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Using Circle with Eero

Is anyone using the Circle device with Eero to manage children's devices on a home network? I like Eero's ability to "turn off" devices, but Circle seems to allow you to set filters on a per-device basis. Just not sure how well Circle works in general -- and, in particular, if it works with Eero.

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  • Hi everyone —

    I appreciate everyone's patience and cooperation here. We're happy to provide this space for eero customers to share troubleshooting ideas with other members of this community who are in a similar situation as others here.

    I'm sorry to hear that many of you are continuing to experience trouble with the Circle devices on your network. It sounds like many of you have already engaged with our support team, which is always the best route for escalating any problem you may be running into.

    While I don't have any update to share, one thing I'd like to make sure is that for anyone here currently looking to use a Circle on their eero network, that they have the Circle hardwired directly to their gateway eero. 

    Thanks again!

    Like
      • Mark
      • Mark.2
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Jeff C. 

      I’m not sure what the point of your message was. All of us like our Eeros. None of us want to spend more money to duplicate what we already have. Circle used to work with Eero. It would appear that an Eero firmware update broke it. We’ve had no assistance from customer support. Is you reply asking us to stop complaining or offering us some hope that this may be addressed in the future?

      Like
      • Jeff C.
      • eero Community Manager
      • Jeff_C
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Official response
      • Reported - view

      Mark sorry for any confusion or if my response gave off that impression as that wasn't my intent.

      I wanted to check-in because I know there has been an increase in discussion within this thread and wanted to ensure that everyone knew that we are continuing to follow and investigate the reports of this matter.

      While I wish I had an update to share, I don't have any news at the moment. However, I was informed that users have seen better results with Circle on their eero networks when it is directly connected to their gateway eero via Ethernet. If that hasn't been tried, we recommend doing so to see if it delivers better results.

      For what it's worth, we haven't made any changes in the eero OS software since the reported start of this issue that would have an affect on how eero would work with Circle. But as mentioned, it is something we are continuing to follow, and as soon as we have any updates to share, I will pass them along here.

      Thanks again.

      Like
      • skyfranks
      • skyfranks
      • 5 yrs ago
      • 1
      • Reported - view

      Jeff C. No news has been the line given for months and months. Roblox issues were the first thing that I experienced so I couldn't manage my daughter's laptop anymore. Your website acknowledges this issue but every several weeks I would call in with "no new news on a fix". Then, xbox live was killed on Eero with Circle hooked in. Worked with support on the phone and couldn't find a fix. That was several weeks ago. So, I unhooked the Circle but now I'm done. Eero obviously doesn't have any motivation to find a solution and the sheer amount of time you allow to go by with no "news" on a solution is unacceptable. I just hit submit on my order for the Velop. My Eero is going on ebay. I've never been so disappointed at such an expensive purchase I've made. It's clear this is not going to be fixed.

      Like 1
      • Ben B
      • Ben_B
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Thank you Jeff C. - Your comment about having the Circle plugged directly into the Gateway Eero is a really big issue as I have my NAS, Printer, EtherNet connected PC, and other wired devices in the same room that my ISP Modem and tap are.  The other port left on the Gateway Eero after plugging in the connection to the modem is the port that my GB Ethernet switch is plugged into that supports all of my wired connections in that room.  That switch also happens to be where my Circle is plugged into.  Are you saying that the other physical port on the gateway Eero must be solely taken up with the Circle for the Circle to have a chance at working?

      Like
      • Jeff C.
      • eero Community Manager
      • Jeff_C
      • 5 yrs ago
      • 1
      • Reported - view

      Ben B via a switch should be OK. However, if you'd like to see if the Circle connected directly to your eero without anything between makes a difference, that would be helpful for us to know.

      Like 1
      • Ben B
      • Ben_B
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Jeff C. I will give that a shot when I get home from work tonight so that you have that datapoint.

