Someone mentioned yesterday that between the old eero and the new one, the TUV emissions results show that the power spectral density for one of the 5 GHz channels fell by about half, from -2.817 dBm to -5.947 dBm. How they can legally claim to have improved the throughput is beyond me. These are just range extenders with night lights.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Eero Reveals 2nd Gen Router, Wi-Fi Extending 'Beacon', Internet Security Service, and iOS App Update
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Got my eero 3-pack about a month ago for $389 minus $15 bonus card. Its been the easiest and best wifi setup I ever had. No issues, not a single one. As they say in their marketing, I have forgotten about wifi as it just works. Covers my 2800 sq ft 2-story home without any dead spots and great 5G coverage.
For $374, I should hope there wouldn't be any dead spots...which router were you replacing with the eero?
[doublepost=1497438577][/doublepost]Good write-up on BGR about how lucrative WiFi rentals are for the cablecos.
http://bgr.com/2017/06/13/best-wifi-router-not-cox-anything-else/
Replaced Asus RT-AC68U centrally located. Its not just the dead spot elimination, its overall coverage inside and out.... sitting on the porch watching movies or browsing the net is a joy.
What level of OS integration do you want with a WiFi router? AirPort Utility is currently just an app on iOS and macOS. Neither iOS nor macOS does anything special with AirPort routers.
Last edited:
Menu bar and Network settings (macOS) are two I can think of. I just want my computer to see WiFi as natively as if the access point were made by Apple. And speaking of the app, I'd like that app to be as visually and logically easy to navigate as Airport Config. Some 3rd party config utilities are a hot mess.
It's been about a year since I last used AirPort Extreme (well, Time Capsule), but I don't recall seeing AirPort-specific menu bar nor network settings on macOS.
As I mentioned earlier, Eero does NOT make configuration app for macOS, however. You will need to use iOS or Android app, which could be a deal breaker for some users.
Having said that, Eero's iOS app is pretty nice and Apple-like. I find it easier to use than Apple's own AirPort Utility.
I use two first gen Eeros to cover my 1100 square-foot home. They work really well for me; they're a great upgrade from my 802.11n Airport Extreme router. I'm very curious to learn what practical differences the 2nd gen Eeros might make for my home WiFi network. So far, from the marketing material — more powerful and tri-band — don't actually tell me what advantages the 2nd gen devices will give me.
That's the dilemma with marketing wireless stuff - the straight dope is too technical for consumers, so manufacturers (and cellular companies) get away with all sorts of vague claims. You can look up eero's FCC applications at fccid.io/2AEM4 . The new models are B010001 and D010001, the old model is A010001. Looking at 5.745-5.825 GHz, the highest power output did go up by 133 mW. But again, the beamforming spectral efficiency from the test reports is half as strong for some channels.
Now compare that to the Orbi RBK50, which was released a while back but has 122 mW more power output than the new eero at 5.745-5.825 GHz. Orbi also has been tested at SmallNetBuilder as outclassing eero in backhaul between APs by about threefold (in one test, Orbi got 233 Mbps versus 41 Mbps for eero). So circling back to the "more powerful" claim, the output power alone didn't, and still doesn't, account for why backhaul between APs is so weak for eero. Which is problematic, since if you can't use eero as an extender, it's just a nightlight. (And you're better off buying one of those $15 As-Seen-On-TV "Night Angel" outlet coverplates instead if you just want an LED nightlight.)
I'd recommend using a Wi-Fi splitter and home cabling instead, it looks like those kits cost $59 now.