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8.3
Eero 6 Plus mesh router
Like
Easy setup and management through Eero app
Constant speeds and sufficient oomph for gigabit networks
160MHz channel assist has a optimistic impact on efficiency
Matter assist and built-in Zigbee hub are nice for sensible properties
Don’t love
Routing to the improper extender could cause slight slowdowns
No choice to restrict Eero’s information assortment
Product particulars
Wi-Fi Commonplace
Wi-Fi 6
Pace Ranking
AX3000
Vary
As much as 1,500 sq. ft.
Wi-fi Networking Safety
WPA2, WPA3
Bands
Twin-Band (2.4 and 5GHz)
The Eero 6 Plus is CNET’s choose for the perfect mesh router for bigger properties, and it’s a great selection for anybody seeking to improve to Wi-Fi 6 or to a mesh community. That is very true should you reside in a multistory dwelling, the place a 3rd machine is very helpful. It’s virtually unprecedented to discover a mesh system with three units for $300; the opposite noteworthy Wi-Fi 6 system I like to recommend on this $200-$300 value vary, the TP-Hyperlink Deco W7200, nets you solely two units as a substitute of three.
The Eero 6 Plus persistently returned common obtain speeds that had been within the high 10 of the 30 or so mesh routers I’ve examined, and not one of the routers that beat it had been in the identical value vary. It additionally has sensible dwelling chops with Amazon’s “frustration-free” setup, assist for the upcoming Matter protocol, and a built-in Zigbee radio for pairing issues like lights and locks along with your community.
Ry Crist/CNET
Amazon’s Eero 6 had the proper elements again in 2020, as mesh routers had been beginning to surge in reputation. The design was easy and inoffensive, the app was disarmingly simple to make use of, it provided full assist for Wi-Fi 6 and, at $279 for a three-pack, it wasn’t terribly costly. The one downside I had with it was its behavior of routing my connection by means of the improper extender on the improper time throughout my battery of efficiency exams, which induced its common speeds to deflate like a defeated soufflé.
The follow-up Eero 6 Plus system nonetheless is not excellent at steering connections by means of the perfect extender for the job, however few mesh routers are (notably dual-band methods just like the 6 Plus), and this time, the difficulty is way much less extreme. Total, it is a lot improved and far simpler for me to advocate, even at its present value of $300. (You possibly can steadily discover it on sale for below $200). Backside line: The Eero 6 Plus retains all the pieces that the Eero 6 received proper, and it executes on the promise of sturdy, constant speeds significantly better than earlier than.
One massive motive for the Eero’s enchancment is its new assist for 160MHz channel width, up from 80MHz final time round. That is the important thing a part of the Plus pitch, and it signifies that the system can now transfer information twice as effectively to 160MHz-compatible units, of which there are a lot of. Even with out units like that in your community, you may nonetheless profit from the quicker connection between the Eero units themselves. That, mixed with a faster-than-before AX3000 construct, signifies that your speeds will not drop as a lot if the Eero 6 Plus routes your connection by means of an extender that is three rooms away as a substitute of 1 that is one room away.
That was my expertise at dwelling, the place I put the Eero 6 Plus by means of the identical spate of exams that the Eero 6 went by means of two years in the past. Final time round, an enormous disparity in efficiency between the exams the place I linked near the router versus these the place I linked removed from it induced the system to return obtain speeds all through my home that averaged simply 196 megabits per second, which is not nice for a 300Mbps fiber community, the place the quickest units I take a look at are inclined to max out at about 375Mbps at shut vary. The Eero 6 Plus cranked that whole-home common all the best way as much as 304Mbps. That is high 10 among the many 30 or so mesh routers that I’ve examined at dwelling over the previous few years — and not one of the methods that beat its speeds can beat its worth.
Ry Crist/CNET
Design, specs and app controls
The Eero 6 Plus is on the market now at $440 for four-pack, $300 for a three-pack, $240 for a two-pack or $140 for a single machine. Every unit is an identical, so you should use any of them as both an extender or the principle router of the system. They’re 99% an identical to the Eero 6 units that got here earlier than them, too — the identical shiny white plastic, the identical curved design, the identical solo indicator gentle (white means all proper, blue means pairing mode and crimson means “uh oh”). I would not fault anybody for calling the issues uninspired, however they don’t seem to be ugly or cumbersome or cheap-looking, they usually should not have a lot bother mixing in with most dwelling decor.