      Like
    • Jeff C. weaves

      We began hearing from eero & Circle users experiencing this issue in October. At Circle, we were able to replicate these issues in testing, so we reached out to eero’s team. The eero team were very responsive, and asked us to send their customers back to the eero support team. However, since we first made contact with eero on these issues, it’s our understanding that it has been difficult for others to replicate the issues we’ve seen.
      I want to reiterate my invitation for our team to work with eero to resolve these incompatibilities and communicate clearly with the users of both of our products. Both I and our CTO Tiebing Zhang will be in San Francisco next Monday, and would be happy to meet with the eero team if there is an opportunity.

      - Lance C. 
       

      Like
    • Jeff C. 

      Hi Jeff C.

      How well does the Circle work while plugging it in directly to the gateway eero via ethernet?

      I can spare the only open ethernet port.

      Is this a perfect work around or are there still issues?

      Thanks
        

      Like
      • Ben B
      • Ben_B
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Jeff C. It's been 4 weeks since the last post from Eero on this issue.  Is the close of this issue that you must plug your Circle directly into the Gateway Eero and that is that.  I wanted to give Eero a fair shot at resolving this with Circle before I parted the Eero ecosystem.  I really really really want these two devices to work together but if the issue is still not resolved I will have to stay with Circle and find a different router system; Circle's functionality is just too good to move on to something different at this point and my family's safety is paramount.  Thank you in advance for any updates you might have.

      Like
  • I'm using it with Eero and it seems to be fine. The engineers at eero and others are not big fans of the device.

    Here is a brief description of how Circle works. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARP_spoofing

    Like
  • Thanks for chiming in,  zaydon ! 

    Doug — if you wish to use Circle on your eero network and run into any issues, please feel free to contact our support team. 

    Like
  • I'm now using CIrcle with my eero and everything seems to be working well. While some of the Circle functionality duplicates eero (such as the ability to pause wifi to certain devices), Circle provides added functionality (such as the ability to create filters for certain devices), which I like. Too bad eero doesn't offer all of this -- yet?!

    Like 4
  • Hey folks. I tried Circle recently and while the setup was simple and it discovered my devices quickly, the moment i applied a filter at any level to a particular device, that device would not connect to the internet at all. Went through a few gyrations with Circle support, like disabling ipV6 on my Xfinity Gateway, but that seemed to only work on some devices and not all. 

    Any thoughts?

    My basic setup is attached for reference.

     

    Like
  • Hey  ksupersano

    Thanks for chiming in. Sorry to hear the issue you are experiencing with Circle on your eero network. Our tech support team didn't see anything that would stand out from your topology. Mind getting in touch with support so they can take a look?

    Feel free to give us a call at 1-877-659-2347 or email us at support@eero.com. We'll look to get this sorted out for you!

    Like
  • I just spent 1.5 hours with Eero tech support trying to figure out why ethernet connections through a switch connected to the gateway Eero would not work. A process of elimination led to the conclusion it was quite probably the Circle. The tech said the Circle would need to be connected to the gateway Eero directly and not via a switch. Problem is I need the switch and the Eero has only 2 ports, so it's switch or Circle (or ditch Eero for another system that has more than 2 ports). I'm dubious to reconnect the Circle and risk recreating the same problem. I plan to try Eero's features that might be similar to Circle, but what I definitely do not want to is pay the $10 per month for their content filtering service that is included in Circle, so if I don't use the Circle I give that up. I might try putting the whole Eero system (in "bridge" mode) behind another router that has more than 2 ports that itself can have both the Circle and switch connected to it. Net net, I'd be very wary of buying an Eero system if you enjoy using Circle. To the Eero engineers: please build a unit with more than 2 ports!

    Like
    • TahoeGator Nick, eero CEO here. To add a little more color, even if we had more than 2 Gigabit ports, the Circle would still cause major issues. The biggest problem here, is that Circle uses ARP poisoning as a way of enforcing the content policies you set. What that means in practice is every request gets re-routed through their little box. This creates a huge amount of overhead for sending every packet and significantly decreases the performance of your network.

