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Eero iPhone Connectivity Issues

Hello, 

I have not yet purchased an Eero system yet; I am in the research stages deciding between Google Wifi, Orbi, Luma, Unify mesh, Amplifi, and Velop. 

I have seen many reviews and threads in forums in regards to Apple IOS devices failing to 'roam' between APs, or randomly dropping connections, or staying connected to the furthest AP rather than switching to the closest one. 

A couple years back I set up a $1000 Cisco Meraki AP for my home network. After countless issue with our iPhones and iPads not being able to connect, not seeing the SSIDs, and randomly dropping connections I switched back to my $100 Asus router, which has superior performance (for Apple devices) to the enterprise grade AP. I am looking for a modern WiFi solution to power all of our devices, including many Apple devices.

In any case, it seams Apple devices always have issues with WiFi, I am looking for a solid solution to this, I thought Eero was the winner until I started reading it also has the same issues with Apple. I have read that people have open cases with Eero regarding this, but it's still a known issue. 

At my office we have a ton of Enterprise Cisco APs, in which iPhones can seamlessly roam between without loosing a video call. Obviously at the price point of Eero we cannot expect enterprise grade features, but I am looking for some input if others are having this issue with their iPhones on Eero, and what support / development teams are doing to solve this issue? 

One other item of interest is outdoor WiFi coverage. With other mesh WiFi options on the market; outdoor weather resistant APs are offered. Does Eero have any intentions or future plans to offer the addition of outdoor APs to the mesh network? 

Thanks in advance. 

252 replies

    • mattv123
    • 7 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Unfortunately, experiencing many of the same issues as reported above.  

    • Very strong performance for some period of time.
    • Then weirdly slow connections after some period of time.  Fixed with WiFi toggle; other devices not having any problem at the same point in time.
    • Network route is dropping to LTE but WiFi is still associated but with "No Internet Connection" and no IP address assigned (Renew DHCP Lease doesn't help).
    • Sometimes Wi-Fi recovers, others it stays in this locked out condition until a manual Wi-Fi toggle.

    I had removed the WiFi debugging profile from my iOS device so I didn't capture any good logs.  I re-installed and will try to replicate tomorrow and see if we are still getting broadcom errors.

    I updated my ticket with Eero with the above information, so hopefully it helps them continue on with the debugging as we definitely are not fixed with this build (esp given the other reports).

    Glass half full assessment: the behavior is definitely different so eero engineers seem to be playing around with the right part of the code in which this problem exists.  Hopefully the next build will be that much closer!

      • mattv123
      • 7 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Update 2:  The problem is definitely still occurring, though it is for sure manifesting differently.  Instead of being fully associated with the network with a valid IP assigned to the phone (which is 3.3 behavior), it appears that in 3.4 the IP address is dropped but the interface is still connected.  This causes the phone to display LTE in the status bar instead of the Wi-Fi waves and "No Internet Connection" in the settings screen (see below).

      I managed a good sysdiagnose and Wi-Fi CoreCapture and forwarded to eero support.  To my non-Wi-Fi-engineer eye, there definitely looked to be some funny stuff going (lots of traps and roaming callbacks will null or 0 values).  I hope that logging will go a long way with their engineers to better understand the issue!

       

      • rtlee
      • 7 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      mattv123 Thanks for sharing those details with us Matt. I have had that same exactly thing happen as captured in your screenshot many times over the past few months with firmware 3.3.

    • jamiemcd
    • 7 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    After trying out the new beta and moving the Eeros, I decided to order two Amplifi HD routers. With Wi-Fi being a utility, I guess I just don’t have the patience for a $400 router that has these problems. The first six months were great and I recommended the product. This last month however...

      • rtlee
      • 7 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      jamiemcd Jamie - I don't blame you. In fact I have recently reached the tipping point myself and am ready to move on with one of their competitors. I haven't just yet for two reasons: 1) I have a lot already invested in Eero and really like it besides these problems, and their recent attempt at progress makes me feel like they are treating it as a priority and hopefully getting close, and 2) It seems other vendors have had similar complaints about dropped iPhone devices - so I certainly don't want to go through the expense and trouble of replacing it, only to have similar issues. That said I could return any new product within 30 days, so it may be worth trying out. I just am not sure when to jump ship here... I feel like within a few days of my return period ending Eero will have resolved it and then would have preferred just sticking with the Eero.... Anyway - Why did you choose the Amplifi HD? I am trying to decide between the Amplifi and Netgear Orbi. Hopefully Eero will have another update to try, but I am preparing to move along soon if not.

