Amazon’s Eero Pro 6 may be a tri-band mesh Wi-Fi system that gives relatively good wireless coverage and doubles as a home automation hub. It’s easy to line up and manage, but included features are scarce. Find details in Amazon Eero Pro Mesh WiFi System – 3-Pack Review.
Pros & Cons
PROS
Easy to put in
Built-in Zigbee radio
Works with Alexa
Wide coverage range
CONS
Expensive
Anti-malware and parental control tools require a subscription
Lacks USB ports and QoS settings
The Amazon Eero Pro 6 ($229 for one or $599 for a pack of three) is that the company’s first mesh Wi-Fi system to utilize the newest Wi-Fi 6 technology, and this point around it adds home automation hub capabilities via a Zigbee radio. The system we tested uses three stylish nodes to supply up to six ,000 square feet of wireless coverage, and is straightforward to put in and manage. It also delivered decent throughput performance in testing, but it’s not as fast as our Editors’ Choice winner, the Asus Zen WiFi AX XT8, and it doesn’t offer as many features.
Amazon Eero Pro Mesh WiFi System – 3-Pack Review
Eero Pro 6 Design and Features
The $599 Eero Pro 6 system we tested comes with three stylish low-profile nodes that every measure 2.1 by 5.3 by 5.3 inches (HWD), making them considerably bigger than previous Eero models. Each node provides 2,000 square feet of wireless coverage, with one node serving because the main router and therefore the other two serving as mesh nodes. If the three-pack is overkill for your networking needs, you’ll purchase one node for $229 or a two-pack for $399.
The nodes are equipped with two auto-sensing gigabit LAN ports and an influence port, but they lack the USB connectivity and multi-gig capabilities that you simply get with the Asus ZenWiFi AX XT8. Under the hood are a 1.4GHz quad-core CPU, 1024MB of RAM, 4GB of non-volatile storage , and a Bluetooth radio. like the TP-Link Deco M9 Plus Mesh Wi-Fi System, the Eero Pro 6 contains a Zigbee radio that permits you to attach to and control numerous smart home devices like cameras, lights, switches, and thermostats.
Amazon Eero Pro 6 three pack product shot
The Eero Pro 6 may be a tri-band AX4200 system which will hit maximum data rates of up to 574Mbps on the two .4GHz (2X2) band, up to 1,201Mbps on the 5GHz (2X2) band, and up to 2,402Mbps on the secondary 5GHz (4X4) band. It’s supported the Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) standard and supports WPA3 encryption, Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) data transmissions, MU-MIMO simultaneous data streaming, and direct-to-client signal beamforming. However, it doesn’t support 160MHz channel bandwidth.
As is that the case with the Eero system that we reviewed last year, the Eero Pro 6 doesn’t accompany the free parental controls or anti-malware tools that you simply get with systems like the TP-Link Deco X60 AX3000 Whole Home Mesh WiFi System and therefore the Asus ZenWiFi AX XT8. Instead, you’ve got to subscribe an Eero Secure plan.
For $2.99 per month or $29.99 per annum , the Eero Secure plan allows you to create individual user profiles, apply content filters to dam access to adult-oriented sites, and use the ad blocker to eliminate pop-up ads. It also scans visited sites and checks them against a database of known threats to stop you from accessing a malicious page. For $9.99 per month or $99 per annum , the Secure Plus plan gets you everything that comes with the Secure plan along side Malwarebytes malware protection, Encrypt.me VPN protection, and therefore the 1Password password management utility. Missing are QoS settings that permit you allocate bandwidth to client devices for things like video streaming, online gaming, and enormous file downloads.
Eero 6
The Pro 6 uses an equivalent Android and iOS mobile app because the 2019 Eero system, and supports Alexa voice commands that permit you are doing things like turn guest networking on and off and pause network access for specific clients. It also supports Amazon Wi-Fi Simple Setup, which uses settings from Amazon Echo devices and Fire TV Sticks to assist configure new devices quickly and simply .
The app’s home screen displays the network name, internet status, and therefore the name of every Eero node. Tap the web status tab to run a speed test that measures upload and download speeds, and tap a node tab to ascertain how it’s connected (wired or wireless), its location and IP address, and which clients are connected thereto . Use the sign within the top right corner to feature new devices, create a profile, and invite users to your guest network.