      Personally, I really like the Circle UX, but since it's not running natively on the network hardware you end up with the problems you've experienced. Give eero Plus a try, and if there are features from Circle that you miss after a week or two, let us know back on this thread. We're always adding new features to the eero Plus suite and would love your feedback.

      Like 1
      • rayburnc
      • rayburnc
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      weaves big thumbs up for responding directly to the issue.  Happy to see you monitoring the threads on a holiday weekend.  Not many CEOs would do that.  

      Like
      • Jacob2877
      • Jacob2877
      • 5 yrs ago
      • 2
      • Reported - view

      weaves Hi. I am a long time eero user, right after kick starter and I have also been a Disney circle user as well. I have been experiencing issues with my network because of circle. weaves I agree with your statement. If you want to know my input I can tell you three major things that we want from eero plus. 

      1. Time management 

      Allow profiles to track total time used and the ability to pause based on time. For example, User has 2 hours total for the day. 

       

      2.  Better filtering. 

      Allow the the ability to filter more than just safe searches but maybe youtube or other apps. 

      3.  Out of home? 

      This is the biggest and most difficult one. Circle has circle Go. This allows an iPhone to still be filtered when on cellular. And it tracks total time. 

       

      Bottom line weaves I really want to use the eero plus and ditch the Disney circle. But how??? 

      I am frustrated because I spent so much money on 6 eeros  yet with circle my network doesn't work  I still need the functionality  

      Like 2
    • weaves 

      Hi Nick & the eero Community, this is Lance, CEO of Circle, chiming in.

      It might be helpful to note that the Circle device does not actually re-route every request (unmanaged devices, no download traffic touched). While the performance impact of adding the Circle device to a home network is dependent on the configuration, our testing does not support the claim that Circle “creates a huge amount of overhead.”  Additionally, when Circle’s software is integrated into a router, the software does not depend on ARP spoofing (http://www.netgear.com/landings/circle/).

      Routers must be reliable and fast. Eero has demonstrated leadership in resetting expectations of what the Wi-Fi experience should be. My mission and focus of Circle’s product development is to provide all families with the tools to thrive in a digital world, as children connect at home, at their friend’s house, and through 4G.

      Habits start young and impact a child’s path to adulthood. Every child has the need to be safe and find the best version of themselves. The child’s needs must inform the experiences that technology companies deliver. This challenge is the exclusive focus at Circle.

      I am happy to work with Eero, as I do with many other companies, to ensure families have the best possible experience with their products.

      Like 1
      • skyfranks
      • skyfranks
      • 5 yrs ago
      • 1
      • Reported - view

      lance_circle So, will you work with Eero to resolve the issues? My Circle is sitting in a bin right now because the Eero I paid a ton of money for has issues with it. Issues that are "on their list to fix" but have no timeline and no real idea of a solution. I need both Circle and Eero as I have an 11 year old. Your filtering is the best I've found, but I need it to work with Eero. It seems both companies are not interested in working this out and that is a loss for the consumer, me and others on here. Technology becomes more fractured by the day, instead of easier to use and more reliable.

      Like 1
      • ericben
      • ericben
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      lance_circle Great response - can we now please fix the problem?  I've disconnect my Circle as well because it stopped working.  I'm thinking seriously of going to Google, or another mesh system so that I can use Circle again. It's far better than the eero parental monitoring.

      Like
      • skyfranks
      • skyfranks
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      ericben I was looking at Velop today. I may Ebay this thing and switch. Especially since I had to swap units and reset Eero today because my connection kept dropping. 

      Like
      • Ben B
      • Ben_B
      • 5 yrs ago
      • 1
      • Reported - view

      weaves Sad day today.  :-( 

      Hi Ben,

      I have initiated a cancellation that takes place immediately, and refunded you for the most recent charge made.