      • rtlee
      • 7 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      jamiemcd Hi Jamie - did you set up your Amplifi HD routers yet? It will be helpful to know if those are working as expected or have the same issues as the Eero. Please let us know.

      • jamiemcd
      • 7 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      rtlee I received the two AmpliFi HD routers yesterday. They have only been running for the past 24 hours, but there have been none of the iOS device connectivity issues that I was experiencing with Eero. It was so bad yesterday my iPad was about the speed of an old 56k modem. And unlike every time before, toggling Wi-Fi did not fix the issue.  

      Coverage is very good, but I am thinking of buying one more mesh point or router to bring it up to 3.  (You can add either routers or plug-in mesh points.)

      I like the cube design. (I liked the Eero design too.)  The power cord is too short at 3', but I contacted support and they offered to send me a 7' cable for free.  Their app, like Eero's, is not a universal app so it is not a proper iPad app.  I think both apps are comparable, but I was used to the Eero app.

      To be sure, some AmpliFi customers have complaints.  However, it seems it has fixed my issue.  I'll update this post if anything changes.

       


       

      • jamiemcd
      • 7 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

       Folks, don’t sell your Eeros for another mesh system yet. This issue just happened on my iPhone 6s on day 2 of the AmpliFi HD.  This really makes it seem like it is an iOS bug.
      My thought at the moment is that the AmpliFi HD may handle the bug “better” than the Eeros did, but maybe after more time on the new mesh network it will show up more often.  

       

      My iPhone was connected to Wi-Fi and close to the router. However it would not load any webpage.  I gave it a couple of minutes and had to toggle Wi-Fi.

    • arfung
    • 7 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Hi,

     

    I've got 4 eeros in my home network, 3 of them connected via ethernet. I'm having the same problems as everyone else. Running OS 11 on iPhone and iPad, I'm getting frequent drops in which wiFi shows connected, but no internet access. I can restore internet access either by toggling wifi off-on, or by "renewing lease"

     

    Please fix!

      • rtlee
      • 7 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      arfung I have the same issues as you, even with the beta firmware. I also have an issue where this happens when I am not even roaming. So I can be in one spot actively using my iPhone for 30 minutes just fine, then my phone is no longer connected to the internet, even tho I am still connected to my Wifi. I then have to switch wifi on/off to restore, in some cases multiple times before it reconnects. 

    • MaxxOdd
    • 7 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    I have 5 eeros all connected via ethernet and am having the same problems as everyone else.  My iOS devices (I don't have other ones to try) all disconnect if I move around my house and I'm forced to  toggle airplane mode on/off to get the connection back.  This is really annoying after paying a premium for a consumer network product.  I hope this can be fixed soon.

    • petercw2
    • 7 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Not to dog pile, but hoping being an additional use case is seen as helpful to finding a solution.

    I have three Eeros (the 3pk Pro kit).  The Gateway is connected to a 2nd via ethernet and a 3rd wirelessly.

    My experience with this issue is limited to my iPhone 7 running iOS11.  But it does happen regularly and I can easily reproduce it.

    • mattv123
    • 7 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    To anyone reading this thread who hasn't contributed or followed yet: please do add a comment indicating you are having a problem too.  Take 2 minutes to write what eero set up you have (3pk Pro, 2nd gen beacons etc), and the types of devices that are having problems.

    We need to help eero validate that this is a problem impacting more than just a small subset of their customers (if that is in fact the case) so they can address this problem full on.

      • CEO & Co-founder
      • weaves
      • 7 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      mattv123 Dropping you an email now

      • rtlee
      • 7 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      weaves Can you send me an email as well please? I reached out to you and Amos yesterday via a message. Thank you.

