eero - eero Pro (2nd Generation)

Some old eero 5 Pros have been rock solid in my house for a couple years now, and will have software support until ~2029. Streaming and video calls run very smoothly.

That's me right there. No 5 Gbps internet, \~50 devices, last Eero was Pro 2nd gen in like 2017, and didn't want to spend $600 (!!!) when the last one lasted me so long. Stoked to set it up tonight and be set for another chunk of years.

Agreed the SQM in the eero 2nd gen (cupcake) has better SQM than the 6 series.

I run a 3 pack of Gen 2 units I paid $159 for on sale back when they were new. One is backhauled. 50+ IP talkers in the house…no problems. On Cox until local fiber is available in the spring.

I have been installed about a month. Switched from CROX to AT&T for 1/3 the price and 4x speed. And I have Eero gen2 boxes (3) and a house wired with Cat6 to every room except the bathrooms! Only ONE Eero is backhauled to my main switch, from the guest suite. 2500’ house on a big lot, with Ring cameras (4) with a 360 view. Old NetGear hardware, even with an extender OUTDOORS, could not return an image in under 30 seconds. With Eero, it is instant. Yes, you must use IP Passthrough AND turn off the BGW radios. Take a pic of the back of the BGW - has the internal WiFi you get to on [192.168.1.254](http://192.168.1.254) with a tablet or laptop if you prefer a hardwire for 5 minutes work. 1) In the Eero app, it will list the MAC addresses of the ports on the router you wish to connect the BGW to. 2) Make a note or screenshot of those as there is a field for it in the BGW config tab. 3) It MAY not matter…and auto-select…but if you reboot and have no signal, switch ports on the Eero OR modify the MAC on the BGW. Mine is flawless...and we are thrilled with 1G speed for $37/month.

Eero has worked fine for me (i currently have 3 Eero Pro 6's but previous had 3 gen2 Eero Pros that also worked fine. Battery cam pro is another story but I blame the cam and distance (it's on our roof).

Hello everyone! I have owned the 2nd generation Eero mesh system since its release sometime around 2017. I have a very large multi-level home with 3 pro units and 1 beacon. Two of the Eeros are backhauled at either end of the house. With a 1GB Fios connection, I am seeing speeds on my WiFi 6 devices at 360mbps near one of the nodes and 150mbps at further points. Nothing close to what I had hoped given my incoming speed. So, now I am looking to possibly upgrade to a 3-pack of the Eero PRO or PRO MAX. Of course, the PRO would be a more affordable choice. Some thoughts before my questions to all of you... I have researched these new Eero models. The PRO MAX isn't getting great reviews on Amazon. In fact, some people have slammed the units for not providing promised coverage or speed. So far, the lower-cost PRO is getting better initial reviews than its more expensive sibling. I did try the TP-LINK BE85 3-pack a few months ago. It was a horrific experience. It initially seemed to provide faster speeds, but my NEST devices would not connect to the network (using the same SSD name and password) and the Internet signal would constantly drop. The second I hooked back up my older 2nd Gen Eeros, everything worked fine. For that reason, I knew I had to stick with EERO. So, her are my questions for all of you... To date, I don't have any WiFi 7 devices outside of perhaps the iPhone 16 Pro Max (if it has WiFi 7). Yet, I would love to see increased speed and range in my home. Can I get close to 1GB wireless in my home with either the PRO 7 or the PRO 7 MAX? And since Eero usually gets praised for dependability but criticized for performance against other brands (DONG KNOWS TECH really dislikes Eero), would it be worth looking at another brand that would provide the kind of speeds and coverage I am longing for? It definitely would not be TP-LINK. ASUS gets high recommendations but Amazon reviews are not consistently great. Do you see further price drops happening on either of the Eero Pro models? Thanks, in advance, for your insight into all of this

Hey friend, assuming you're correct about still using an eero Gen2, then you're limited on bandwidth. The eero Gen2 can only support approx 550mb max so you're paying extra for gig speeds when your router cant support that fast of a speed. Your MBP can't utilize the 6ghz signal from Wifi 7 or 6e but perhaps other devices you own can. But there are other benefits to upgrading such as bandwidth as already mentioned. I'd likely not recommend the eero 7 (base model) to anyone as its not a huge improvement for normals over the eero 6+. If you have devices that can utilize 6ghz, then you can look at the eero 6e pro and eero 7 (pro and max). The eero 7 (base) to me seems like a very bad product to buy. There are very few wifi 7 devices out there at the moment, and if you did have one, why would you pay extra for a new router that cant use the 6ghz freq that your shiny new device expects? Others are free to correct me if anything I've said is wrong.

Hey friend, so the gen2 can't actually support gig speeds, so you're paying for internet faster then the eero can support. Basically you're paying gig rates for 500mb speed out the router.  Personally I'm not on the WiFi 7 train...yet. It's too new, too expensive and not well supported by most things. My personal recommendations would be to go with the eero pro 6e to get that 6ghz freq. 

Sure. The Deco does not have nearly as much engineering put into it as the Eero does. Eero has a bunch of unique (patented) technologies that make it work better in certain environments.

This won't work. If your modem is also a router and you have the eeros in bypass it will work, but not well. Modem -> Eero -> Switch -> Eero is the correct way. If your concern is the lack of multi gig ports on the Eero or the need to home run to a place where there is no need for an Eero, pick up a POE gateway.