      Now that your Go subscription has stopped, you may wish to remove the Circle Go mobile device management profile from your device permanently. To do so, we have created a support article walking through the steps here.

      Hopefully our compatibility with Eero will return soon, but I completely understand your need to find another solution until then.

      Best,

      Circle Support

      Like 1
    • lance_circle 

      Hi Lance, 

      Where you able to meet with Eero on Monday when you where in town?

      As stated above, if I plug the Circle directly into my gateway Eero, Jeff C. from Eero stated it would work.  Is this the case?  If so I will go out and purchase Circle tomorrow.

      With all my experience, reading reviews, purchasing products, and unfortunately returning some products.  The dream setup would be Eero and Circle working seamlessly.     

      Most consumers that purchase Eero have families, and most families need to make the internet safe for their kids.  

      Thanks in advance for your reply.

      Jay

      Like
      • mrpme1
      • mrpme1
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      weaves It is now more than 6 months since we started having problems with Eero playing nicely with Circle.  We really like the Circle and feel that the security it offers us as parents of tweens, is fantastic.  It is also highly recommended by a few cyber safety experts that we have seen speak.  One of the features that we like is rewarding our kids with internet minutes when they have completed various chores.  We really like being able to do this individually. Or perhaps one of our kids goes above and beyond what is asked of them and we'd like to give them extra time as a little reward.  Circle allows that and it is a nice feature.

      When the Eero and the Circle were both connected, it was slowing down our work computers, not just our kids' mobile devices.  It also affected our TV, which uses internet, not cable or satellite.  That was beyond frustrating. We just didn't have these problems before we started using the eero system, and then it started only after an Eero update that is continuously not being fixed. 

      Like
    • Jacob2877 I just bought a $500 Eero package and the extra$$ for Eero plus.  I have posted elsewhere my frustration with the skimpy parental controls.  Looking back at this forum, i am surprised at how little functionality has been added over the past 12 months.  Mine is probably going back.

      Like
      • ken91
      • ken91
      • 4 yrs ago
      • 1
      • Reported - view

      weaves I did pay for the Eero plus and it doesn't even have option to block a specific site.  Also Eero Plus doesn't block mature content on sites like YouTube.  There has been request for this feature up for over a year now with no traction.  I paid $450 for the Eero device and on top of that $100 for Eero plus and it is missing basic functionality like site blacklist that I can get with a route for less than $50.  When exactly will we see this basic function?  After reading the feature request and many other posts it's seems like Eero and Eero plus was a bad choice.  I am lucky I am still within the return window.  I feel bad for people who have already made the investment.  Pretty sad that after spending $550 I still can't block a simple site but come to find out that if I want try and get the functionality from a third party there is a good chance an Eero update can make it useless. 

      Like 1
    • ken91 I am in the same boat.  I appreciate the Eero teams customer support and consumer experience.  But after 6 weeks of trying out the Eero pro system, I could not convince myself that it was worth $450 to smooth out a few dead spots and still use opendns. So I sent mine back last week. I may try google wifi to see how their parental control/blacklist functionality works.  Maybe I will try Eero again someday.  

      Like
    • weaves Here is what many parents are looking for and nobody but Circle is delivering.  We need the ability to whitelist and blacklist, and otherwise filter individual devices that connect to our home network. It is crazy to me that more companies are not offering this.  It is not an uncommon use case scenario for a parent to need to turn off "gaming" websites, "Netflix" or "anything except for school website" on their son's chrome book during homework hours. I was about to purchase an Eero system but my understanding is that I actually need the Circle to do that.  Now it looks like I can't even get circle to work with Eero....spending a long time in router purchase research mode and dissappointed with what I am finding. If you have any solutions for me please reach out to me.  

