2Can eero sustain high speeds throughout your home? So far...no!
I am having a consistent problem in my home with eero that has become so frustrating that I am about to scrap my entire system and perhaps move to the Netgear Orbi.
I am currently involved with eero tech support, but alas, via email they are VERY slow to respond.
Here's my situation.....
I live in a rather large home (not a mansion) with multi-levels and a basement.
I purchased a total of 5 eero units. One for just about every level. One level is so large that I put 2 units on that floor.
Everything was fine when I was running at 75MBPS internet speed. However, I suppose I really began seeing the limitations in eero coverage when I recently upgraded my service with Verizon Fios at 330MBPS.
I can't get even close to that signal throughout the house. In fact, as I walk around my entire home sampling download speeds using FAST.COM and SPEEDNET, the speeds dramatically increase or decrease. Surprisingly, in a remote area of the house I actually am registering about 310MBPS, but it's not in an area I use.
At best, my top signal wired (ethernet) to one of the remote eero units is about 100MBPS, but averages around 75MBPS.
Additionally, signal is all over the place at any time. From one minute to the next, I can sit here and measure the signal on multiple scan test sites and there is a sudden degradation in signal and then it bumps back up again a few minutes later.
It's really driving me crazy. I specifically bought a lot of these nodes to expand coverage and maintain a signal. However, these units can't deliver much above 100MBPS on a 330MBPS system.
Depending what Internet review you read on the eero system (and I think I have read them all in the past 24 hours), you get eye-awakening statements like this one on C-NET:
"If you have a home internet connection with 200 Mbps or faster download speed, the Eero is definitely not for you since it can't maintain that speed at range or with multiple Eeros on one network."
If this is true, then eero is a HUGE LOSS all around and maybe I should be looking at the Orbi.
Tech support has been slow. Basically sending one letter per day. Some days, like today, I don't even get a response within 24 hours.
Hoping to get this situation fixed, or, I am outta here and will just have to take the monetary loss (which is huge). Judging from the lack of a solution posted in another discussion thread on this feedback site, I am guessing there is no solution and it's a huge flaw in these eero devices.
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Hi NJRonbo —
Welcome to the eero community. I'm sorry to hear the issue you are currently experiencing, but hopefully our tech support will be able to get it sorted out for you shortly.
While you are always going to see a bit of a drop in speeds throughout your home in comparison to those transmitted near you main eero, you should be able to maintain higher speeds that are closer to the 330 Mbps you are paying for.
There could be several factors that may be causing the issue, including but not specifically your topology or any potential interference throughout the home. It just varies, but our team will gather a bit more information on what is going on and provide next steps.
A member of our team should be getting in touch shortly. We really appreciate your patience and understanding, and we look forward to getting your concerns addressed.
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Jeff,
Thank you for your reply.
I am working with someone on the team, but thus far, I am seeing far less than 1/3 of the speed I am paying for.
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NJRonbo what type of network switch are you using? I made the mistake of a 100mb switch instead of a 1GB switch.
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NavinRJohnson
I am using Verizon Fios' latest router since they are supplying speeds of over 300MBPS. In fact, in another week, they will be upgrading me to 980MBPS, just under 1GB.
So, my router is fast enough.
Am I missing something else? Really appreciate the help, as thus far, eero support has been unable to pinpoint the problem.
Thanks
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NJRonbo —
Thanks for following up. Also, thanks for helping out NavinRJohnson 😀
I'd like to circle back to the question Navin had...
By any chance, are you using a switch in conjunction with your eeros and the modem device provided by Fios? While the modem should be fine, if there is a switch that can only provide up to 100 Mbps, it will limit the speeds of any device connected through that switch to that threshold.
Thanks!
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Jeff C.
Hi Jeff! Thanks for coming to assist.
No switch as far as I know of. My eero is connected directly to the Fios router. It's their top-of-the-line model capable of the speeds I am subscribed to.
Is there something else I should be looking for?
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NJRonbo —
Thanks for clarifying. Nothing else that I can think of at this point. It looks like Chris is working with you on this, so you're in good hands.
We appreciate your patience and understanding. Hopefully, we are able to get this resolved for you shortly.
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I am on the same boat as NJ. The drop in speeds is too much from eero to eero. My home is 3200 sq ft and I am using 6 eeros.
Im considering running a couple of Cat7 cables to try and fix this. I honestly thought the speeds were going to be more consistent throughout.
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Hi Nicolasmora —
Thanks for posting here as well! Just to avoid reposting the same response, both you and anyone else interested can see my follow up here.
