Bay-area networking manufacturer eero has announced its second-generation eero and eero Beacon products, as well as its eero Plus network protection service.
According to the company, the second-generation eero solution is twice as powerful as the previous generation, and it's the first small-footprint networking product to offer tri-band technologies that enable the device to broadcast three bands simultaneously.
“Our goal has always been for technology to fade into the background of the home, and the products we're announcing today get us one step closer to that reality,” says Nick Weaver, CEO and co-founder, eero. “We want people to stay connected without having to think about their Wi-Fi or worry about digital home security.”
Providing a foundation to reliably blanket a home in wireless connectivity, eero's TrueMesh software enables integrators to add as many eeros and Beacons as needed to provide complete coverage. The San Francisco-based company explains that its TrueMesh technology monitors connections between its devices to find the best route for data, and it dynamically switches data paths to avoid interference.
The company says that its second-generation eero utilizes the same industrial design and physical footprint as the previous-generation product and offers the tri-band Wi-Fi functionality, along with a pair of auto-detecting Ethernet ports. eero says that one port connects directly to the modem and the other port provides the ability to hardwire devices like network switches, printers, streaming devices and video game consoles.
The eero Beacon is approximately half the size of the eero, and like the second-generation eero, it offers more power than the first-generation product.
eero designed the Beacon based on user feedback that indicated integrators place eero units in stairwells, kitchens and hallways where connecting cabling is disruptive. That's why the Beacon simply plugs into a wall socket to provide more placement flexibility.
eero points out the Beacon features an LED night light with an ambient light sensor and automatic dimmer to provide homeowner convenience functions that are user adjustable via the company's companion app.
In addition, the company says its eero Plus protects networks from harmful websites, phishing attacks, botnet attacks, ransomware, viruses and more.
“We believe this is the most comprehensive network-level threat protection currently available on the consumer market,” says Amos Schallich, vice president of engineering and co-founder, eero.
Key Second-Gen eero & Beacon Features
- Thread radio connects to low-power devices like smart locks, doorbells and other solutions to facilitate smart-home functionality
- The second-generation eero and new Beacon are backwards compatible with existing eero systems
- Over-the-air updates provide homeowners with new features and continual system improvements, including network security upgrades
- A newly redesigned app makes it easier for integrators to install and customize their clients' home networks
- Data encryption that protects connections between devices, the cloud and the app.
- WPA-2 encryption, which eero says is a strong protocol for network protection
- Security updates that tests for vulnerabilities and automatically provides automatic updates
- MSRPs: Home WiFi Systems (1 eero & 1 Beacon) $299, Home WiFi System (1 eero & 2 Beacons) $399, Pro WiFi System (3 eeros) $499, and the eero Plus service is $9.99 per month or $99 per year (available soon)
