🛒
Amazon’s eero Max 7—its first foray into Wi-Fi 7—was available for purchase on October 26, 2023, months before the latest Wi-Fi standard itself became certified at the beginning of this month.
Initially, I didn’t intend to review the new hardware, finding it overpriced based on the specs alone. At $600 a piece (or $1700 before taxes for a 3-pack at the current street price), the Eero Max 7 could have been too big a bullet to bite, considering I just spent a lot of resources on the Netgear Orbi 970 Series and a few others.
This review is reader-sponsored—generous donations from viewers like you contributed to the hardware and labor costs.
As usual, Amazon has touted the new eero Max 7 as its “most advanced” mesh router, and that had some merit, considering the support for Wi-Fi 7 and Multi-Gig Ethernet. Alas! After over a week of real-world trial, the hardware proved to be an unpleasant experience—it was anything but “advanced”, among other things—primarily because of its insidious firmware.
Here’s the bottom line: If you have high hopes for top-notch Wi-Fi speeds, the eero Max 7 will disappoint you—big time. While the new eero can pass for actual Multi-Gig hardware in a wired home, the deliberately stripped-down free app, the constant eero Plus upsell nags, and the severe privacy risks will probably make you second-guess your intelligence on the purchase.
That’s especially true if you’re aware of many other options that can offer much more for significantly less. Among those, The TP-Link Deco BE85, with its flaws, is an easy example.
Dong’s note: I first published this piece as a preview on October 26, 2023, and updated it to an in-depth review on January 31, 2024, after thorough hands-on testing.
Amazon Max 7: A disappointing experience
In more ways than one, the eero Max 7 reminds me of the eero PoE Gateway.
It’s Amazon’s second piece of networking hardware that fully supports multi-Gigabit wired connectivity. It has two 10GBASE-T and two 2.5GBASE-T Multi-Gig ports, all of which are auto-sensing. Pick one to connect to your internet source; it’ll work as the WAN port, and the rest will function as LANs.
With two 10Gbps ports per unit, the eero Max 7 will deliver a real 10Gbps network right out of the box in a wired backhauling setup—you can daisy-chain the hardware units. It’s worth noting that the hardware’s 10Gbps ports sustain at around 6Gbps. That’s the general case with all existing Multi-Gig routers, which is still incredibly fast.
So, on the wired networking front, the new eero is excellent. It could be better if it had built-in PoE or support for SFP+, but considering the relatively compact design, that’d be too much to ask.
On the Wi-Fi front, the new hardware shares almost the same specs as the TP-Link Deco BE85. However, in real-world performance, the two can’t be more different. And that’s where the Eero disappoints—more on this in the performance section below.
The table below shows the similarities and differences between the two in hardware specifications.
Amazon eero Max 7 vs. TP-Link Deco BE85: Hardware specifications
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Amazon eero Max 7 Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Router | TP-Link Deco BE85 BE22000 Tri-Band Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Router |
| Model | eero Max 7 | Deco BE85 |
| Mesh Availability | 2-pack or 3-pack (identical routers) | |
| Dimensions | 7.24 x 8.73 x 3.54 in (183.90 x 221.89 x 89.90mm) | 5.04 × 5.04 × 9.29 in (128 × 128 × 236 mm) |
| Processor | Quad-core A73 processor, 2GB RAM, 4GB flash storage | Undisclosed |
| Wi-Fi Technology | Tri-band BE20800 | Tri-Band BE22000 |
| 2.4GHz Band specs (channel width) | 2×2 BE: Up to 688 Mbps (20/40MHz) | 4×4 BE: Up to 1376 Mbps (20/40MHz) |
| 5GHz Band Specs (channel width) | 4×4 BE: Up to 8640 Mbps (20/40/160/240MHz) | |
| 6GHz Band Specs (channel width) | 4×4 BE: Up to 11520 Mbps (20/40/160/320MHz) | |
| Backward Compatibility | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax Wi-Fi | |
| Wireless Security | WPA2, WPA3 | |
| Mobile App | eero | TP-Link Deco |
| Web User Interface | No | Limited |
| Bridge Mode | No | |
