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Amazon eero system - thoughts from a new user...

aj7642
On our wavelength

Afternoon all,

I couldn't find many articles on the Amazon eero mesh wi-fi system on this forum, so I thought I would take a moment to share my experiences. 

Having added a Virgin 200Mb Fibre connection to our house several weeks ago, I hadn't been able to make use of it until I stopped depending upon the Hub 3.0 (which, I'm sorry to say, is an insult to customers because it is the worst router I have ever used). I tried the boosters (well, one, and when I called to order a second, it never arrived so gave up).

I spent a week looking through various whole-home wi-fi systems, having decided to make a one-off investment in a decent system - Netgear Orbi, Linksys Velop, Nest Wi-Fi and Ubquiti AmpliFi. In the end, I took a punt and went with Amazon's Eero system.

The difference is night and day - I receive 150-200 mbit in every corner of our 7-bedroom, 3-floor house, without fail. The connection seems stable with the Hub 3.0 in Modem Mode for now but I am monitoring it as I've heard it can be a little temperamental at times. I will add that all three Eeros are connected together via Gigabit ethernet, but I was receiving similar speeds even when using just Wifi. 

The Eero is missing some key features (such as the ability to turn off the 2.4Ghz network, logging is a little lax) but the best part of the system is that the firmware is constantly updated which adds new features and fixes. The 'Labs' feature allows you to switch on features such as Local DNS Caching, Band Steering (pushes 5ghz capable devices onto that band where possible), etc. 

I'd highly recommend Eero to anyone that is grappling with the Hub 3.0 - I know it is a fair amount to spend (£99/unit for a single, £250 for a triple pack of the standard dual band version) but honestly the piece of mind and time saved messing around with Powerline routers and the Hub are well worth it. If you have been put off using App-based routers due to the VM Connect software, don't be - the Eero app actually works. 

I'm happy to answer any eero questions you may have (and no, despite the glowing review I am not an employee!)... and by the way, it's 20% off on Amazon until tomorrow morning if you're feeling impulsive! 

P.S. My apologies for the essay here. I feel like it may be therapy after the multiple hours listening to VM's too-cool-for-school hold music!

Cheers,
AJ

80 REPLIES 80

Molineux
Tuning in

Thank you for taking the time to write this AJ. Very interesting. 

We installed the Virgin 3.0 hub a couple of months ago and so far have been very disappointed. The range around our house is frankly pathetic and the signal seems to drop out frequently.

Do you recommend Eero? Is it easy to install? And most importantly - with 3 eero units around the house does each have its own Wi-Fi network ID? Is transition between each unit seemless? 

Currently we have a Netgear extender but this has a unique WiFi ID and transition between it and the main hub signal is awful. 

Thank you. 

aj7642
On our wavelength

Hey there, Molineux,

I would indeed still recommend Eero. Having everything available via an app is very useful, including being able to restart all the base stations in the network at once (which I try and do once every week or two, just good practice).

If you want a highly configurable solution and to toy around with each setting, Eero is maybe not for you.

To answer your question, yes, a mesh network, you only have one WiFi network and moving around the house is seamless without any drop in connection.

 Let me know if you need anything further!

Thank you. Do you mind me asking what led you to choose eero over the others, such as Nest....?

jbrennand
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person
Or the BT Whole Home ?......

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John
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I do not work for VM. My services: HD TV on VIP (+ Sky Sports & Movies & BT sport), x3 V6 boxes (1 wired, 2 on WiFi) Hub5 in modem mode with Apple Airport Extreme Router +2 Airport Express's & TP-Link Archer C64 WAP. On Volt 350Mbps, Talk Anytime Phone, x2 Mobile SIM only iPhones.

aj7642
On our wavelength

Sure happy to answer.

I did look into the Nest but as a Mac and iPhone user I didn’t want to invest into a device in the Google ecosystem. I also don’t trust google enough in terms of privacy to give them access to my entire family’s browsing history. 

As for the BT whole home — they have great reviews. But I didn’t want to replace a garbage router produced by a telcom with another router produced by a telecom. That is irrational I know but hey, humans and consumers are irrational!

I also like the fact EERO is constantly adding new features. Check out the eero subreddit for more on that. 

Ta,

AJ

jbrennand
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person
AJ - I am Apple only too so sympathise 🙂

You could have really pushed the boat out and gone with "Ubiquiti" kit - they reportedly hired a lot of the Apple staff from their "Airport Division" when Apple decided to pull out of that market.

I have been contemplating this one for the day my Airport(s) expires..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ubiquiti-Amplifi-4-Ports-System-Wireless/dp/B01L9O08PW?th=1

--------------------
John
--------------------

I do not work for VM. My services: HD TV on VIP (+ Sky Sports & Movies & BT sport), x3 V6 boxes (1 wired, 2 on WiFi) Hub5 in modem mode with Apple Airport Extreme Router +2 Airport Express's & TP-Link Archer C64 WAP. On Volt 350Mbps, Talk Anytime Phone, x2 Mobile SIM only iPhones.

Hi AJ

Just thought I'd let you know I followed your lead and opted for the eero 

I got three units (opted for regular 2-band rather than Pro). Installation and set-up was a doddle and I now have no WiFi deadzones in the house or out in the back yard. And no frustrating dropout yet either!

I like the eero app and the communication.  So thanks again!

Jon

 

The BT Whole Home isn’t a router system - the mesh discs act as AP’s only.


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I do not work for Virgin Media - all opinions expressed are of my own and all answers are provided from my own and past experiences.
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