Saturday, April 20, 2024

How many Eero 6 nodes do you need?

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Best answer: Each Eero 6 node can cover up to 1,500 square feet but can be less depending on your house. It’s best to have a little more coverage than you actually need to keep performance high.

  • Fast, compact for 500Mbps connections: Eero 6 ($129 at Amazon)
  • AX1800 extender with no Ethernet: Eero 6 extender ($89 at Amazon)

Eeros are designed to work together

A single Eero 6 router should be able to cover 1,500 square feet easily as long as nothing physically gets in the way. While each additional Eero 6 router or extender can also cover 1,500 square feet, each mesh point must be able to connect to another with a path to the main router connected to the modem. Eero routers aren’t designed to cover a huge area on their own, you’ll need multiple Eeros to cover most homes. If you don’t need much more coverage than one Eero can provide, it’s worth considering if you need a mesh system at all.

You want to make sure these mesh points have a strong connection as well because while you’re connected to a remote node, your internet speed will only ever be as fast as the connection back to the main router can supply. Basically, you’re only as fast as your slowest connection to the modem.

You’ll be able to see your signal strength and move your nodes accordingly with the Eero app during setup, but in a house with thick walls or a metal frame, you may find your connection diminishing more quickly than expected. Eero has a tool to help you estimate what kind and how many Eeros you’ll need but it’s only an estimation and every house will be different.

As a starting point, Eero 6 covers 1,500 square feet on its own. A three-pack will cover up to 5,000 square feet. You can always add additional nodes including the lower-priced Eero 6 extender or any other Eero for that matter.

Every house is different

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Most houses have reasonably thin wall materials that don’t destroy wireless signals too badly but every house is different. Houses built in colder climates or in an area prone to earthquakes may be built with stronger and denser materials that can be devastating to the 5GHz bands used by Wi-Fi routers. This is true for every modern router, including the best wireless routers. Don’t be surprised if you need more nodes than it seems at first.

If your house is challenging for wireless coverage, you still have some options. One thing is that Eeros can be connected by Ethernet and can extend your mesh even with no wireless signal. Keep in mind that you will need to buy your Eero 6 routers individually for this to work due to the Eero 6 Extenders that are included in the three-pack not having any Ethernet ports. If you pair an Ethernet connection with a powerline adapter, you can provide up to a 1Gbps connection with your existing home wiring.

Our pick

Eero 6

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$129 at Amazon

$129 at Best Buy

Expand your mesh with room for wired devices

Eero 6 uses dual-band Wi-Fi 6 to support internet speeds up to 500Mbps when part of a mesh all over your home.

Wireless only

Eero 6 Extender

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$89 at Amazon

$89 at Best Buy

Low-cost Eero 6 expansion

With an AX1800 dual-band connection, Eero 6 Extender is a great addition to an Eero 6 mesh that keeps Wi-Fi 6 compatibility.

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