Below the node tabs are tabs for Profiles, Computers and private , and Recently Online. Profiles allows you to manage individual users, assign parental control filters, schedule access times, and assign devices to every user. you’ll view information about connected clients by tapping the client name within the Computers and private tab. Here you’ll view profile information and see what parental control filters are enabled for that client, view real-time bandwidth activity, and see which node the client is connected to. The Recently Online tab allows you to see which clients were recently connected and once they were last active, and you’ll block access to the network or pause internet access for any client.
Eero app – Amazon Eero Pro Mesh WiFi System – 3-Pack Review
Back at the house screen, at rock bottom , are buttons for Home, Activity, Discover, and Settings. the house button returns you back to the house screen, and therefore the Activity button takes you to a screen where you’ll view speed test results and security information like what percentage scans have occurred and the way many threats and ads are blocked. the info is presented in colorful charts that are easy to read.
Tap the Discover button to look at your Eero Secure subscription status, enable ad blocking, and enable the SafeSearch feature that filters out inappropriate sites and pictures from Bing and Google search results. The Settings button takes you to a screen where you’ll edit the network name and password, enable guest networking and notifications, and update the firmware. Advanced settings include DHCP and NAT settings, IPv6 and UPnP settings, and port forwarding settings.
Installing the Eero Pro 6
Mesh Wi-Fi systems are designed for quick and straightforward installation, and therefore the Eero Pro 6 is not any different. I started by downloading the mobile app and creating an account. Next, I tapped Start Setup on the opening screen and followed the instructions to unplug my modem, connect an Eero Pro 6 node to the modem, and power up both the modem and therefore the node. After 30 seconds approximately , the LED began blinking blue and that i was instructed to offer the node a location and to offer the network a reputation and password. Within seconds the router node was up and running, so I tapped Next then tapped Add Another Eero Device. I placed the satellite node in my front room , waited a couple of seconds for the LED to show blue, gave the node a location, and it had been immediately added to my network. I repeated this process for the third node and therefore the setup was complete.
Amazon Eero Pro Mesh WiFi System – 3-Pack Performance review
The Eero Pro 6 may be a good performer, but not a class-leading one. the most router’s score of 701Mbps on the close proximity (same room) throughput test trailed the Linksys Velop AX4200 by 11Mbps and therefore the TP-Link Deco X60 router by 57Mbps, and was 159Mbps slower than our leader, the Asus ZenWiFi AX XT8. On the 30-foot test, the Eero router’s score of 230Mbps lagged behind the Deco X60 (290Mbps) and Velop AX4200 (299Mbps), and was significantly slower than the ZenWiFi AX XT8 (347Mbps).
Eero 6 router throughout
Results were similar with the Eero satellite node. Its score of 455Mbps on the close proximity test was the slowest of the pack, while the ZenWiFi AX XT8 led with a score of 675Mbps. On the 30-foot test, the Eero satellite node garnered 353Mbps, trailing the Deco X60 (386Mbps) and therefore the Velop AX4200 (413Mbps). The ZenWiFi AX XT8 blew all of them away with a score of 619Mbps.
Eero 6 satellite throughput
To test wireless signal strength, we use an Ekahau Sidekick Wi-Fi diagnostic device and Ekahau’s Survey mobile app (Note: Ekahau is owned by j2 Global, the parent company of Ziff Media Group, the publisher of PCMag.com). The software generates a heat map that illustrates coverage throughout our test home. On the map, darker green areas indicate the strongest signal measurements, and lighter green and yellow areas show a weaker signal. The circles represent the situation of the router and therefore the satellite node.
Ekahau
As shown on the map, a pair of Eero Pro 6 nodes did a comparatively good job of delivering a robust signal throughout most of the test home, but as we saw with the TP-Link AX6000, the signal became a touch weaker within the lower left bedroom, which has several walls between it and therefore the router node.
The Best Mesh System – Amazon Eero Pro Mesh WiFi System – 3-Pack Review
Wide signal range, simple use, and Wi-Fi 6 technology are all good reasons to think about using the Eero Pro 6 to make sure that each corner of your home or small business can wirelessly hook up with your network. The router and satellite node both delivered decent throughput performance and showed good signal strength in our tests, and therefore the mobile app makes it easy to make a replacement network and manage it using your phone. Although parental controls and anti-malware tools are available you’ll need to buy them, and as is that the case with previous Eero models, QoS settings are nonexistent. For around $150 less for an identical amount of coverage (5,500 square feet), the Asus Zen WiFi AX XT8 offers superior performance, comes with lifetime parental controls and network security software, and is provided with a multi-gig LAN port and a USB port. It also supports 160MHz channel bandwidth. As such, it remains our Editors’ Choice winner for Wi-Fi 6 mesh systems.
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