Amazon eero mesh Wi-Fi system | 3-pack

54and56 · 30-09-2020 10:21am #1

So I'm currently on Virgin Fibre 200Mb with an Asus RT-N66U dual band WiFi Router with (I can hardly believe it myself) 56 devices connected to it. These range from PC's (2) and home working/studying laptops (4) to phones (4), media streaming devices, IOT devices, Google Home and Mini's, Nest Camera etc etc.

The Asus Router is about 8 years old and whilst it was a top performer when it came out I don't think it was designed to handle the volume of devices and pure demands placed on it by a family of 4 working, studying/gaming from home.

In particular it struggles to deliver decent coverage to bedrooms where a lot of streamed lectures/classes, Zoom calls and online gaming are done so I'm thinking of upgrading to a mesh system and the Amazon eero mesh Wi-Fi system | 3-pack reduced from £249 to £149 caught my eye.

Is this the right place to be asking whether an upgrade to the Amazon eero mesh system is the right thing to do?

I've also read that the current 6 mesh routers (which I assume the Eero system is) will soon be replaced by 6E standard routers and the smart move is to wait for those to come out rather than invest in soon to be surpassed 6 mesh routers.

FWIW running ethernet cables to the bedrooms just isn't a practical option so it looks like I'm going to have to invest in a mesh system in order to make life in lockdown and beyond more user friendly.

Would appreciate any thoughts / suggestions etc.

quintron · 08-10-2020 12:20pm

Don't have an answer unfortunately, 54and56, but I do have a similar query and situation.

Bumping this thread to see if anyone with experience can help both 54and56 and I.

Similar to 54and56, I have a lot of IoT and other devices connected to my single router. Currently at 29+ devices on the local network.

The current system appears to have overloaded on my Huawei HG659 router supplied via Vodafone. I read somewhere that there was a 36 device limit on these routers (wired and wireless) so I feel I've reached a tipping point. I'm on a 80Mbps connection. No issues with QoS and a lot of these devices are taking up hardly any bandwidth most of the time (Sonos speakers, Amazon/Google IoT devices etc.)

I too saw the discount on the older Eero at £150, and I am considering moving to mesh, primarily to "spread the device load" but not sure if this is a core function of a mesh system (to distribute addresses and address/manage DHCP load)? I also note that there is lack of support for PPPoE (via Eero specifically) which is a small issue. However, if mesh fundamentally fixes my device drops as well as enhancing overall wifi coverage its something I would pursue.

Thanks in advance!

Mikey23 · 09-10-2020 11:08am

I can't speak for upcoming Eero units - there's always an upgrade somewhere down the track - but we've had that 3 pack in operation in our house since November last year.

We've a 500mb pack with Virgin, though switching soon to Digiweb. Speed has been consistent across our two-storey house and into the attic where both my wife and I are working from home since March. Handover between the different points is smooth, and it's handled the kids at home (watching Netflix, Xbox live etc) while we were on Teams or Zoom without a hassle.

In short, the best kind of device: worked out of the box, pretty much forgot it's there afterwards.

alec76 · 09-10-2020 8:28pm

54and56 wrote: »

So I'm currently on Virgin Fibre 200Mb with an A..

I've also read that the current 6 mesh routers (which I assume the Eero system is) will soon be replaced by 6E standard routers and the smart move is to wait for those to come out rather than invest in soon to be surpassed 6 mesh routers.

It is not WiFi AX 6 system of course, it is only WiFi AC and not the best one.
( New Eero 6 will come out in few days , Prime Day )
If it is only 200 mbps package you have ,will handle it, no problem.
Won’t be able to deliver anything faster than that wirelessly though ( unless you create Ethernet Backhaul link )
ps. Wait until Prime Day , few good deals will be available for Network devices , including Mesh System etc.
Right this moment I would buy this used system for £121 from Amazon warehouse.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B079VS9851/ref=sr_1_1_olp?sprefix=Orbi+rbk+%2Caps%2C143&crid=2ILT9T6YLBMIA&keywords=orbi+rbk20&qid=1602272274&sr=8-1&dchild=1
Not top of the range, but definitely beat Eero and probably £400 Eero Pro too.

It has dedicated wireless Backhaul ( unlike Eero ) , I was testing this , could deliver over 300 mbps.
With Ethernet Backhaul capable to deliver up to 600 mbps wireless.
If two units not enough for you, could buy one extra at Amazon.de

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/RBS20-100PES-Netgear/dp/B07CQG8CG7/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2TR6CHC6UY8U5&dchild=1&keywords=orbi+rbk20&qid=1602273045&sprefix=Orbi+rb%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-5
Plenty used units on EBay etc.

Skill Magill · 10-10-2020 7:21am

alec76 · 10-10-2020 8:55am

I dunno this guy comparing Orbi RBK 50 vs Eero Pro.( 2 top of the range system in the Past )
I am claiming that ORBI RBK 20 ( younger sibling of RBK 50 ) still better than Eero Pro and TWICE cheaper.
Common , he is only have 100 mbps broadband, it is not a challenge for any system . Try to push 600 mbps wireless around the house.
And He really believes that Orbi capable of 867 mbps, that just ignorant , no AC system / client capable of this speeds , only WIFI 6.

Amazon eero mesh Wi-Fi system | 3-pack

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