Every Eero 6 Plus machine contains a pair of gigabit Ethernet ports within the again, plus the USB-C energy jack.
Ry Crist/CNET
As for the {hardware} , the Eero 6 Plus boasts an AX3000 construct, which is up from AX1800 with the first-gen Eero 6. The AX half tells you that the router helps 802.11ax, or Wi-Fi 6; the quantity after it tells you the mixed high speeds of every of the bands (2.4GHz and 5GHz). Although I have never had the possibility to try it out on a gigabit community but, an AX3000 pace ranking is greater than sufficient to high out a connection like that. In the meantime, the system powers these radios with a 1GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage. As for vary, Amazon says {that a} three-piece setup needs to be sufficient to cowl as much as 4,500 sq. toes.
You will discover your ports within the again — specifically, the USB-C energy jack and two gigabit Ethernet ports on every machine. These Ethernet ports set a pace restrict for the incoming connection, so should you’re occupied with upgrading to a multigig web plan someday quickly, you then’ll wish to skip the 6 Plus and take into account spending extra to get the Eero Professional 6E, or one other router with a multigig Ethernet jack able to dealing with speeds like these (the Asus ZenWiFi XT8, the TP-Hyperlink Deco X90 and the Netgear Orbi AX6000 are all well-reviewed fashions that match the invoice).
This brings us to Eero’s app, which you may use to set the system up, monitor its efficiency and regulate its settings. With a nice-looking design and intuitive entry to controls and settings, it is one of many higher app choices within the router class, and it makes fast work of the setup course of. Simply faucet your manner by means of the directions, plug issues in when instructed to, select a community identify and password and replace to the newest firmware construct, and your community will up and operating in a matter of minutes.
Screenshots by Ry Crist/CNET
From there, you’ll use the app to see which units are linked to your community, or group them into particular profiles for functions like advert blocking and parental controls. The app additionally makes it simple to trace your speeds and your information utilization, which is especially useful in case your web plan comes with a knowledge cap. You possibly can activate WPA3 encryption within the Eero Labs part of the app for the newest in community safety and, should you like, you possibly can subscribe to Eero Safe Plus for superior choices for advert blocking and menace detection, plus entry to extra companies like 1Password and the Encrypt.me VPN.
As for privateness, Eero’s assist web page explains that it does not monitor the web sites you go to or the contents of your community visitors, although the corporate does acquire community information to assist preserve and enhance system efficiency. A few of that information contains private information from the app, like your electronic mail and machine IP addresses, however the firm attracts some strains with how that data will get used.
“We do not promote our buyer information, and we do not promote adverts primarily based on this information,” the assist web page reads. “We acquire information about your Eero community to assist us optimize your Wi-Fi efficiency.”
Different producers supply an choice to restrict information assortment or choose out of it altogether, however there is not any such possibility with Eero. Moreover, per the corporate’s privateness coverage, you possibly can electronic mail to request deletion of your private information, however doing so means you will not be capable of use your Eero units anymore. None of that will cease me from utilizing the system in my dwelling, however should you’re particularly privacy-conscious and making an attempt to restrict information assortment amongst your units as a lot as you possibly can, Eero most likely is not the perfect match.
Amongst all the mesh routers I’ve examined at my dwelling, the Eero 6 Plus was a top-10 finisher when it comes to common obtain speeds. (Routers listed with stars had been examined previous to Wi-Fi 6, with a Wi-Fi 5 consumer.)
Ry Crist/CNET
Efficiency and pace
To get a way of simply how a lot “Plus” we’re speaking about right here, I examined the Eero 6 Plus at my dwelling in Louisville, Kentucky, the identical place the place I examined the Eero 6 system two years in the past. It is a 1,300-square-foot dwelling, and I examined it on the identical 300Mbps fiber web plan, although the true pace restrict appears to be extra like 375Mbps. As soon as I’ve had an opportunity to check the system out within the a lot bigger CNET Good Dwelling, I am going to replace this part with some extra information.
I noticed slower common obtain speeds in the course of my home after I’d begin my connection within the again rest room, nearer to the extender than the router (yellow bars). That is as a result of the system was persevering with to route me by means of the extender as I moved towards the lounge regardless that switching me over to the router would have been quicker.