      Like
  • Yes, great to see the discussion here on a thread I started some time ago. Personally, I gave up on Circle even before eero created its own parental controls, but I'm very happy with eero Plus (the only drawback I see is what has been said -- it's an ongoing fee as opposed to Circle, which only requires a one-time hardware purchase). And kudos to weaves for joining in here!

    Like
  • Hi Nick ( weaves ) nice of the CEO to weigh in!

    I would echo what others have said about suggested enhancements (except the "out of home" which seems too much to ask for a home wi-fi system to provide), but I would caveat them by saying the ongoing monthly fee is definitely a burden when thinking long-term. I like our Eero Pro system a lot, but I would have reservations suggesting it to someone who uses Circle on account of some of the features being held back for the subscription. That said, as the CEO of a subscription business myself, I get it. Subscription revenue is better revenue than hardware sales. 

    P.S. for those of you using Circle before, consider what we did: we didn't tell our kids it has been disconnected.

    Like
    • Hi TahoeGator -- the subscription pieces are because there's a lot of ongoing work to identifying problematic content and sites for parental controls. We are also working on a number of enhancements to improve the offering. We also have network security as a part of the service, which has a significant ongoing cost. All in all, we're just trying to deliver the best possible set of services (in addition to our hardware) to our customers as possible!

      Thanks for your support and feedback. 

      Like
  • Eero plus allows graphic photos to still show up where Circle does not when I compared the two. When will this improve? Eero and Circle do not work together no matter what you and they may claim. My daughter can't use Roblox "because of circle" and lately she gets locked out of xbox multiplayer when it's assigned to her her circle profile so there's two devices I can't manage for her, making circle useless. That leaves Eero, but your filtering of content I don't want my 11 year old running into is severely lacking compared to circle. I can't seem to obtain the level of monitoring I need even if I'm willing to pay.

    Like
  • Hi... I'm really unhappy.

    The new update to eero has broken Circle completely. Now every time I turn on the filters, it completely blocks everybody. It wasn't doing this before - just blocking certain sites like Roblox. I'm very disappointed with this whole thing.  I wonder whether it's possible to get a refund for the eero - not the service I was expecting, weaves

    Like
      • skyfranks
      • skyfranks
      • 5 yrs ago
      • 2
      • Reported - view

      ericben They won't help you either. I'm ready to try Orbi or Google. Circle and Eero are only interested in pointing fingers at each other. I don't have time for that. Where I work, the phrase "working as designed" is literally banned. Finding solutions is what we are told is priority for our customers. This is not what I have seen as priority from Eero or Circle. Time to move on for me as soon as I decide which one.

      Like 2
      • tranceme
      • tranceme
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      skyfranks ericben  Did this ever get fixed? 

      Like
      • ericben
      • ericben
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      tranceme Nope - nothing worked. I can't plug the Circle directly into the eero main unit because I need the port for an ethernet hub for my house. I tried wiring it directly into other eero units, and it didn't work.

      Like
  • I'm quite frustrated. I purchased the eero from kickstarter - partially because of the parental filtering that was shown in the initial eero marketing video. Once eero launched - without the promised filtering capabilities - I stuck with the product because I was assured that more features were coming via software updates. So while I waited for the promised parental features I bought a Circle. It has been a frustrating experience, but it worked. Now, with the latest update, my kids' devices are useless when connected through Circle and I have to pay $100/year for eero Plus to get the features that I was promised would come standard with the eero purchase! 

    I'm aware companies need to make money to survive, but the old bait-and-switch is never a good look. I really believed in eero and it's sad that I've had to warn people away from the product because of this. I'm sure it's just coincidence that a competing filtering device stopped working shortly after eero started offering filtering services for an additional fee, but you really have to fix this issue.

    Like 2
  • And to add insult to injury, Circle tech is now "baked into" Netgear routers including Orbi. So no need to add an additional peripheral and all the issues that can accompany that. https://www.engadget.com/2017/11/15/circle-with-disney-on-netgear-routers/

    But since Orbi doesn't do wired backhaul, Eero won for me. I love them, just wish they could offer that additional touch of value. 

