a decent first impression. The Eero 6 range extender (right) doesn't include Ethernet jacks at all. The Eero 6 router (left) includes two gigabit Ethernet jacks, one of which you'll wire to your modem. That's a key feature if you want a mesh router that gets the most out of Wi-Fi 6 - and the dual-band Eero 6 doesn't have it. And note that all three of those alternatives are tri-band routers that include the usual 2.4 and 5GHz bands, plus a second 5GHz band dedicated to moving data between the router and its satellites. If you're paying for internet speeds any faster than that, then you'll want a mesh router that's designed to take advantage of them, like the Netgear Orbi AX6000 ($700 for a two-pack), the Asus ZenWiFi AX ($450 for a two-pack), or Amazon's own upgrade model, the Eero Pro 6 ($600 for a three-pack). For starters, though Amazon now says Eero 6 can hit top speeds of up to 900 Mbps, those top speeds are limited enough that Amazon initially recommended it for homes with internet connections of up to 500Mbps, well beneath what Wi-Fi 6 is capable of. Mesh networking and Wi-Fi 6 can indeed make for a pretty killer combination, but Eero 6 comes with some caveats. Meanwhile, a two-piece setup with the Eero 6 router and one range-extending satellite costs $199.Īn Eero 6 three-pack costs $279. It's the second new version of the Eero mesh router since Amazon acquired the company, and it adds in full support for Wi-Fi 6 while keeping the cost of a three-piece setup down at a reasonable $279 - just $30 more than the Wi-Fi 5 version sold for last year. Either one makes for a tempting upgrade - but hey, why not both?Įnter Eero 6, a new mesh router from the company that helped bring mesh to the mainstream several years ago, and which Amazon bought outright in 2019. The second is the arrival of Wi-Fi 6, the newest, fastest and most advanced version of Wi-Fi. The first is the rise of the affordable mesh router, with an abundance of new, multipoint Wi-Fi systems that cost a lot less than the initial crop of mesh routers did three or four years ago. There are two big, recent developments from the world of routers that are worth paying attention to. Poor band-steering and signal routing causes speeds to drop when they shouldn't Not fast enough to take full advantage of gigabit speeds Steady network performance with no dropped connections during testing You can also read Eero's blog post announcing the feature.Built-in Zigbee radio for pairing devices with Alexa "Eero Internet Backup can also detect when an outage is over and automatically switch your Eero network back to your original internet connection, giving you one less thing to worry about."Īmazon has revealed little else about how the feature works at this point, but press imagery suggests you will be able to control the feature within the Eero app, or at the very least set it up there.Ĭheck out Eero's support hub for Eero Internet Backup. "With Eero Internet Backup and a capable hotspot, you can enjoy HD video streaming, video conferencing, music streaming, or online gaming even during internet outages", Amazon explained. It'll be broadcasted throughout your home - so all your connected devices will stay online. When the internet goes down, you'll be able to switch your Eero network to your backup source. SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT What is Eero Internet Backup and how does it work?Įero Internet Backup is a new software feature that will allow Eero device users to set up a nearby mobile hotspot or another Wi-Fi network as a backup, including 2.4ghz and 5ghz networks.
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