Eero is an Amazon company and its routers come with Alexa support. Enable the Eero skill and you can pause the Internet with voice commands through your Echo device, which is useful if your child won't leave the computer to eat dinner. Eero 6 router supports Case And Thread and ZigBee can pull double duty as smart-home hubs in the same way Echo devices can, letting you connect some smart lighting, smart locks, and other ZigBee devices directly.
There are two other tricks that make the Eero 6 system attractive. If you have an Echo Dot smart speaker with an Echo (4th generation), an Echo Dot (4th or 5th generation), or a Clock (4th or 5th generation), this may Act as a Wi-Fi extenderOffers an additional 1,000 square feet of coverage at speeds up to 100Mbps for up to 10 devices. Eero also offers internet backup Options, so you can add multiple backup networks (Wi-Fi or hot spots) to keep yourself online if your main wired network goes down.
Eero's simplicity will appeal to people who hate digging into settings, but it comes at a price. you won't find anyone quality of service facilities To prioritize activities, and you can't separate the bands. One final problem with the basic eero system I tested was comparatively slow transfer speeds, though this wasn't a problem for higher-end systems.
Currently, there are four eero systems worth considering on the market, which offer broadly similar experiences. The first two are dual-band systems (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz). People with Internet connections up to 500 Mbps can use the regular eero 6. If you have a fast connection up to 1 Gbps, and your home is smaller than 4,500 square feet, Eero 6+ ($300) There is a system of selection. People who have large assets or have higher-than-average demand (people with lots of devices and simultaneous Internet access) should consider Eero Pro 6E ($550) ,7/10, Wired recommends), a tri-band system that supports the 2.4-GHz, 5-GHz, and 6-GHz bands. The Eero Pro 6 has been discontinued.
Eero Max 7 ($1,700) ,7/10, Wired Review) Its top-of-the-line, Wi-Fi 7 option, has four Ethernet ports, two rated at 10 Gbps and two at 2.5 Gbps, but that'll be too much for most people right now. You can delve deeper into the differences between us eero buying guideBut whatever model you choose, keep in mind the frequent discounts. All eero systems are compatible with each other, making it easy to expand your network.
best value
Affordable and compact, the ZenWiFi XD5 is a solid alternative to our top pick for more limited needs or budgets. The refreshing thing is that you do not need to create an account to install and use this mesh network. Each of the three units has two Gigabit Ethernet ports and can be wall mounted. Basic security (AIProtection Classic) and parental controls come at no extra cost, and there's support for AIMesh, so you can mix and match other Asus routers.
Performance was smooth and reliable during my testing, yielding some impressively fast results for the price. I downloaded a 30-GB game in less than eight minutes. Although it is a dual-band system, it has support for 160-MHz channels on the 5-GHz band. Asus says the 3-pack can cover up to 5,000 square feet, but speeds drop off as you move away from the router. To get the best performance from the XD5, or any mesh system, connect the main router and nodes to ethernet For wired backhaul.