    Like
      • scooby
      • scooby
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      ksupersano The odd part to me is how the Netgear version of Circle is charging $4.99 per month for the premium features that are free if you buy the Circle device (currently on sale for $74). Circle Go is still an additional $4.99 per month. Eero should really partner with Circle and call it a day. Eero plus is too expensive for what it offers thus they are throwing in these freebies. I just want parental controls that work both at home and on the go.

      Like
  • I set up my 1st Gen Eero last night and then set up my Circle.  No issues at all.  Was originally worried since it was listed and a non-supported device.  Overly happy about the wifi coverage and use of my current devices.

    Like
  • Mark Smith  You will probably be fine as long as you don't update eero.  Once it updates - your dead in the water.

     

    weaves  - I have sung eero's praises to everyone who would listen, but when the last person asked me this week, I had to point them away.  Here is the communication that you get from eero when asking for help:

    Brandon (eero Customer Support)

    Thank you for contacting eero support. Upon doing some research, I found the following article below about Circle and it's compatibility with eero. It does not specifically say how to configure (at least the first few messages don't) but I do see customers that use it. Let me know if you require further assistance and I will be more than happy to help. https://community.eero.com/t/366lt9/using-circle-with-eeroThank you for being a valuable eero customer.Respectfully,Brandon Hindes

     

    When I pressed again, I got this back:

    Brandon (eero Customer Support)

    I have found some more information on eero and circle's compatibility. This came from Circle's support site. Let me know if this helps at all sir.Thanks for your interest in Circle! Unfortunately, we're aware of a serious incompatibility issue with Circle and Eero routers. With the latest Eero software (v3.5.0-312), released on October 17th 2017, we've determined that Circle's filter level settings cause overall Internet functionality to break. Specifically, you may notice setting a profile to a filter level other than "None" will cause every platform and website to fail to load, regardless of whether the site has been set as "Not Allowed". Setting the profile to the "None" filter level, or the device as "Unmanaged", will restore Internet functionality. At this time, there is no other workaround, other than switching all profiles to a "None" filter level, or disabling Circle until the problem is resolved. We are working as quickly as possible to remedy the situation and restore overall compatibility. Feel free to reach out to us using the support links below for more information.I hope you have a good day.Respectfully,Brandon Hindes

     

    So after multiple emails, I've managed to get what I already knew.

     

    Circle is a very useful device.  For me, it is far more useful than eero's $10/mo service.  Something eero did broke this functionality.  Is there anyone at eero who cares?  Is there any chance this will be resolved?

    Like 1
      • jaileer
      • jaileer
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Mark I got the same bouncing around that you did. eero support says it's a Circle issue, Circle support says it's an eero issue. Finally, I sent my circle back and they gave me a refund. I appreciate the customer service from Circle, but that's not the solution that I want. eero plus does not have the functionality of Circle, even if I wanted to be extorted for $100/year. I'm not sure what the solution to this is, but it's looking increasingly likely that the solution is to ditch eero.

      Like
  • My Circle now is a paperweight.  I didn't update the Eero but I did put the Circle finally on the Eero Wifi. (I had it on my Linksys Wifi prior)  Looks like I'll be running a wifi network just for my son on the Linksys controlled by the Circle.  Does any one seeing any issues with running a second Wifi network under the Eero?

    Like
  • I will be likely ditching my Eero too since Circle support on my router system is a must.  It offers way more support in filtering, device->user management, and guest devices and filtering than Eero Plus.  I think the Eero team would do themselves best by responding to this topic with a timeline for a fix no matter who is providing it.  Circle worked before the last Eero update - it is therefore Eero's responsibility to make sure the their system works with other highly rated filtering systems, especially when they worked before.  This is starting to feel like an anti-trust issue.

