eero, the whole-home Wi-Fi system, has been gaining traction in the pro market. It's a DIY networking product for sure, but eero works with dealers to create a customized solution for the homeowner.
CE Pro caught up with Kelly Neary, head of eero Pro, about how the company is making installation easier for installers by offering multiple product lines, training and dealer support.
CE Pro: What is eero? How does it fit into dealers’ product portfolios?
Neary: eero is designed to bring super-fast, reliable Wi-Fi to every corner of the home with a quick, app-based setup. Instead of the single router model, eero uses multiple access points that talk to each other to create a mesh network.
eero is installed and configured via a smartphone app. It communicates over 2.4GHz and 5GHz, with 802.11ac compatibility, and creates a single SSID network for the home.
The built-in cloud controller allows us to push software updates to eeros regularly. This means the system that’s installed on day one will continue to improve over time.
Can you describe the product line?
Our most popular eero system is the three-pack, with two- and one-packs available as add-ons for larger homes. eero is scalable and additional eeros can be added to an existing system at any time.
We recommend that homes have one eero for about every 1,000 square feet. That said, one of our dealers in Denver just set up 10 for his customer’s 14,000-square-foot, three-level home.
Each box consists of eeros, an Ethernet cable, and wall plugs for each eero. Setup requires an Android or iOS device, the eero app, a modem, and Internet service. Using a mobile device, connect the first eero into the modem with the Ethernet cable provided in the box, then the app will walk you through placement of the other eeros.
A key differentiator is our intelligent TrueMesh network that delivers fast, reliable Wi-Fi to every room of the house while either hardwired or wirelessly connected. With TrueMesh, data “hops” through as many eeros as you need.
At roughly 40 feet per hop, you can deliver enough bandwidth from one end of a football field to the other, and still be able to stream 4K Netflix in the end zone.
How does eero’s approach aid installers?
eero’s cloud controller allows for updates to be delivered over the air to all customers. Family Profiles is our parental control feature that helps parents control screen time by setting schedules for when certain devices can access the Wi-Fi and allowing parents to pause devices at any time.
eero also integrates with Amazon Echo so users can help locate devices on the network if they are misplaced, dim the LED light at bedtime and pause the Internet with their voice.
We also have a dedicated professional installer VIP support phone line and email.
eero simply provides a better view of what’s happening on the network. Dealers can see how much data connected devices are using to understanding the connection strength of a particular eero. The app not only gives you information, but also suggests ways to optimize your network through better placement. It’s even able to detect if there’s an issue with the modem or ISP.
What training and dealer support does eero offer?
We are investing heavily in local onsite trainings in partnership with our distribution partners, the Catalyst AV Group and Access Networks.
Recently we were in-person with dealers in 12 cities, training, understanding integrator needs, and taking the feedback directly to our engineering team.
One thing we heard is that dealers wanted the ability to set up an eero network when the homeowner wasn’t home, then grant their homeowner app access after the setup. As a direct result we implemented a pro-only feature, Pro Install, enabling homeowners to access app features like Family Profiles and Guest Access after the network is set up.
What trends does eero foresee?
There’s an undeniable rise of DIY products in the professional install market. And as more and more of these DIY companies, like eero, come on the scene, they’re bringing with them a new type of customer. Customers who ask for products by name and want to have more information about the products being installed into their homes.
These DIY customers may come to their integrator asking for a certain device, but the real opportunity for the integrator is in creating a curated, customized, total home solution.
Integrators are the experts here in providing value to their customers beyond an online shopping experience.
