Wi-Fi router comes in three-pack and covers whole home
The new Eero router seeks to create small-scale Wi-Fi mesh networks by foregoing the traditional one-router home setup for a base kit of three routers available on pre-order for $309.
The easy-to-install network is run from a smartphone application; up to 10 in-home routers can all work in conjunction to cover all the corners of your crib.
The primary device plugs directly into a DSL or cable modem; the additional boxes just need to be plugged into the wall. Boxes beyond the standard three-pack cost $125 a pop.
Literature from the San Francisco, Calif.-based company proclaims: “The core utility of the 21st century is broken. We’re fixing it.”
Traditional Wi-Fi routers are subject to signal degradation over distance, interference from nearby networks and interference from walls, according to the company.
“Eero allows for multiple [data] hops with minimal signal loss,” the company said.
The mesh network uses the 802.11 ac Wi-Fi standard and operates only in the 5 GHz spectrum band.
Eero uses proprietary software, a Qualcomm processor and radio chip, and has 1 Gb of flash memory.
Company co-founder and CEO Nick Weaver wrote in a blog: “For something that all of us use every day, Wi-Fi has a ton of problems. One of my good friends can’t get online from his kitchen. Another set up two networks to cover her home – but printing works on only one. My old co-worker talks about the ‘special chair’ he sits in so he can stream House of Cards.”
“For a growing number of us,” Weaver continued, “Wi-Fi even connects our light bulbs, security cameras and thermostats. But Wi-Fi hasn’t kept up. While Wi-Fi products keep touting faster speeds, the software that runs them is shockingly similar to what we had in the 90s. Eero solves this with a single piece of hardware that’s meant to be placed in multiple locations throughout your home.”