    Like 1
      • Nnyan
      • nnyan
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Ben B let's not get carried away.  Circle with Disney uses ARP poisoning to do it's magic.  This is not a good thing and does and will break things.  Asking any product to work with any device that is arp poison flooding your network is a loosing proposition.  I for one really need strong parental controls but I got rid of my CwD.

      Like
      • JTravers
      • JTravers
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Nnyan It may not be the most ideal way to do things, but the truth is that it works. It would be great if eero partnered with Circle to do the filtering straight from the gateway, as Netgear has done with them. 

      Here's a good post on the effects of Circle on a network. 

      https://www.snbforums.com/threads/circle-with-disney-reviewed.32464/page-2#post-369475

      Like
      • Nnyan
      • nnyan
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      JTravers 

      No doubt it's effective (although this type of solution can be flaky at times).  I thought the shared devices were handled poorly and device detection/naming stunk (FingBox is one of the best at this) but that is too common.  

      I think Unglue isn't as easy to deploy but it's effective.  I wish they still had the hardware.

      Like
      • JTravers
      • JTravers
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Nnyan I hadn't heard of Unglued before. Thanks for pointing it out. Do you know how it works? Is it as good at filtering and time limits as Circle?

      Thanks!

      Like
  • Took down the Eero and bought a Velop. Compatible with the Circle and simple configuration.  Bye bye Eero!

    Like
  • Strange that the CEOs of both companies would bother to engage in this discussion and then ignore the issue as it got worse. 

     

    For anyone still trying to make Circle and eero work together, I've found using another router as my gateway and putting the eeros in bridged mode seems to work (I have tried an Asus router with WiFi turned off and also a pfSense box). But I think you need to connect the Circle to your wired router via Ethernet to make sure it works properly. I wouldn't trust it to work connected only via WiFi. You lose all the gateway features of eero, but I think the features on my wired router and the parental controls of Circle are superior to eero's gateway/router features anyway. So no big loss. 

    Like
  • JTravers my goal for today was choosing a new router that would allow circle to work. I was leaning towards the vellop. Can you explain how you made your setup work?  I have some airport extremes sitting around that i would love to try. 

    Thanks. I wish weaves and eero were as helpful.....

    Like
      • JTravers
      • JTravers
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Mark You should be able to use your Airport Extreme as your main router connected to your modem (assuming you have cable). First, unplug your eeros and Circle. Then use the Airport Utility app and turn off the wireless on it. You can then connect the eero you previously were using as the main gateway/router to the Airport Extreme. After it boots up, set it up for Bridge mode. (I think that's under Network Settings -- Advanced settings -- DHCP & NAT in the eero app). Once that eero is working for wifi, you can turn the other eeros on, as well (I'm not sure if it matters whether you turn the other eeros on before or after setting the "main" eero in Bridge mode). Finally, connect your Circle via ethernet to the Airport Extreme, and plug the Circle back in.

      Basically, you want your Airport Extreme to be your router and the eeros to be wireless APs not involved in the router/gateway functions. And you want Circle to NOT be located behind the eeros (which would happen if you just connected it via wifi).

      I'm hoping that works for you!

      Like
      • JTravers
      • JTravers
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      JTravers Just to follow-up with how my setup is working... I have a pfSense box acting as my router/gateway with its WAN port plugged into my cable modem. The pfSense box handles DHCP, DNS, routing, etc. Then I have the LAN port of the pfSense box plugged into an ethernet switch. My Circle is plugged into that ethernet switch, as well as cable runs to 2 of my hardwired eeros and a couple desktop computers. Then I have another gen 2 eero that is completely wireless. The eeros are in bridge mode, and the Circle was initially setup wirelessly (as they force you to do) and then plugged in via ethernet.

      Everything seems to be working as expected

      Hope that helps!

      Like
    • JTravers 

      Thank you for posting your work around; although it is way over my head I am going to give this a shot. 