| AP Mode | Yes (called Bridge) | Yes (as a mesh or a single unit) |
| USB Port | 1x USB-C (power only) | 1x USB 3.0 (for network storage) |
| Internal Fan | No | Yes |
| Gigabit Port | None | |
| Multi-Gig Port (WAN/LAN auto-sensing) | 2x 2.5Gbps 2x 10Gbps | 2x 2.5Gbps 1x 10Gbps 1x 10Gbps / SFP+ Combo |
| Link Aggregation | No | |
| Firmware Version (at review) | v6.16.3-78 | 1.0.7 Build 20230428 Rel. 62173 |
| Power Input | 110-240V | |
| Power Consumption (per 24 hours) | ≈ 450 (router unit) | ≈ 485 Wh (router unit) |
| Suggested Price (for a mesh system) | $1,749.99 (3-pack) $1,149.99 (2-pack) $599.99 (single router) Check the current street price! | $1499.99 (3-pack) $999.99 (2-pack) $499.99 (single router) Check the current street price! |
As shown in the table, the eero Max Pro 7 and TP-Link Deco BE85 are similar in hardware, with the latter encompassing the former and then some.
Specifically, the TP-Link Deco has a faster 2.4GHz band on paper (though likely the same in real-world usage), support for SFP+, and an option for USB-based storage features. So, the biggest and most perplexing difference is the price, where eero Max 7 costs significantly more.
And that brings us to the eero’s firmware. Get ready to be even more perplexed.
3-Pack Amazon eero Max 7: Non-pre-synced hardware, the same app-operated approach
Despite the new Wi-Fi 7 and a generous number of Multi-Gig ports, the eero Max 7 seems stagnant. It uses the same app as the rest of the eero family. In fact, the app has many sections where the texts still refer to Wi-Fi 6.
Still, if you’ve had an eero before, the eero Max 7 will feel super familiar.
In particular, you need to use the eero app and log in with an eero (or Amazon) account before you can set it up. After that, the app is the only way to manage the system, locally or when you’re out and about. It’s important to note that using app-operated hardware with a login account incurs inherent privacy risks.
Amazon eero and your privacy
Since day one, the eero ecosystem has been known to collect user data. It was the first Wi-Fi solution that would not work independently without connecting to the vendor via the Internet.
Specifically, you need a live Internet connection (e.g. via a cellular connection) and log in with an eero (or Amazon) account before you can start the initial setup process. After that, everything that goes through your eero router can be monitored by its maker.
Additionally, all eero variants come with an auto-firmware update feature that cannot be turned off. This feature allows the company to change how the hardware functions to its liking. In other words, the users don’t own the product outright.
Here’s eero’s privacy policy.
Having your router connected to a third party is never good, and data collection varies from vendor to vendor. However, whoever controls your router can know everything you do online and within your network.
Unlike the case of other high-end Wi-Fi 7 mesh systems I’ve tried, including the TP-Link Deco BE85 and the Netgear 970 series, the three identical hardware units of my 3-pack eero Max 7 are not presynced. As a result, once I set up the router unit, which took just less than 10 minutes, I needed to add the other two manually, one at a time. Still, the process was relatively painless. In all, I only needed less than 30 minutes to get the 3-pack Amazon eero Max 7 up and running.
Minimal customization, lots of upselling nags
The main reason the eero was such an easy out-of-the-box experience was that it had little to offer. Most of the common settings available in other mesh systems or standard routers were simply not there.
Specifically for Wi-Fi settings, here is what you can do with the eero Max 7 (or any eero):
- Pick a name and password for the primary SSID. It will be used for all of its bands (2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz.)
- Turn on or off the Guest Wi-Fi network and pick an SSID and a password for it. Again, there’s no option to change anything about this network.
And that’s it. There’s nothing else you can do. As a result, among other things, it’s impossible to connect a client to a particular Wi-Fi band, and you can’t tune the SSID to favor performance.
