eero (1st-gen)

I’m using a set of Eero AP (first pro generation from 2017…?) and have zero issues. They have been amazingly reliable over the years.

Still running that original Eero from 2017 (a number of nodes). Works great. Supports the 300/300 fiber w/o issues.

I have used EERO since 2020 in two houses. I had WiFi 5 and 6 units and now 7 eero pro 7’s (not EERO pro max). All have been excellent. There was a period of time, about six months ago, that the firmware would not connect to my Tesla wall connector and one or two Samsung TVs after a firmware upgrade. I could manually reboot and reconfigure and all was well. That issue has disappeared, no more problems. I have been on 1 GIG and now 2 GIG Cox internet service using a cable Modem Arris S33 and now Arris S34 (Both Docsis 3.1). I really like the way the system maintains itself by installing new updates and distributing the updates automatically to all EERO mesh routers wired and wireless. All products have their nuances and occasional problems but, by and large, EERO routers are outstanding and I highly recommend them!

I use and can recommend eero mesh for "non-techie" parents and grandparents. Very easy to setup, and you can administer it remotely if you have to, which isn't very often. Your parents might actually enjoy the setup process, as the phone App walks you through it completely. Eero mesh goes on sale often too. Black Friday while be here in a blink, and they are guaranteed to be on sale then. If your parents aren't gamers and aren't moving huge files regularly, even the dual band eero mesh gives good coverage at a fair price. If you can wire them in, you'll only need dual band as long as each mesh node has Ethernet ports (do not buy the "Extenders" that lack Ethernet ports if you ever envision wiring them up). If they want maximum performance using *wireless* backhaul between mesh nodes, then Tri-band eeros are what you are looking for, but they are pricey. Using mesh wirelessly is all about placement of the mesh nodes. Just keep in mind that strong 5 GHz connections between nodes is necessary for best performance. This means the nodes should be closer together than most people think. Putting units directly above or below each other is good, as well as on the same floor, but directly above or below the "dead spots" too.

It highly depends on the layout of your new apartment and the building materials used, but, generally, one unit can cover 1400 sq ft. If possible, try to find out the location where the router will be. Unless it's in the very corner, you are *probably* good with one router. If it's in the center of the home (like the center of the second floor), your chances are very good. What you can do is buy a single mesh unit, and use it as your only router and see if it's enough. If not, then you buy the second mesh unit of the same model and mesh them together. So you can do it in two stages, and stop at one if it's enough. I would advise against buying anything less than WiFi 6 (AX) if you're buying brand new. It's not really a savings with WiFi 5 if support for that unit ends years earlier than a WiFi 6, 6E, or 7 device. 6E and 7 routers are still expensive, so the value buy is WiFi 6 (AX) for now. If you want something simple to setup and manage, look into eero mesh. Just buy one unit, and then all of their other models can mesh together with it.

Since you have cable Internet and it runs into the basement, you hopefully have coaxial cables available to you throughout the house, and usually in key locations. Just look at the area where all the coax ends should meet, likely in the basement where your modem/router is at and plugged into. If you do find this bunch of coax, you can use it with MoCA Adapters to build a wired Ethernet network inside your home. If you can achieve that, then getting good WiFi everywhere will be easy, as well as providing wired capabilities for other devices in needed locations. MoCA Adapters can be a bit expensive, but worth the cost. If you can build this MoCA network, then whatever you choose as the router and Access Points will work very well, including a 3 pack of a reputable mesh brand. For mesh, I use and can recommend eero. But ASUS Zen mesh is also praised a lot, and has more configurability. If you want to go higher end, you can get an Ubiquiti Cloud Gateway router, a Ubiquiti PoE switch, and some Ubiquiti Access Points. It's more expensive, but very capable of advanced setups, and is very stable. I use Ubiquiti at another home and in my office location, and I can recommend them personally as well.

My Eeros have been rock solid. They aren’t the newer 7’s but they do what I need. Ubiquity users are usually much more likely to be trying weird setups and trying to do anything to squeeze maximum performance out of their network. The have to be committed to learn the software well enough to customize things to meet their expectations. Eeros are good for pulling it out of the box and having something good enough setup and running in short time.

Eero and wyze user since 2019. No issues! The eero beacons are so easy to add points around the house or property for cameras that may be close to the edge of your signal.

I use Eero mesh network WiFi extenders rather than powerline because they supposedly are more reliable, seamless switching between nodes (entire WiFi coverage is 1 WLAN) and can handle such high bandwidth that it'll be possibly decades before the fibre line to my house is faster than what the mesh network can handle. It's more expensive (like £100 for the hub plus 2 nodes) especially if you need a lot of nodes but I get full WiFi strength everywhere inside the house including the basement.

There really is no one Wifi router that will penetrate all walls and building materials and give you a giant bubble of Wifi. As far as signal strength goes, they are about the same. For the best experience on a budget and easy to set up, mesh is typically the go to, like Deco or Eero. Running a wire between the two or more for wired backhaul will make it even better better.

No reason to use an Archer if you want to use mesh anyway. Just use the Deco as your router as well for less devices, less cost, more streamlined. Deco or Eero are usually what I recommend for friends that want mesh.

I have 4 Eeros and all have Ethernet backhauls Recommended

Mesh networking is the key. We have Sonic Fiber and Eero nodes around the house and it's awesome.

Yeah... the literal plug n play is worth a lot unless you're doing large data xfer for work or something. The second hand Eero repeaters are so cheap you can sprinkle them liberally too

You are better off buying your own mesh network, Eero if you are don’t want to futz around, Ubiquity if you want to.