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With most households putting enormous strain on their Wi-Fi as everyone shares the same network for distance learning, work, Zoom calls, streaming, and more, you may be discovering dead spots around your house. If you’ve had it with “poor connection” messages and continually moving or rebooting your dinky 10-year-old extender—and especially if you live in a larger space—this Eero mesh system may be just the boost you need.
A mesh system uses a series of Wi-Fi nodes around your home to improve the range of your internet, as opposed to relying on a single router. However, unlike a Wi-Fi extender, all the pieces in a mesh system operate from the same network, and devices automatically connect as you move around the space.
In Eero’s early days, a model would have set you back about $500, but competition has since grown, and there are now a variety of models on the market, including this lower-priced system released last year. Reviewers have praised this version for its easy setup, reasonable price, and reliable coverage.
This Eero system uses three units to cover a home up to 5,000 square feet. (Each unit has two Ethernet ports giving you six additional places to plug in. You can also, of course, use the system wirelessly.) The Eero app aids with setup, which is supposed to take under 10 minutes, and also allows you to check your internet’s speed and restart the network from your phone.
Amazon debuts a new Eero model in November, which will be able support the newest Wi-Fi generation (Wi-Fi 6), which the current model does not. However, CNET writes that this current Eero system still performed well in their testing: “It doesn’t support next-gen WiFi 6 speeds … but it’s certainly fast enough to take full advantage of an above-average internet connection.” An Amazon reviewer with 46 connected devices wrote that they all connected back to the network without any issues. Dan Seifert at the Verge reported that the system provides stable coverage throughout a space, as it supported his movement from node to node even when going outdoors on his patio or driveway.
This is the cheapest we’ve seen this system since last holiday season. (If you already own the system but could use another node for the far reaches of your home, single nodes are steeply discounted right now as well.) So if your Wi-Fi is lacking, consider this smart investment to keep your pages loading, your Zoom from freezing, and your family content.
Update, Oct. 13, 2020: This post has been updated to include information on the availability of the single node version.