As for networking settings, here is what you can do with the eero Max 7:
- Configure the WAN (Internet) settings between the default dynamic (DHCP), static IP, and PPPoE options. Apply VLAN Tagging (IP TV) when applicable. In most cases, you just leave this at default.
- Turn support for IPv6 on or off (default).
- Manage the DHCP server, change the default gateway IP (192.168.4.1), and manage the IP pool. In most cases, this setting should be used with the default value.
- Switching the operation modes between router (default) and AP (called “Bridge”).
- IP reservation for local devices and port forwarding.
And that’s it. For everything else, such as Dynamic DNS, QoS, Parental Control, VPN, etc., you’ll need to use the eero Plus subscription that costs $99.99/year or 9.99/month after a 30-day trial.
And this eero Plus nuisance is where I found the app insidious.
The annoying eero Plus nags
Instead of hiding the settings and features available only to subscribers or clearly marking them as such, eero disingenuously presents them as innocuous options within the app. When you tap on the last step to use them, a nag screen pops up, asking you to subscribe.
Here’s a quick list of things that will invoke this annoying paywall:
- The Wi-Fi radio analytics feature, which supposedly allows for a better understanding of each band’s status and performance.
- The Dynamic DNS feature.
- The “eero Internet Backup” feature, which is likely a form of Dual-WAN.
- Almost anything relative to a user’s “Profile”, such as Parental Controls or Ad Blocking.
Given that there’s not much you can do with the hardware, virtually everything you’d want to do requires the eero Plus subscription. Throughout testing, I ran into this nag screen dozens of times, and it got old by the third. It was tiresome, if not a waste of time.
It’s important to note that most of the eero Plus-required features mentioned above are freely available in other hardware brands, either fully or partially.
Amazon eero Max 7’s real-world performance: The elusive 6GHz band and an overall disappointing experience
As mentioned, I’ve used a 3-pack of Eero Max 7 for over a week, and it’s been quite a strange experience.
First, I couldn’t make a client connect to a particular band. During the entire trial, none among my dozen Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 devices—including multiple laptops, desktops, and Android smartphones—could connect to the eero using the 6GHz band.
It wasn’t for the lack of trying. I tested the hardware on different days (of the week), at various times of each day, and even restarted the hardware manually when deemed necessary to make sure changes were in effect, etc. The 6GHz was simply never there for the devices.
Most of the time, within the 40 feet (12 m) range, these devices are connected using the 5GHz band and 80MHz with a negotiated speed of 1200Mbps. Farther out, they connected using the super slow 2.4GHz band.
Additionally, the eero showed no indication of Multi-Link Operation. This Wi-Fi 7 feature allows combining the 5GHz and 6GHz or all three bands into a bonded link for better bandwidth, and there was no way to figure that out within the shallow eero app.
Again, it’s worth noting that Wi-Fi 7 was still in the early stages during my tests, and due to backward compatibility, the use of the 6GHz, especially with the MLO feature, can generally be complicated.
The point is that as the standard matures, future firmware updates (and software drivers) will likely make the 6GHz band more accessible. Still, the way the eero ecosystem works, be ready for the fact that the Max 7 can be disappointing in the band availability front alone.
Terrible Wi-Fi performance
With the 6GHz band out of reach, it was not surprising that the eero Max 7 didn’t have the top wireless speeds—in fact, it felt somewhat like a fake Wi-Fi 7 product, in my opinion. But it was actually worse than that since its available bands, namely the 5GHz and 2.4GHz, were much slower than other broadcasters.
As a standalone router, the eero Max 7’s 5GHz band was the sluggishest among the over a dozen Wi-Fi 7 broadcasters I’ve tested. And in a wireless mesh setup, the satellite unit didn’t have anything to call Mom about, either. It was among the slowest, even slower than the entry-level Linksys Velop Pro 7, which costs only $899.99 for a 3-pack.