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Additionally, Ensure that you are not using CAT 5 cable to connect the eero. CAT 5E minimum and better yet CAT 6. Otherwise you will only top out at 100 Mbps.
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NJRonbo, I have a large home as well and have 5 Eeros currently. Basement has two
eeros, first level has two Eeros, and 2nd Floor has one eero. We also have gigabit internet trough U-verse and I can get easily 350-450Mbps from a good portion of my home using my iPhone. Same with my laptop. Only caveat is all my Eeros are hardwired back to a gigabit switch. All wiring is cat5e since it's a house built in the 1999 range. But all lines tested for gigabit so it an issue there. I still have my sixth eero sitting in a box and don't think I need to add it anywhere since coverage goes even outside my house to my mailbox and pool.
Dixit
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Nicolasmora on a side note...too many eeros can be bad for throughput. 3200 sq/ft shouldn't need 6 eeros. Try removing some and see if that helps.
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JTswift
I tried a few different things and unfortunately I couldnt deal with the drop in speed. I decided to go another route.
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Nicolasmora Which route(r)? -
Dixit I gave up on eero and bought a Linksys Velop system. Getting faster speeds with that system.
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jimfbk Netgear Orbi
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Be aware, as I did a lot of research on this....
The Netgear Orbi is highly rated. HOWEVER, it does not daisy-chain its satellite nodes. Every satellite node communicated directly with the parent node. So, the parent Orbi node needs to be in a central point in your home within range of all the child nodes. The child nodes only communicate with the parent - NOT EACH OTHER.
The Linksys Velop works like the eero where everything is daisy-chained. In other words, the parent node can be at the opposite end of your home and you can place child nodes within range of each other. The child nodes talk to each other.
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NJRonbo Well, I particularly chose the eero mainly because at the time it was the only mesh based wifi system that allowed for any of the nodes to use wired as a backhaul. Luma, Orbi, Plume, these all use wireless as a backhaul method from a leaf node to the gateway node. I have 5 as I mentioned in my house, and all are hardwired, so if im connected to any eero, I get maximum performance as its all using wired backhaul vs doing any wifi hope from leaf to gateway (as you mention child to parent in your example above). I haven't kept up on Orbis just cause to replace my setup (which is working fine for me) would be costly. And not sure if they every brought the wired backhaul feature live yet.
Dixit
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Dixit I originally chose eero as well because it was the only mesh network available. I just couldn't get the speeds I wanted throughout my home despite the EXCELLENT customer service I was receiving.
With Velop, I am seeing at least 2x increase in speed and I am working with Linksys to improve it further.
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NJRonbo
just for clarity/curiosity, I'm assuming since you mentioned the daisy chain issue with the orbis that your devices are basically using the wifi to wifi hop vs wired backhaul on all devices like I am right? If so that's probably why I'm not seeing speed issues. Like I said with mine all are getting easily 200-400Mbps anywhere in the large house on all 3 levels. I'm sure if I did the wifi hop it would easily be half or less than that.
Velop uses that second 5ghz channel like the Orbis do so wifi to wifi hops will always be faster with a dedicated channel.
But glad you happy with the Velops. For me it would basically do me no good as I would essentially never use that third dedicated channel as I would still wired backhaul it since I see they support it now.
Dixit
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Dixit I really can't answer that question. I don't know how the Velop is set up. I know at this point I am running it in "bridge mode" and seeing better results.
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NJRonbo Same here. With the Eero in Bridge mode connected to a fast router, I can max out my 1GB Fios line on wired (connected to Eero), and get around 500MB on wireless. In NAT/Router mode, bandwidths roughly half, either using the Eero as router or via the same fast router.
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its been a year and still no answers.... I have 1gig internet and my Eero's can't get anything over 200mbps.
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Sorry to hear about your concerns here, MikesTooLz
It's important to keep in mind that there will be a noticeable difference between wired and wireless speeds on a system like eero. You can always use the eero in-app speed test to confirm that your primary eero is getting near-gig speeds from the ISP, but improving the WiFi speeds in the home will sometimes involve adjusting placement of the eero units, or getting additional units to better fit your space.
We encourage you to give us a call at 877-659-2347 or email support@eero.com so we can take a look at your network and make sure you're getting the most out of your network. We look forward to hearing from you!
Kindly,
Drew, eero Community Team -
MikesTooLz Honestly that's a bit odd, I have 4 eeros in my house on 1GB service and wired I see 700-890 most days and wireless anywhere in the house ranges from 250-450 daily.
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Why does the eero get slower speeds in router mode as opppsed to bridge mode? Mine is in router mode because I wanted full functionality from the app.
