I've had so many systems over the years.  Linksys, Apple Airports, ISP Routers.  Last one was a NetGear Nighthawk.

eero has been fantastic.  I have a v1 eero system (2 units, ethernet backhaul as the interconnect).

I was tempted by Google Wifi, Orbi, and Velop.  

Google touts stronger signal, Orbi and Velop more advanced features and speed.  But I know too many people that have buggy Orbi systems.  And most people screw up the advanced settings and would be better off with eero.

What I love about eero:

• Doesn't overpromise.  Setup on your phone, the configuration just works.  
• Can still use some advanced customization (Custom DNS so I can leverage OpenDNS filtering, IP Reservations).
• Easy Guest Network
• Because the units are small and attractive, I can put one on a bookshelf and get good wireless coverage.

What could still be better:

• More advanced security.  Stealth mode for all ports (so port scanners can't detect as much)
• More features in eeroPlus.  Honestly, OpenDNS with custom categories blocks most of what I don't want to run into on my home network.
• True IoT profiles.  Define thermostats, cameras, lights to have very limited access so we don't have to worry about them being compromised
• Fix the silly speed test in the App.  Don't trust it at all with AT&T Fiber.  Yes, I've told support, but this is a silly feature that is unreliable.
• Enhance the units so they ultimately can win the speed tests versus Orbi and Velop.  That seems to be the biggest reason eero loses some reviews.
• Optimize for 5ghz.  I live in a large condo complex.  A ton of access points.  Fortunately, eero creates strong 5ghz signal in our small 1700 foot 2-story condo.  I just don't know why 2.4ghz has to be active?  That only extends into my neighbors and creates interference.

I'm a happy eero customer.  Wifi is just so darn reliable now.

Good post!  You bring up a point that I think many have discussed before (and I agree with).  I'd be happy forcing all my clients to work off of 5G.  Although I'm not certain if some of my devices are capable of 5G because they always connect to 2.4G regardless of 5G strength (like my printer and my Ecobee thermostats).

Old question but after frustration with Eero, skyfranks pointed out a sale on the Velop - looks like its time to move on.  Sad, Eero used to be the best of the bunch....

Journey with routers includes :

Orbi + 2 satellite :  newest software upgrade (Dec 2017) is a mess. Rebooted router randomly. Known problem.  

Google wifi: probably the most stable of the bunch. Would like two 5 ghz bands to increase capacity when I have 50+ things connected  

Velop: ok but no better performance than Google Wifi. 

Netgear R7000:  very good but. Range could not reach across house. 

Eero: just got them yesterday. Easiest setup. Wired connections don’t show throughout. So far, very stable. 

I tried Orbi too, and after hours and hours through one week of tormented network setup hell, I returned it for a refund.  Yes, I too have a CS background and know enough to be dangerous.  Still, I really really like Eero 2nd Gen.  I have two eeros, and two beacons, to cover a 3 story house (not too big, just tall).  After Orbi, this was a piece of cake and the speeds are really good and reliable.  Sometimes older devices (like my old raspberrypi) picks the wrong Eero if one is updating or rebooting, and I have to reboot the server to make it chose wisely.  But then it stays there, so that's probably a old wifi adapter/linux thing.  

So, for a week of Eero, I love it and have decided to use Eero plus for better filtering for my 6 year old and the extra features (security, malware).  I like it so much that my parents recently needed a new router, and I immediately sold them on a Eero+beacon for their house.  

For Eero, I have added my ideas to the feature request section.  But more info on utilization between Eeros would be nice, and maybe the ability to anchor old devices to one AP would also be handy when the device will not moving around.  Better, fine grained parental controls would be nice. too.  

Add me to the list of ex-Orbi-ites.  Orbi was my first "mesh" (but not really) system; I excitedly bought the RBK50 system, but the first day was hellish - I kept losing internet, satellites would crash, web page would lock up, etc.  I literally reset the thing at least 30 times the first day.  Took it back to the store out of frustration, exchanged up for the RBK43 system, and had similar issues.  Finally got it working, after Netgear support told me to leave the SSID and all of the configuration in default form.  Worked OK for awhile, and then satellites would start randomly dropping while I traveled, and I couldn't see my cameras.  I'd have to have someone go to the house and reboot them manually.  The system was brilliant when it performed, but too often, it just didn't.  What a mess.  It replaced an Apple Extreme router + extender that was terrifically stable, but aging technologically and which you couldn't manage remotely.  The Orbi, by the same token, can technically be rebooted through the Genie app, but the satellites would never re-sync.  I was SOOO frustrated with it.  Orbi's firmware updates seem to make things worse, not better.

I then tried Amplifi HD with three routers.  Very slick app, nicely designed, similar to eero in many ways, but it just couldn't handle my very heavy device load (60+ at the time), and the system slowed to about 1/3 of my paid internet speed at the satellites.

Tried Zyxel Multy X, which is actually pretty good - but it had some hiccups with Google Home devices causing the router to be overwhelmed and drop all wireless clients every few days.  Still, the Multy's backhaul connection is much more reliable than the Orbi's was and the satellite nearly never drops.  The Multy, however, has no web configuration page and its app is slow and horrible, and you really can't do much with it.  Performance though is similar to Orbi's.  Even when the Multy had issues, I could always access it remotely through the app and reboot it, and rebooting always corrected the issue, with the satellite syncing properly.

I bought three eero + Beacon two-packs on eBay.  I set the three eeros up in an "Eero Pro" configuration and added one Beacon, for a total of four units.  Eero's app is the best I have seen - fluid, fast, and stable.  Firmware updates are seamless and never seem to cause issues.  Great remote management, just like you're at home.  Eero also has, far and away, the most reliable and dependable service I have seen in a mesh system.  The thing just NEVER crashes or goes off-line, or if it does, it quickly fixes itself.  It's not as fast as Orbi or Multy X, but much faster than Amplifi HD.  I get 200-230 mb/s internet connectivity at remote computers connected to satellites from my 300 Mb/s service.  Eero claims it can handle 128 devices per node (seems accurate based on my experience) and I did read that Velop, which I considered, can only handle 32 per node.  It's very Apple-esque in its minimalism, user friendliness, reliability, and simplicity.  Eero is the only system that easily and with stability handles my heavy device load (now sometimes 80+) with no stability impact, no compatibility issues, and little speed degradation relative to the other systems.

ONLY thing I don't like is that I wish they'd vent the units.  I hear what eero is saying about comparing it to a warm laptop, but the things get HOT - especially the gateway unit - hotter than any router I have ever used.  All in all, a clear winner from the perspective of speed balanced with stability, specs, and app quality.