To put things in context, while other Wi-Fi 7 broadcasters generally deliver real-world performance between mid-Gig+ and multi-Gigabit, the eero Max 7 typically averages below Gigabit on a good day, as shown on the charts.
Tip
Gig+, or Gig Plus, conveys a speed grade faster than 1Gbps but slower than 2 Gbps. So, it’s 1.5 Gbps, give or take a couple hundred megabits per second, and it’s not speedy enough to qualify as Multi-Gig Ethernet or multi-Gigabit. Intel coined the term to call its Wi-Fi 6E client chips—the AX210 and AX211—to describe their real-world speeds.
Gig+ applies mainly to the sustained speeds of Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 7—via a 2×2 at 160MHz connection—or broadband Internet speed.
In terms of broadband speed, generally, I only got between 300Mbps and 900Mbps when connected to the eero using wireless clients out of my 10Gbps Fiber-optic plan. Multi-Gig wired clients, however, could get between 2200Mbps and 5000Mbps.
Interestingly, the Linksys Velop’s coverage was also that of the Eero Max 7. I estimate that each router unit can handle about 1500 ft2 (139 m2), and each additional unit will add about 1300 ft2 more, but of course, your mileage will vary.
Fast Multi-Gig wired performance, sub-par wireless backhauling
I tested the eero Max 7’s network ports the way I do a switch, and the router did well. Its 10Gbps port performance was actually faster than that of some other routers, albeit within a small margin.
Since the Amazon eero Max 7 is a Wi-Fi 7 mesh system, I also tested its wireless backhauling using two 10Gbps clients in my new test. In this case, the eero’s wireless bandwidth between its router and the satellite was subdued. At 1.8Gbps, it was the slowest to date, noticeably lower than the entry-level Linksys Velop Pro 7, which only has 2.5Gbps ports.
Overall, the new Amazon eero Max 7 only did well as a wired device. As a Wi-Fi broadcaster, especially one that features the latest standard, its performance was disappointing. Nonetheless, it passed my 3-day stress test without disconnections.
Having no internal fan, the eero Max 7 was silent during my testing. And it remained relatively cool, too. It became a bit warm during heavy operations but far from anything that could cause concern.
Amazon eero Max 7's Rating
Pros
Full Multi-Gig ports with fast wired performance; easy to set up and use
Aesthetically designed hardware
Relatively reliable performance; runs cool and quiet
Cons
No 6GHz band for clients in real-world usage; low real-world Wi-Fi throughputs and bandwidth
No local management; the eero mobile app's interface is poor and riddled with eero Plus subscription nags; severely lacking in Wi-Fi and networking customizations
Overpriced; high privacy risks
Conclusion
At the time of this review, Wi-Fi 7 is still in its early stages, and new firmware and app updates will likely improve the Amazon eero Max 7.
However, for right now, I wouldn’t call it “not ready for prime time.” That would suggest it will eventually be. It won’t. I wouldn’t say, “I’d not use the Amazon eero Max 7 if I got it for free”, either, because, well, I did get it for free.
I will say this: I’d not use the Amazon eero Max 7 even if you paid me to. In my world, there are just so many other much better real Wi-Fi 7 options.
Besides the high privacy risks, the eero Max 7, in particular, and the eero ecosystem as a whole, has a fundamental flaw: The firmware has deliberately and increasingly over the years neutered the hardware by withholding essential, practical, and commonplace network settings/features in an attempt to trap users into a subscription rabbit hole.
Imagine paying handsomely for a nice car only to find out that you’d need to spend another $100/month to be able to use the AC, turn on the radio, or put it in reverse! In the case of the eero, you won’t get to really use the product you have paid dearly for until you’re willing to cough up another $10/month.
If, for some crazy reason, you’re a fan of eero, you’d still get this mesh and then look for reasons to love it or to justify your purchase. And you’d find some on the surface. However, with common sense, there’s no situation in which I can recommend the eero Max 7.
