Internet speed test app review3/12/2024 With a nice-looking design and intuitive access to controls and settings, it's one of the better app options in the router category, and it makes quick work of the setup process. This brings us to Eero's app, which you'll use to set the system up, monitor its performance and adjust its settings. Those Ethernet ports set a speed limit for the incoming connection, so if you're thinking about upgrading to a multigig internet plan sometime soon, then you'll want to skip the 6 Plus and consider spending more to get the Eero Pro 6E, or another router with a multigig Ethernet jack capable of handling speeds like those (the Asus ZenWiFi XT8, the TP-Link Deco X90 and the Netgear Orbi AX6000 are all well-reviewed models that fit the bill). You'll find your ports in the back - namely, the USB-C power jack and two gigabit Ethernet ports on each device. As for range, Amazon says that a three-piece setup should be enough to cover up to 4,500 square feet. Meanwhile, the system powers those radios with a 1GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage. Though I haven't had the chance to test it out on a gigabit network yet, an AX3000 speed rating is more than enough to top out a connection like that. The AX part tells you that the router supports 802.11ax, or Wi-Fi 6 the number after it tells you the combined top speeds of each of the bands (2.4GHz and 5GHz). Ry Crist/CNETĪs for the hardware, the Eero 6 Plus boasts an AX3000 build, which is up from AX1800 with the first-gen Eero 6. Bottom line: The Eero 6 Plus keeps everything that the Eero 6 got right, and it executes on the promise of strong, consistent speeds much better than before.Įach Eero 6 Plus device features a pair of gigabit Ethernet ports in the back, plus the USB-C power jack. A strong smart home acumen via Amazon's "frustration-free" setup, support for the upcoming Matter protocol and the built-in Zigbee radio for pairing things like lights and locks with your network are just the icing on the cake (or the sauce on the soufflé, if you will). That's especially true if you live in a multistory home, where that third device would prove particularly useful (the other noteworthy Wi-Fi 6 system I recommend in this $200-$300 price range, the TP-Link Deco W7200, only nets you two devices instead of three). That's top 10 among the 30 or so mesh routers that I've tested at home over the past few years - and none of the systems that beat its speeds can beat its value.Īll of that makes the Eero 6 Plus an excellent choice for anyone looking to upgrade to Wi-Fi 6 or to a mesh network. The Eero 6 Plus cranked that whole-home average all the way up to 304Mbps. Last time around, a huge disparity in performance between the tests where I connected close to the router versus those where I connected far from it caused the system to return download speeds throughout my house that averaged just 196 megabits per second, which isn't great for a 300Mbps fiber network, where the fastest devices I test tend to max out at about 375Mbps at close range. That was my experience at home, where I put the Eero 6 Plus through the same spate of tests that the Eero 6 went through two years ago. That, combined with a faster-than-before AX3000 build, means that your speeds won't drop as much if the Eero 6 Plus routes your connection through an extender that's three rooms away instead of one that's one room away. Even without devices like that on your network, you'll still benefit from the faster connection between the Eero devices themselves. That's the key part of the Plus pitch, and it means that the system can now move data twice as efficiently to 160MHz-compatible devices, of which there are many. One big reason for the Eero's improvement is its new support for 160MHz channel width, up from 80MHz last time around. (You can frequently find it on sale for under $200). Overall, it's much improved and much easier for me to recommend, even at its current price of $300. The follow-up Eero 6 Plus system still isn't perfect at steering connections through the best extender for the job, but few mesh routers are (particularly dual-band systems like the 6 Plus), and this time, the issue is much less severe. The only problem I had with it was its habit of routing my connection through the wrong extender at the wrong time during my battery of performance tests, which caused its average speeds to deflate like a defeated soufflé. The design was simple and inoffensive, the app was disarmingly easy to use, it offered full support for Wi-Fi 6 and, at $279 for a three-pack, it wasn't terribly expensive. Amazon's Eero 6 had the right ingredients back in 2020, as mesh routers were starting to surge in popularity.
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