We ’re all immobilise at home plate sharing broadband for the foreseeable future with no conclusion in good deal , and our internet setups need some help . You might be take care at mesh routers as a solution to aid blanket your planetary house with WLAN and ensure that every Zoom meeting , online form , and practical exercise session plump off without a hitch .
Amazon recentlyrefreshedits mesh batting order with theEero 6 , and it ’s a compelling offer at its cost , provide you do n’t need full gigabit focal ratio . It has a favorable mobile app and integrated smart home support through Alexa , too , and its compatibility with Wi - Fi 6 can help route all that gridlocked internet dealings that ’s adding to the discord at home .
Eero 6
Photo: Florence Ion/Gizmodo
What is it ?
An update to Amazon ’s mesh wireless local area connection router with WiFi 6 compatibility and an integrated Zigbee wireless for smart family integration .
Price
Truly, this is what the Eero 6 looks like: a rectangular puck amongst a mess of cables.Photo: Florence Ion/Gizmodo
$ 130 for a router , $ 200 for a router and one extender , $ 280 for a router and two extenders .
Like
It ’s an low-priced way of life to get future tense - proof mesh networking in your home .
Truly, this is what the Eero 6 looks like: a rectangular puck amongst a mess of cables.Photo: Florence Ion/Gizmodo
Do n’t like
Only one unornamented Ethernet jackass mean you ’re limited to how many devices you could hardwire into the router .
The Eero 6 looks a pile like its predecessor . It has the same angular aim , help it stand up out from the current sea of circular mesh routers washing over the grocery store . But do n’t expect something that blends in with the backdrop — specially not with the gargantuan Eero logotype emblazoned on top . No matter where you put the Eero , it ’s obvious there ’s a contrivance among the trinkets on the bookshelf . At the very least , you could turn off the status light to keep it from appeal attention .
The Eero 6 router is the only unit with an extra Ethernet jack for hardwiring. The extenders do not have Ethernet jacks.Photo: Florence Ion/Gizmodo
The Eero 6 is compatible with 802.11ax , the technical name forWi - Fi 6 . The newest coevals of wifi is currently still in its cant phase , but once it ’s more widely usable , it will earmark for loyal internet speeds — conceive streaming 8 K video — as well as more throughput , which is all-important when deal with dozens of equipment on the same connection . It ’s a good estimation to start plan for Wi - Fi 6 ’s eventual safety blitz into the market by choosing products that support it .
The Eero 6 is treble - stripe , volunteer both 2.4 gigacycle per second and 5GHz for devices to hop-skip on . Many high - ending Wi - Fi 6 - ready mesh routers utilize tri - band apparatus , with the redundant band accommodating dealings between 5GHz devices and maintain those speed consistent even as others lumber on . Wi - Fi 6 also enable more devices to get to the connection concurrently , and though the Eero 6 can do that , it does so at fluctuating speeds .
you could buy the Eero 6 as a undivided equipment to plug into your modem or as apack of three , which let in two wifi extenders . One Eero 6 unit covers up to 1,500 square feet and supports up to 900 Mbps broadband velocity . If you prefer for the three - pack , Amazon then anneal its estimation down to 500 Mbps speeds . From what I noticed through testing , the advertised focal ratio are within the ballpark , so you ’re secure to choose your shape based on Amazon ’s numbers .
The Eero app is super easy to use, but some of its helpful features require a monthly subscription to unlock.Photo: Florence Ion/Gizmodo
The Eero 6 also include a Zigbee radio so that you could connect fresh locks and smart bulbs directly through Alexa without a dedicated hub , plus support for Thread - tie in devices . unluckily , I had no available wise gadgets to try this functionality , so I ca n’t speak to the Eero 6 as a smart home hub . But unlike theNest Wifi , which has a mike built into the mesh node to call on the Google Assistant , the Eero 6 is not a smart speaker , and link your Amazon invoice is optional , provided you do n’t buy it through Amazon . If it ’s the barren cargo ships you ’re after with Prime , make trusted to gift the Eero 6 to yourself to bypass the account linking .
I was bummed to see the extenders do n’t propose Ethernet old salt of their own , which means no hardwiring of play consoles , swarm set - top boxes , or computers place far away from the main router . If you need hardwiring in other parts of the house , the Eero 6 is not an option .
specify up the Eero 6 is quick and easy . Plug the primary Eero 6 building block into the modem with the include Ethernet cable length , then to a tycoon outlet with the include USB - C overseas telegram , and theEero app(also foriOS ) will take tending of the rest . I name the mesh , foot a password , and then summate an extender upstairs in the bedroom and toward the very back of the house in the dining room . It involve about 30 minutes to get everything up and running .