There will be many more Wi-Fi 7 mesh options in the near future that are much more affordable. And it’s safe to say they will ALL be better because the eero Max has set the bar incredibly low. And maybe that’s the only thing genuinely good about it.
Top 5 best Wi-Fi 7 mesh Wi-Fi systems
 |  |  |  |  | |
| Name | Asus ZenWiFi BT10’s Ratings | Asus ZenWiFi BQ16 Pro’s Rating | Netgear Orbi 870 Series’s Rating | TP-Link Deco BE85’s Rating | Linksys Velop Pro 7’s Rating |
| Price | – | – | – | – | – |
| Rating | |||||
| Description | |||||
| Statistics | |||||
| Buy this product |
I read this discussion {…} you were described as biased against the Eero…. so I bought a set of this Max 7 and guess what? it turned out the same as you described. {…} Returned! Thanks for your honest review!
Sure, Jim. Please note the comment rules above, though.
Got it.
Hello Dong,
I know there’s been alot of Eero defending in the comments, and I know it sounds like I’m a shill, but there are some points that I would like to discuss.
First is that there are certainly things that Eero absolutely gets wrong, like:
The price of the eero setup is ridiculous, and having Eero Plus is a giant slap in the face. I hate Eero plus and it’s the worst thing about Eero by far. That cannot be defended.
The lack of a website to configure it is also extremely short sighted, exposed when there was an issue where phones that updated to Android 13 could not connect to their eero using the app, preventing you from setting them up. {…}
I also do not like the phone home capabilities of Eero. I would like my network to stay internal.
Having said that, your reviews of Eero products seem quite biased against them.
For their admitted many faults, the eero mesh is extremely reliable.
I can’t think of a time that my eero pro 6 mesh failed in the last two years. I haven’t had to turn it off and on again at all.
This is probably the most important aspect of a router, as a fast and feature packed router would be garbage if it wasn’t reliable.
You also (rightfully) criticise the eero for needing to phone home for it’s setup, but in your TP-Link reviews, you don’t mention anything about their lax security.
{…}
Eero in comparison only had one cve for denial of service {…}
That’s of course not to say that Eero is the perfect product, or that their price and subscription aren’t ridiculous, but they certainly have their uses and advantages.
I use {…} as my router(as do many Eero owners) , with an Eero mesh as the Wi-Fi APs, and it’s been perfect. Solid wifi from the Eero and all the flexibility I need from the router. Yes it’s an extra cost(I’d rather pay for a router instead of Eero Plus) but in the end, I have extremely stable wifi that I don’t need to worry about.
This stability is more impressive considering the number of iot devices that are connecting to the network, yet I still have stable wifi – something that my other routers (Asus, TP-link, Amplifi Alien) have struggled with in the past.
It’s ability to set and forget is the most impressive thing to me, and is why I choose it over other devices.
Dear John,
I redacted parts of your comment where it violates the rules above.
1. I mention the privacy concern in ALL reviews where it applies. I generally don’t write about security issues when they are already handled since I don’t do click baits. But I did write about TP-Link on this front in a separate post. That’s to say I treat all vendors the same.
2. I don’t review a mesh system used in the AP mode—that’s pointless—but I also recommended that mode to be the best way to use an eero set. And of course, the AP mode is more stable, there’s not much the hardware has to do. It’s idiotic to compare routers (or mesh systems) in the AP mode vs. standard mode and conclude one is better than the other. If you’re into APs, I have much better options for you.
3. I’ve criticized many products, but only eero users have felt the need to defend their choice of hardware. In your case, you actually agreed with all of my criticism as shown in your comment. It’s just strange.
Feel free to love what you have. In fact, you should do that and it’s nobody’s business. However, if you feel compelled to go online defending your purchasing decision unsolicitedly, then, deep down, you know there’s something wrong with your life choices. These dumb Wi-Fi devices might be the least of your problems. So, for your sake, I’d hope that you’re simply a shill. Take care!
What’s the point of getting an expensive mesh system to use like an AP? If you already have a router, get a couple of access points, much cheaper and more effective that way. Most access points have the mesh mode if you don’t want to use network cables with them.