    • thegameguru
    • 7 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Just updated to iOS 11 on my iPhone 7 Plus with no difference in the issue.  I still will get either a completely disconnected wifi or a wifi with no connectivity when I move through my home.  Toggling wifi on and off will fix the issue but that's not a workable solution obviously.  I rely heavily on wifi calling since Verizon does not have strong service at my home.  Currently using 4 First Gen Eero's all wired with Ethernet running the latest release firmware.

     

    This also affects my iPad Pro 12.9 and iPad Pro 9.7" as well as my wife's iPhone 7

     

    I just bought some UniFi AP's since I read they do not have this issue.  I put in Eero's at all my co-workers home (I'm CTO for a PE firm) and they to are having the same issue.  At this point if the UniFI AP's work at my home I'm going to have to remove all the Eero's we have deployed (one home has 10 of them) and switch to UniFi.  I will no longer be able to recommend Eero's to all those that look for me for guidance.

    • Jason.1
    • 7 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Hey mattv123 I'm having the same issue with dropping, but not to the extreme it sounds like other users.  My main problem is that the iPhones don't consistently get the speeds of 5GHz.  Did you hear from the weaves?

    • jblevins
    • 7 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    I am running the test build of version 3.4.0, but unfortunately it has not solved the roaming issue for me.  I replied to support with a report, but for the benefit of others I'm posting here as well.

    I only notice the roaming issue on my iPhone 7 Plus running iOS 11, not any MacBooks or iPads, but possibly that's because it's the only device I carry with me and use frequently in different areas of my home.  The other devices are more stationary.  My iPhone seems to "stick" with the previous eero when I move around, staying connected much longer than it should, and it doesn't switch to a closer eero until I toggle WiFi off and on again (as many others have noted).  After toggling, my WiFi connection works again and speeds are as expected.

    I have no other WiFi networks or routers on my network, only eeros.  I've tried testing with as few as two wired eeros (2nd generation) around my home and as many as seven (including three beacons and two first gen eeros, the latter also being wired), but it happens in all configurations.  The eeros are all wired to an unmanaged gigabit switch.

    Previously, I had two Linksys wireless routers (WRT1900AC and WRT1200AC) and one TP-Link wireless router, all wired via gigabit Ethernet and using the same SSID, using both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, with non-overlapping channels in each band.  This worked great, and I never experienced roaming issues like this.  The only real trouble was that I had poor signal in my garage, where I don't have Ethernet, and in my back yard.  The eero beacons solved those problems, but the roaming issue is more troublesome on a day-to-day basis.  I spent quite a lot of money setting this new network up over the past week, so I really hope this can be resolved soon.

    • Gravity Brings Me Down...
    • stevebaker
    • 7 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Hi! I’m also running the beta firmware across my six-eero setup (two main and four beacon) and occasionally encounter the issue with my iPhone 7+ on iOS 11.

    I’ll check if my iPad Pro (also on iOS 11) has the issue to any noticeable degree. My wife’s iPhone 6s (still on 10.latest) has no issues, pretty interesting about that.

    We’ve come from the Linksys Velop system (ugh) and before that a hodgepodge setup of routers linked together. Eeros is by far the best of all that, so I’m holding tight.

    This weekend I will focus on some tests with that nifty WiFi Sweet Spot app, and will use the iOS 11 screen recording feature to capture every moment!

    • eero Community Manager
    • Jeff_C
    • 7 yrs ago
    • Official response
    • Reported - view

    Hi everyone —

    We greatly appreciate those who have reached out and helped test our recent 3.4 build. While we’re happy to hear that this update has resolved the reported issue for some, we understand that others are continuing to experience the same issue on certain devices. The feedback we’ve received thus far has been invaluable toward our debugging efforts; please continue to share feedback with us at support@eero.com .

    Our mesh team is working on getting to a solution that fixes the issue more broadly. We can’t thank you enough for your patience and understanding. We’ll be sure to post updates regularly, as well as share next steps for future test builds.

    Thanks again.

      • CEO & Co-founder
      • weaves
      • 7 yrs ago
      • Featured
      • Reported - view

      Thanks for posting Jeff C. and thank you everyone here. From our data it seems like there is not a high incidence rate, but from all of your comments it sounds like things are very acute. We're working around the clock to get this resolved. We'll reach out directly if we need more information and have additional patches to test. Thank you all for your support and patience.