      I have a Netgear Nighthawk AC1900 Wifi Cable Modem Router, and the 1st generation Eero. Do you think I can get this setup to work if I plug my Circle into the Nighthawk, turn the Wifi off on the nighthawk, and set my Eero's to bridge mode?

      Or should I just plug the Circle into my gateway Eero's ethernet port?

      Thanks in advance.     

      Like
      • JTravers
      • JTravers
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      jay mitchell No harm in trying to first just plug the Circle into your gateway eero's Ethernet port. But if that doesn't work, plugging into the Nighthawk while turning off it's wifi and putting the eeros in bridge mode should work. Your description of what to do should work. 

      Like
  • Velop black is on sale at Best Buy. I'm getting it and ebaying my Eero. I'm done.

    Like
  • Thanks JTravers  I may give that a try.  My frustration level is pretty high with Eero right now ( weaves  are you listening???). and that sale for Velop sounds pretty good.

     

    skyfranks If anyone is partial to white, you might try asking B&H to price match.

    Like
      • Nnyan
      • nnyan
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Mark  Velop are fast but feature limited.

      Like
  • Well I'm still stuck with Eero, for now. I bought the Velop and it was twice as fast as my Eero BUT it failed initial setup twice and then my xbox one x refused to connect. Linksys tech support was a joke so I packed it up and returned it. When I feel like doing battle again, I'll be trying Google Wifi or the Orbi. I need some time to cool off. I'm so frustrated that these products charge you a MASSIVE amount of money and can't function properly, or, in this case be anti-competitive by breaking Circle functionality to drive others to Eero Plus. Well, Eero plus blocks half of what Circle blocks. I'm still determined to get rid of Eero just for creating this mess for those who need Circle functionality.

    Like
      • Mark
      • Mark.2
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      skyfranks 

      Nnyan What was your final solution? I just got the Velop running (and yes...it failed setup about 4 times) and will try plugging in circle later tonight 

      Like
      • JTravers
      • JTravers
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      skyfranks Have you tried running your eeros in bridge mode, or is that not an option? Circle is working perfectly fine with my eeros in bridge mode. 

      How many Velops did you try vs. what type and how many eeros? I'm curious because I've gotten pretty decent speed from 3 2nd gen eeros and a beacon. 

      Thanks!

      Like
      • Nnyan
      • nnyan
      • 5 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Mark  you may see my other post but I have gone with Ubiquiti.  Im getting about the same speeds as the Eeros on most of my clients and somewhat slower on others.  Setup is NOT as user friendly and can be a PITA sometimes.  But you can get a USG and 3 UAP-AC-Lites for a nice chunk of change less the the Pro pack.  If I didn't have to run the Eeros in bridge mode the calculus would have been different but while cautious about Ubiquiti I'm very impressed so far.  It's not perfect and you can drown in how much insight and information you now get on your network but it is damn solid.  Enterprise lite it may be but this seriously kicks ass.

      Plus I got to work with Google Cloud Product where I'm running the Ubiquiti Controller in the free tier.  Adds complication to the device adoption process but once it's up it just chugs along.  And it's nice to be able to manage my wifi and network remotely from anywhere.

      Like
  • I have the Velop running with my Circle and there are zero issues and faster speeds than the Eero.  Very happy to have dumped them for my new cofiguration.  

    Like 1
  • Just wanted to chime in. Circle hasn't worked since October 2017 eero update. I ended up disabling all the profiles in Circle so it's essentially a brick. I did sign up to try eero plus but it doesn't seem to have the ability to whitelist or blacklist specific sites. Be great if folks from Circle and eero could coordinate more and get this working again.

    The Circle is direct-wired into an ethernet switch which is direct-wired to the eero. I've also sent a request to Circle tech support but have not gotten a response. They claim it has to do with eero. Would really like to get this working again. Thanks.

    Like 1
      • pvjones
      • pvjones
      • 4 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      raminf I agree. Eero Plus is a no-go without whitelist and blacklist capabilities.

      Like
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