You’re talking sense, JT, something not necessarily applicable in the eero world. 🙁
Hello,
I recently replaced my TP-Link Archer AXE300 with an Eero 7 provided by Frontier as part of a service upgrade. I’m currently waiting for a second Eero from Frontier to test the mesh capabilities and overall range.
I thought I’d share my real-world experience so far with the setup and performance on the FiOS 7 Gigabit service.
Setup:
Fiber ONT > Eero 7 > Zyxel XGS1250-12 > TP-Link Archer TX401 Ethernet PCI-E (Marvell AQtion 10Gbit)
Fiber ONT > Eero 7 > Wi-Fi 6E AX210 (160 MHz)
SpeedTest Results:
Wired: 7010 Mbps / 5037 Mbps
Wireless (6 GHz): 1918 Mbps / 1650 Mbps
Notably, my desktop successfully connected to the 6 GHz band without any issues.
So far, the performance has been reliable, and I’m looking forward to testing how well the mesh system handles range and coverage with the additional unit.
Do you recommend any 10G-Base-T PCI-E adapters? I was considering the Intel X550-T1 to compare throughput to my TX401.
Thanks
Thanks for the input, Hector. Yeap, with the latest firmware, the Max 7’s bands should work as intended. You likely get the same numbers from the TP-Link though. Any adapter would do, I’ve used these with success. Good luck!
Hi Dong,
A few months ago, while troubleshooting my router, I discovered your website, and since then, I’ve learned a lot from your insights.
I also noticed your strong opinions about eero products, which I believe are somewhat unjust. While speed is certainly important, I think it’s crucial to consider a company’s support, firmware updates, warranty, and return processes as well.
Many high-speed routers receive updates only when significant issues arise, which can be frustrating. Support varies widely; some companies provide only an email address, while others expect customers to reach out via social media and hope for a response.
I own both the eero Pro 6 and the Alien, both used in my studio apartment (approximately 950 sq. ft.). After considerable tweaking, the Alien offers double the speed compared to the eero. {..}
When comparing firmware updates, eero clearly leads the pack. Just last week, I contacted eero about some overheating issues—my router is over three years old—and they offered to send a replacement overnight after a brief discussion.
These aspects are often more significant than just raw speed testing, and I wanted to share my perspective.
Thanks for your work!
Ahmed,
I redacted part of your comment where it violated the rules above and made you sound more like a shill than an actual user. But I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and address it as though you are the latter. A few things:
1. You said you actually have “learned a lot” from this website, but you missed the fact that I don’t do just raw speed testing. Here’s how I test. I generally use a product in real-life experience for an extended period before publishing its review and often mention that in the review itself. I continue to use many products for months and even years after the review. The Alien, for example, after years of real-world evaluation, I’m still “using” it. It’s been at a friend’s house, where it has worked fine since the review. Note that it’s the first gen Wi-Fi 6 device that’s not even fully Wi-Fi 6 and Ubiquiti has since shifted its focus to the UniFi family.
2. By biggest issue with the eero has always been privacy risks, which includes the fact that the users have little or no control over the hardware. Eero owns the device and the data that flows through it. In other words, it potentially turns you, the user, into the product. It seems frequent firmware updates are a way for eero to make sure of that.
3. Firmware updates are a nuisance. They are like recalls in cars. Eero is the only networking vendor that boasts it as a “good thing”. It’s a kind of gaslighting.
The point is this: I say things as they are. I have nothing against anyone’s love for the eero. But that doesn’t change the fact that they are either willfully ignorant or simply clueless. In either case, they are being taken advantage of.
You’re welcome!
Hey Dong-
Great write up, thanks for spending the time.
Just got a free EERO Max 7 from Frontier. Have 5Gb fiber service. I already have an older Ubiquity setup in my house (several APs and an outdoor). System is solid but only like 200Mbs on wireless. Want to upgrade the set up to take advantage of the new 5Gb I have. Figure I will upgrade once and be set for a few years.