      • cleverdevil
      • 7 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      weaves Jeff C.  THANK YOU for these replies. Its good to know that you are taking the issue seriously. I admit, having unreliable Wi-Fi at home for the last 4-6 weeks has really shaken my confidence in Eero, and I've been tempted on more than one occasion to abandon ship and get something else.

      That said, your recent response to the issue, including inviting our help with the test builds, and spending time here in the community is very commendable, and we all really appreciate it. I am absolutely willing to do whatever testing Eero needs to get this issue resolved. I'm ready to return to having a rock-solid, worry-free network that only Eero has ever been able to deliver me.

      Good luck to your engineers!

      • rtlee
      • 7 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      weaves Nick - Thank you for your participation here. I really appreciate that and I'm sure other customers do as well. Do you have any information on what causes some customers to be affected and not others? I would guess that a large part of your customer base, perhaps the majority, has more than one Eero, and I would guess that a majority of those users have iPhones. What could lead to issues we are having there when those other customers are not experiencing the same thing. I would be good to know because perhaps we could turn off a feature or do something that would help avoid the issue while you are fixing it.

      Regarding my issues, there several dozens of emails back and forth with level two over the past few months trying to solve it.  My issues seem pretty widespread in terms of the variety of them. I have issues with our iPhones dropping the internet connection while still connected to the Wifi, other times it drops wifi and shows LTE, while other times I can be using the iPhone while sitting at my desk for a half hour and then suddenly it will drop the connection for now apparent reason while I have been completely stationary, so not necessarily a roaming issue in some cases, while certainly roaming around the house can cause it too.

      Is it possible to provide more details on when an updated firmware will be available to try? It is great to know that this is a high priority issue within your team - thank you again.

      • CEO & Co-founder
      • weaves
      • 7 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      rtlee -

      Thanks for the question and your continued patience. I appreciate it, and I’m sorry you’re experiencing this issue.

      Our mesh team has been able to reproduce and capture live failures, and they are continuing to run ongoing tests. At this point, we haven’t been able to identify any trends other than device type. At this time, there is no action required on the customer end (like turning off a feature).

      We are making significant progress, and this will continue to have our focus until it’s solved. We hope to be able to share an update on here soon. Thanks, again, for being an eero customer.

      • CLalib
      • 7 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Jeff C. I do appreciate everyone acknowledging this issue. Here is my frustration. You already have a fix for this issue that can IMMEDIATELY resolve the problem your customers are experiencing...v3.2.0. You resist rolling back the firmware for internal testing reasons, but I don’t work for your company and shouldn’t suffer while you do your internal testing.

      The responsible action is to immediately roll back the firmware to a version before you damaged everyone’s Eero’s. Then after you have done your PROPER internal testing, you can continue to press forward on updates. 

      I went through this exact issue with Eero last year and it took a very nasty amount of pressure to get them to roll back my firmware. Once they finally bowed to the mounting pressure, the issue was immediately fixed. 

      As for me, I am out of energy to fight (again) for something like a router. I switched over to Google Wifi Mesh and have enjoyed an immediate solution.  

      What is so sad about this is that it could have been resolved with no nastiness and no loss of customers with a more mature business decision process. 

      I wish no one any ill will, but this is not how you run a business. 

    • miamojo
    • 7 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    My guess is that a lot of people are having this issue but are attributing it to various other things like a bad modem, ISP outages, too many people sharing a cable connection, apps crashing, old iPhone, people in the house streaming video, etc...  No one in my house(four more adults) has complained and we all use iOS devices. Today I tested all of the phones and they all have the same issue.

     

    I think we’re the people who notice, mind, and evaluate. I think people might be more inclined to notice if they had speedy, rock-solid internet all the time. I think we’re all used to shoddy WiFi. I work at a tech company and wrestle with WiFi all day, switching networks, moving closer to APs when I need speed... 

    But hey for three or four glorious days when I first installed the eero system, I had a taste of what things could be like... Hoping to get there again. Thanks everyone.

Content aside

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