The Weekly Data Usage Report really is enlightening, especially if you’re paying for capped broadband.Photo: Florence Ion/Gizmodo
You get a 30 - mean solar day trial for both plan before you commit . If you ’re fresh to this rooms of internet privacy apps , Eero Secure+ is a friendly means to initiate yourself . The price is worth it alone just for 1Password , which already cost $ 8 for a business enterprise account covering a whole house and which I should have signalise up for a long prison term ago . But it ’s deserving noting that Encrypt . Me ’s VPN service has only so - so reviews , with most of the Simon Marks against its strange logging practices — odd given the level of a VPN is to have namelessness . Though you may also apply the VPN to lumber into Netflix in other nation and watch their stuff . MalwareBytes is a slight well off in the ratings section . Overall , Eero Secure+ is an easygoing means to economise money on item-by-item membership if you ’re not already get married to a particular VPN or password bank vault .
I did n’t set up any of the supererogatory service afforded through Eero Secure Plus , though I did test out the security system and concealment features . you may view how many time the Eero 6 identify and jam threats through the Activity tablet in the mobile app . I establish it elucidate to see how often the Eero 6 glance over something nefarious . In one instance , the Eero 6 identified an SMS phishing attack that had fare through to my speech sound . Or at least , I think it did . There are n’t any actual specifics on the threat that the Eero 6 identifies , so even though there ’s a graphical record of data to illustrate constant threats to your internet , there ’s little intel on what it is .
The Eero 6 three - pack is designed for home with net connections up to 500 Mbps . I pay for gigabit speed and have a modem that accommodates that , and there was at least one lately - nightspeed testI have on record that measured over 600 Mbps . But it was never like that during my household ’s busiest hours , where we average about 185 Mbps between rooms , with the obvious spicy spot being where the laptops and smartphones were closest to the understructure . Still , throughout my 1,700 - solid - foot , two - story home , the wireless fidelity stayed coherent , even out in the service department where I have connected appliances .
Toward the end of my week of testing , my usual Dropbox transactions seemed to move a little faster . At one degree , I downloaded 3 GB of audio files to my laptop computer in a minute — about 30 seconds quicker than what I typically have with my first - contemporaries Google Wifi setup . Anyway , the literal welfare to Wifi 6 is not in its top speeds , which are mostly theoretical ; it ’s that it leave the Eero 6 to communicate with laptop , tv , smartphones , security tv camera , and other smart gadgets simultaneously .
The best part of the Eero 6 is the fellow app . It ’s friendly and approachable , and you’re able to jolly much pat on anything to get more data , like which ring your twist is plug in to at any given instant , as well as their single IP addresses . My favorite part is the aggregated readout of hebdomadal internet usance , which is improbably helpful if your monthly net bill is crest . I also care how light it is to add a fresh profile for connected devices around the house . There is a freestanding choice for sum up a guest meshing , which will be helpful when we can start having people over again . And if you have kids who are detain up too tardily on the net , you’re able to rig up maternal control and content filter for their specific twist , provided you ’re make up for Eero Secure .
There are some beta feature of speech in the Eero app that you could turn on through Eero Labs . They include enabling WPA3 , local DNS lay away , and stria steering , which interchange your gadget between 5GHz and 2.4GHz depending on coverage . But I opted out of the beta features — particularly isthmus steering , since I ’ve so many smart devices that are 2.4GHz only .
The Eero 6 is very much an first appearance - horizontal surface mathematical product for those who have n’t yet take in mesh networking . It ’s also a honorable choice if you desire something that supports new engineering science rather than ask an acclivity down the line . For full Gb support , Amazon extend theEero 6 Pro , which costs $ 100 more — more than $ 300 extra for the three - pack — and has the requisite tri - band that takes full reward of the specification . Unfortunately , it does n’t offer supernumerary Ethernet jacks , so this is n’t a system for sophisticated setups either . Mesh routers like theTP - Link Deco X20might be more to your liking for included Ethernet ports , and it ’s about the same price for a pack of three . Or you may invest a whopping $ 700 for something like the tri - bandNetgear Orbi WiFi 6 . But for most households , the Eero 6 is enough to turn in the net speeds you ’re paying for while also enabling a bit of extra functionality , like smart home control .
README
Wi - Fi 6 compatibility signify the Eero 6 is ready for secure internet hurrying , though this special mannikin tops out at 500 Mbps if you prefer for the three - pack .
No Ethernet ports on the Eero 6 is a severe bummer for gamers and smart home maestros who want things to be plug in directly to the router .
You ’ll have to pay $ 3 a month for Eero Secure if you want parental and content controls .
Alexa integration is optional but fully functional through a compatible smartphone or smart utterer .
If you ’re look to upgrade your existing Eero setup , the Eero 6 will work with old devices .
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