Is this donwgrade in spees particular to Eero or common with all (mesh) routers and if so, why?
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Hi Chi7 – We'd love to troubleshoot with you directly to see what other topological or environmental factors might be contributing to that discrepancy, since you should see strong and reliable speeds regardless of the eeros being bridged or unbridged. Please give us a call at 877-659-2347 or email the details to support@eero.com and we'll take a gander!
Kindly,
Drew, eero Community Team -
Drew thanks drew but my network is ok. It’s the original poster that has issues and I was just inquiring why router mode would take a speed hit as opposed to bridge mode as other users have stated.
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Drew I have sent messages to your support group from my app twice. No response. I finally called, spent two hours on the phone, no solution. I would appreciate a call back.
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Drew I sent another message today. No response.
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Thanks for reaching out DaveandKarenH and sorry to hear you've had some trouble getting in touch with someone. I don't see any new tickets from the email address associated with your network, so please try emailing us at support@eero.com directly from your webmail portal or desktop email client, and put "Community feedback" and my name somewhere in the subject line – I'll make sure we get your ticket directly to a senior specialist to assist with whatever concerns you may be having. As an additional reminder, you can also call 877-659-2347 between 7a-5p Pacific to get immediate help with any issues!
Thanks so much for bringing this to our attention, and we look forward to hearing from you!
Kindly,
Drew, eero Community Team
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I had an Orbi and was happy until around last October when they added Daisy Chaining of the nodes via a firmware update. Orbi has a 4x4 backhaul where eero uses a 2x2. Orbi was/is able to wirelessly transmit nearly gigabit speeds even through the nodes because of it’s more robust wireless backhaul. Eero is only able to wirelessly transmit those speeds with a wired backhaul. I sincerely hope eero gets a major hardware update make it’s backhaul substantialy more robust and while they’re at it adding WiFi 6 standard would be awesome. I switched to eero because the Orbi became unstable with all my devices dropping connections. I’d rather have stability than raw speed. Sucks that we are forced to make the choice of speed vs stability.
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I figured a quick addition to this thread was worthwhile, since it comes up in Google searches quite a bit.
I'm a certified eero installer focused on residential customers. Covid has been a significant driver for my business. I've installed thirty eero networks in the last six months. The new eero 6 and 6 pro are definitely faster than the previous generations. Some rule of thumb notes that people may find helpful;
1. Measuring speeds is not straight forward and it's only an estimate of real-world performance. Always toggle the WiFi off / on first, to ensure your device is connecting to the nearest eero unit. I use 'Speedtest' (app version) on iphone and macbook. Take the time to test with multiple servers (you can select / change servers in the app). You should eventually find a server that's faster than the rest. Make that your benchmark server for any speed tests in that home / locale. This is super important! Also make sure that no other device is using internet bandwidth when running the tests (this includes NAS drives backing up to cloud services!!)
2. Width versus speed: a speed test actually shows you total bandwidth. No single device ever needs all the speed at once. It's the width that's important. Given that the most intensive use cases are streaming high quality video, video conferencing and cloud backups, ~ 10mbps consistently delivered simultaneously to multiple devices should be the goal of the WiFi network.
3. Always wire the eero units if CAT5e or better cabling infrastructure is available. Larger homes can use the lower cost units in this scenario and still get the required coverage. Topology is important: modem --- eero gateway --- switch ----- eero leaf nodes. If no suitable wired infrastructure exists and the home is large, use the pro units (dedicated wireless backchannel) and try to position the gateway centrally. I've repositioned cable modems to tap off coax feeds for TVs in better locations to achieve this on occasions. You can always use beacons to out-fill edge areas, tight corridors, etc. It's fine to mix wired and wireless units if needed.
4. At the time of writing, as a gateway node, an eero 6 unit (firmware 6.0.4) currently tops out at around 640mbps with 1GB service / 5Ghz device, while eero pro units can pretty much reach the service max. Wireless leaf nodes will drop those speeds by roughly half (less than that for the pro versions). This is not a problem for real-world usage (see 2. above) unless you have 25mbps DSL (or slower!). I try to use the 6 pro for 1GB installs, but if cost is an issue then the regular eero 6 unit delivers excellent performance, especially if you can wire the nodes.
5. Always use high quality ethernet cables, ideally CAT6 or above, and 1GB switches throughout the network. I see so many homes with old CAT5 cables, with broken tabs, old 10/100 switches deployed, etc.
6. After a number of failed or temperamental network installs where I have initially used Google WiFi, Orbi and Velop, I've now settled on eero as the only mesh system I will install. Done right, they just work.