Better to upgrade to Ubiquity’s latest Wifi 7 (U7 Pro Max) APs at 300ish each than buy 3 more EEROs? I think the answer is probably yes since you didn’t love the EERO nor get good performance. That said I didn’t see any Ubiquity info in your comparisons.
Please lmk your thoughts
I’d 100% recommend the UDM-SE and the U7 Pro Max. Moving from UniFi to eero will drive you nuts. But you’ll need to get some injectors and you’ll get only 2.5Gbps at best—the AP has a 2.5Gbps PoE+ port. But there’s no Wi-Fi clients that can handle over 2.5Gbps anyway. Good luck!
I tried this as well and my results were almost identical to your findings. The Amazon Eero support was terrible also. Best thing I ever did was refuse to “work with” their support and send it back. At this price point, you would have to be insane to keep this. I have a 5 year old Linksys router that performs better.
👍
Hey Dong, thanks for the review! I’d ask if each unit of eero max 7 cost only $350 and Deco BE85 costs $450, which one would you buy?
As mentioned in the conclusion of the review, I’d go with anything but the eero, Xu.
Hi Dong,
I would be very curious to see how your observations in this article stack up under the current firmware builds. As someone who has a decent amount experience with these devices since their launch, I can tell you the earlier firmware versions had some issues. Not going to disagree that eero leaves some things to be desired for the seasoned tech pro, but I personally do not find them terribly lacking compared to the TP-Link BE85 units. And yes I have hands on experience with those as well.
Also, to your comments above about not being able to force a particular client device to a specific band during testing, I have found that using the “preferred band” setting available in the driver options on Windows devices is fairly effective here. Specifically I have experience with the intel AX210 and BE200 cards using this feature on both the eero Max 7 and Pro 6e.
As mentioned, Steve, firmware will improve stuff. But no updates can make this thing better considering its approach. Also, you shouldn’t have to mess with clients to get connected the way you want, and you made an assumption that I didn’t already try that. Read the whole article.
By the way, I don’t think you have really tried the BE85. The Deco line has much more to offer for free. The speed is just a small part of it. It seems you just want to look for stuff that validates your fantasy. You don’t need to defend the fact you like the eero, many people do.
Well, I guess it depends if running a pair of BE85s for 3 weeks as the primary WiFi solution in my home counts as experience. While what I do for a living is a bit different than you, I do spend a fair amount of time evaluating various home networking equipment as part of my job.
Not looking to be a troll at all here, I am actually quite a fan of your articles and reviews, enjoy reading them, and have on many occasions driven colleagues to your site for info on various topics and equipment as I find it very thorough and helpful.
Am I an eero fan boy? nope, but I am not a hater either. I simply have significant exposure to their ecosystem due to my job. The paywall is indeed annoying and In all honestly, I don’t think I would buy Max 7s with my own money. But, I probably wouldn’t buy BE85s either, just way more router than I need, especially given the price tag in either case.
As far as needing to tinker with settings on clients, I couldn’t agree more from a daily usability standpoint either. It was more an observation on how to manage testing on this particular device, which I have personally done also. I do believe some of the earliest firmware builds had issues that caused the stated inability to connect to 6 Ghz. I think your results would be different now in that specifically. No more, no less, take it at face value.
Lastly, keep up the great work! I meant what I said above.
Ouch! Now I know why Eero had so much hate on you on Reddit! Seriously, tho, appreciate the no bullshit take on the hardware. Keep it up! Much respect!
👍
Hi Dong, excuse me, here in Italy we have only BE85 19.000. Eero Max 7 is better in WiFi 5? What do you suggest?
Thanks!
I’d not go with the eero, Marco. If you need Wi-Fi 5, it’s better go go with Wi-Fi 6 devices.
If you were to recommend a multi-gigabit mesh system to be purchased right now for a heavy wifi user using wireless backhaul. what system would you recommend?
Generally, there’s no multi-Gigabit mesh with wireless backhauling, Daniel. With that, check out this post.