Ry Crist/CNET
With the router arrange in my front-of-house lounge and a single extender connected within the back-of-the-house bed room, I spent a number of days operating pace exams throughout 5 rooms, following the identical process for testing routers that I all the time use. One key level of my methodology: I run a number of rounds of exams throughout a number of days of testing, and I cut up these rounds into two teams — ones the place I begin with a recent connection in the lounge, close to the router, and ones the place I begin my connection at the back of the home close to the extender. Doing so offers me a very good have a look at how the system adjusts my connection as I transfer from room to room.
Once I examined the Eero 6, these two units of exams produced massively totally different outcomes. My speeds had been tremendous after I began my connection in the lounge and labored again, but when I began at the back of the home and labored my technique to the entrance, it might route my connection by means of the extender even after I might returned to the lounge, with the router just some toes away. I noticed a few of that very same challenge with the Eero 6 Plus, however the ensuing slowdowns had been a lot much less drastic, and, usually, by the point I reached the lounge in these back-to-front exams, the system would understand it and start routing my connection straight to the close by router.
Consequently, the Eero 6 Plus completed with a lot stronger common speeds than the Eero 6 did. Total, its common obtain pace to my Wi-Fi 6 take a look at laptop computer was 304Mbps, the place it was solely 196Mbps with the Eero 6. The system’s common add pace was barely much less spectacular at 253Mbps, however that is nonetheless a tremendous end result — higher than the 204Mbps I noticed from the Eero 6, and higher than well-reviewed methods just like the TP-Hyperlink Deco W7200 (248Mbps), Nest Wifi (230Mbps) and Asus ZenWiFi XD6 (224Mbps). Speeds had been predictably a bit slower however nonetheless respectable after I ran my exams to a Wi-Fi 5 consumer machine, too — common downloads of 288Mbps and common uploads of 208Mbps. Solely 5 methods did higher than that in my at-home exams, and all of them are costlier tri-band methods.
The Eero 6 Plus delivered sturdy common wi-fi speeds on a gigabit community, however fancier methods just like the Eero Professional 6E, the Netgear Orbi AX6000, and the TP-Hyperlink Deco XE75 can do higher.
Ry Crist/CNET
What about gigabit speeds?
I not too long ago upgraded my dwelling’s fiber community from that 300Mbps connection to a gigabit connection, with max obtain speeds of 940Mbps and max add speeds of 880Mbps. These are the speeds that I will be utilizing for my router exams transferring ahead, so I made certain to retest the Eero 6 Plus.
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Testing throughout the identical 5 spots in my dwelling, the system completed with common obtain speeds of 427Mbps and common add speeds of 380Mbps. That is barely higher than the TP-Hyperlink Deco W7200, one in all my high general mesh router suggestions, however slower than fancier methods that price extra, together with the Eero Professional 6E, the Netgear Orbi AX6000 and the TP-Hyperlink Deco XE75. All three of these had been capable of push my common downloads properly above 500Mbps.
Nonetheless, even when it is not as able to profiting from a gigabit connection as some methods are, the Eero 6 Plus nets you nice efficiency for the value — and I used to be happy that, as soon as once more, the band-steering points had been fairly restricted. It is a greater choose for, say, a 500Mbps community, however even with a gigabit connection, your house’s Wi-Fi will really feel loads quick with the Eero 6 Plus.
Ry Crist/CNET
Now we’re cooking
I’ve tasted the Eero 6 Plus soufflé — it is fluffy and satisfying.
Overcooked metaphors apart, this is a superb mesh system for the cash, and a robust step up from what the Eero 6 initially needed to supply. Setup is a cinch due to the Eero app, and efficiency held tall throughout a number of days of exams. Good dwelling customers ought to respect the built-in Zigbee radio, and customers of every kind will profit from the system’s potential to maneuver extra information directly than earlier than.
At $300 for a three-pack, there’s loads of worth right here, notably on condition that plenty of different mesh methods price extra for a two-pack. For the reason that system is backward-compatible with earlier generations, I additionally like the concept individuals who already personal an Eero system can choose up a 6 Plus machine at any time when these go on sale and swap it into their setup. Both manner, the Eero 6 Plus is properly price contemplating, and an important possibility for anybody searching for a quicker connection at dwelling.
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