I’d tell you to keep your pro 5s before getting 6e units. The software is struggling for all models right now, but the latest version I have at the office is stable on the pro 5s. So I’d at least try just hanging in there.

The biggest driver of newer Eero products being released is the approval of new WiFi standards, which support faster speeds, lower latency, and make meshing system like Eero perform significantly better. In 2016 when the OG Eero was introduced, the average internet speed in the US (according to ooma) was 39 Mbps. It has continued a steady increase in speed since then with more and more fiber being deployed and cable companies moving to newer standards like DOCSIS 3.1 or 4.0. In 2025, ooma reports a 214Mb/s average, which is greater than a 5x speed gain (on average) nationwide in less than 10 years. Verizon FIOS, for example, was advertising 100Mb symmetrical residential connections in 2016, and today they are deploying multi-gigabit symmetrical residential connections. There is no technical reason to expect that this rate of increase won't continue (it will slow down for sure), and this expected continued increase is taken in account with the following recommendations. Eero advertises a number of square feet that an individual Eero can cover, and while these numbers can help you compare the relative strength and capabilities of one Eero verses another, these numbers are not absolute facts that will apply in your home. A number of conditions affect the actual range of an individual Eero, including wall construction, gaps under doors, carpet vs hardwood, glass surfaces, proximity to other electronics and more. \*\* The following eeros are not recommended to buy in 2025: \-OG Eero (2016) \-All 2nd Generation Eeros (aka Eero 5, Introduced 2019) - this includes Eero Beacon, Eero 5, Eero 5 Pro - While all of these products had a reason for existing at one time, the slow processors, limited RF capabilities, and limited throughput make these not a good buy in 2025. \-Some 3rd Generation Eero (Eero 6, Eero 6+, Eero 6 Extender ) - Limited RAM, slow processors, mismatched Phy speeds, limited MIMO, and poor performance with modern software make these poor choices for new implementations and ideal candidates to be upgraded in existing networks. \-Eero 7 - The promise of Wifi 7 and low price make this a tempting choice, but the unit doesn't support TrueMesh 2.0, which is Eero's latest topology-management technology. These units are mostly usable in 2025, but they will not age well, which makes them a poor choice for long term value as homes are moving to symmetrical high speed connections. The Eero 7 is also the only indoor 7 series product that doesn't support 6Ghz connectivity. \*\* Recommended to buy in 2025, in order of performance (best to worse): Eero Max 7 - Tri Band, lots of RAM, lots of horsepower, 2 10 gig Ethernet ports, and 2 2.5 gig Ethernet Ports. 4x4 MIMO on 5Ghz and 6Ghz. This is an ideal gateway Eero and the best "mesh" product currently made by Eero. Eero POE Gateway - Eero has notoriously been picky about network switches and many Eeros have a seemingly 'sluggish' fabric inside them that you can't quite put your finger on. The engineers at Eero delivered the best switch they could design, and it has incredible throughput, POE for powering access points, cameras, phones (etc), and and has the smarts inside it to be the network gateway. When it was introduced, this was the highest horsepower product Eero made, although the Max 7 now gives it a run for it's money (but without POE). If you're considering an Outdoor Eero 7, Eero 6 POEs, or if your "wiring closet" is in a place where it's really stupid to put a wireless access point, this should be the center of your network. Eero Pro 7 - Limited by 2x2 MIMO, but has 6Ghz capability and a fast processor. This is a popular choice to use as a mesh node, or even as a gateway in smaller installations. It's quite a bit cheaper than the Max 7, but you get what you pay for. Eero Pro 6 - This is no longer manufactured, but can be found in the used market or sitting on pro installers shelves when they were bought up at the EOL sales. While these aren't great gateways, they have more RAM and faster processors than their other 6 series counterparts. These are still solid choices for mesh units, especially in lower traffic areas. Eero Outdoor 7 - Eeros first approved outdoor unit, this works surprisingly well. While it is capable of meshing, because of its 2x2 MIMO it works best when wired back to a gateway. Because it needs to be wired anyway to be powered via POE, it's not a far stretch to assume that most of these will be installed by professionals and hardwired to a POE gateway or a POE switch. Even powered via a POE injector, they will mesh like any other Eero. Eero 6e - This Eero isn't going to win any awards for raw speeds, but it is Eeros first entry into the 6Ghz spectrum. When it was announced, all the installers were 'encouraged' to take webinars where the Eero sales people talked endlessly about the empty spectrum and the incredible potential. Unfortunately, it's sort of worthless if you live near an airport, and its range is a bit more limited than anyone would like. But, like the Pro 6, these are really solid choices for mesh units. Eero POE 6 - Another Eero that isn't going to win any awards for raw speeds, but it is very rare for it to be used as a gateway. Because of this, the performance is considered acceptable in today's environment (and, well, there isn't a Wifi 7 POE Eero yet). It's worth pointing out that this product does not need to receive POE from the "WAN" connection, so it can function as the gateway and be powered by the LAN POE switch. This can be helpful in temporary setups, homes under construction/renovation, etc. If you are reading this text, my home network (outside the lab) are all POE 6s hardwired back to a POE gateway and the spouse has no complaints.

Just upgraded to 3 Pro 6E’s after having second gen eeros. Have gigabit internet connection. Love the pro 6E’s, not sure why the hate.

I first bought into eero via a set of refurbished OG pros. If you can find a refurb max 7, that’s probably the way to go.