Finally, Eero gives us multi-ports, which is one of my requirements to consider a router purchase, and it did it in a big way (10Gx2, 2.5Gx2) – but at an insulting price, unfortunately.
Finally? Most other vendors have Multi-Gig years ago, at half the price or even lower and their hardware can do MORE. Eero is SH$T. It does NOT give you anything more than what it takes from you. The entire company is a bunch of scammers.
Most, if not all, of 5-star reviews of this thing are fake (done by eero employees) or paid advertising. Don’t drink the cool aid!
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First I want to thank your for many interesting reviews and conclusions.
An observation I make is that you do not trust Amazon while you trust TP-Link and Ubiquiti. Two competing manufacturers which just as Amazon require accounts to setup and manage the products granting them equal opportunity (non-confirmed) to monitor everything happening on the network.
A recommendation for you; If you don’t trust Amazon and 14 eyes then consider to what extent you trust the Chinese government.
Replace those Ubiquiti devices with a secure open source router – and then again remember open source is often believed to be checked by everyone while done by a few or none.
I use Ubiquiti – not because of their integrity or security but because I like to tinker.
It’s not about me, it’s about who the users choose to trust. I didn’t say what/who I trusted or didn’t trust. I just lay stuff out there. About the eero Max 7, my point is it’s overpriced. The TP-Link Deco was just one of many examples and I picked it because it share similar hardware specs and design and is something I have published a review on. Good call on Ubiquiti. I use the UDM-SE myself.
I’m with you in that the eero kit is on the pricey side.
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Would be interested in a real review vs a theoretical comparison {..}.
Per the comment rules, I redacted most of your comment, the nonsensical part — that happens a lot with comments on my posts about eero somehow.
Anyhow, if you gift me a 2-pack or 3-pack, I’m open to reviewing it as soon as I get a chance. Put your money where your mouth is, eh? Here’s the donation page.
I had a TP-Link Deco BE95 setup for about a week – I went back to my eero Pro 6E setup due to issues with reliability with the TP-Link. Say what you want about eero – their mesh systems may not be the fastest or the “best” but it’s hard to beat their reliability, especially when you have the “wife factor” for tech.
You shouldn’t get the BE95, Eric. I didn’t mention it here, either.
You yourself state: “Indeed, other than the complicated 6GHz, the Deco BE95 is identical to the BE85 in everything else. In fact, it’s largely the same as any Deco set you’ve used. The whole product line shares the same firmware, settings, and features.” – so even though you did not mention it, it is “identical” to the BE85. I had issues with the BE95 which would lead me to believe, logically, that I would have issues with the BE85.
You’re supposed to read that entire post, Eric. There’s nuance in the language and I wrote quite a bit more. In any case, you do what you do. There’s no need to defend your actions. It’s funny but it seems to me that eero users tend to be quite defensive somehow…
But yes, since I wasn’t clear enough in the sentence you quoted, the BE85, itself not perfect, is much better than the BE95 and will likely be *far* better than this eero Max 7 in ALL counts, and you’ll save some money in case you want to buy your wife some flowers.
Just for the record, if your wife doesn’t like the look of the BE95, which is the same as the BE85’s, I don’t see how she’ll like the look of this eero (or the eero 6E). They are not that different.
🙂
Just sharing what works! I actually used the new TP-Link Deco BE95 system and the eero Pro 6E system for comparison.
My point of the first reply was that neither of what you mentioned was applicable in this case. It’s generally suspicious when you share what is not asked or needed. But I appreciate the enthusiasm.
Way too expensive and I’m guessing Eero will continue to not support separate band and SSID’s which is why I’ve stuck with my Alien’s for over 3 years now. I don’t even believe TP-Link supports this if I remember your Deco reviews correctly.
No, Deco doesn’t support that, either, Chaz, but you can create multiple Guest networks to create extra SSIDs and then turn on “Allow Local Access” (via the Advanced setting) to get the same effect — but then you no longer have a Guest network.