Any Amazon Eero Pro 6E review will have to conclude that this mesh network is easy to use and very effective. It’s undoubtedly one of the best mesh networks you can buy, and it’s a lot cheaper than the ones that sit at the very top of the list.
A mesh network is essential for any bustling modern home, not only will it provide more reliable connectivity for more connected devices and boost the general strength of your Wi-Fi but it will also help stretch your network to every corner of the house, eliminating weak or dead spots further away from your router.
I’ve been testing out the Amazon Eero Pro 6E for a good couple of months now, and here you’ll be able to find out exactly what I thought about it - from its design and setup to its performance and extra features.
Amazon Eero Pro 6E review: price and what’s new
You can buy a set of Amazon Eero Pro 6E devices starting from $399 in the US and £349 in the UK for a pack of one, or $799 / £799 for a pack of three. Take a look at the widgets on this page to see the latest deals on this mesh Wi-Fi system where you are.
So the question is what makes this better, and more expensive than the standard Amazon Eero mesh network? The short answer to that is Wi-Fi 6E - the very latest version of Wi-Fi which promises the fastest speeds possible but only if your devices like your laptop and phone are also new enough to support it. You can expect speeds up to 2.3 Gbps with the Pro 6E whereas the standard Eero devices can only promise up to 550 Mbps.
Opting for a Wi-Fi 6E network will not only futureproof your broadband, but it will also deliver more coverage (up to 190 m² instead of 140m²) and with the Pro 6E you will also be able to use it as a Zigbee smart home hub to control things like your smart lights through an app.
Amazon Eero Pro 6E review: design and setup
One thing I really like about the design of the Amazon Eero Pro 6E nodes is that they’re discreet and simple with a low-rise build instead of the tower-shaped design you often get with mesh networks.
Square in shape with a slightly curved top, each one is meant to be placed on a worktop, table or shelf. Because they measure 142 x 138 x 51mm they’re a good size to fit just about anywhere. You can buy it in packs of one, two or three depending on the size of your home.
The Amazon Eero Pro 6E nodes come in white, they are made from glossy plastic and each one has a little light on the top to let you know its status. On the back of each node, there’s one 2.5 gigabit Ethernet port and one 1 gigabit Ethernet port. There’s no USB port on these.
Setting up the Amazon Eero Pro 6E network is really easy. You’ll first need to download the app to your Android or iOS smartphone, and when you open it up you’ll be prompted to begin the setup process. You’ll just need to wait for the blue light to appear on the node before doing so.
I found that setting up the main node was really quick and easy but the second gateway node took a bit of time, that was partly because it runs tests on the placement of the device to make sure you get the best connection possible across your whole home.
Getting them set up around my house took about 20 minutes which is a lot longer than other networks I’ve tested out, but in saying that, it was still very easy and very much a case of leaving my phone to do the work during that time.
Amazon Eero Pro 6E review: performance and features
The Amazon Eero Pro 6E delivers a tri-band network with access to a 2.4GHz, a 5GHz and a 6GHz band, dividing up your devices depending on their priority level and network needs.
You’ll be able to hook up 100+ different connected devices to the network at once. Granted some networks, like the most premium TP-Link options, will let you use even more tech at once but for most people, this will be plenty and will mean everyone in the house can use their laptops, phones, smart lights and consoles without interrupting network speeds for anyone else.
Covering 560 m² this network will be ideal for small and medium-sized homes and should stretch to every corner. Those with more space to cover might want to look elsewhere as some networks offer into the thousands of square meters which will be better for much bigger homes than my own.
I tested out the Amazon Eero Pro 6E system in my flat as a replacement for my standard router.
In the living room, which is where my router is, my connection was significantly boosted from 45.9Mbps download and 14.5Mbps upload speeds to 72.8Mbps download and 18.3Mbps upload speeds thanks to the Eero Pro 6E system. Day to day it was noticeable, particularly when I was working from home.
But where it made the biggest difference was in my bedroom. My Wi-Fi router struggles to push my connection out to the other side of the flat, partly down to a number of thick walls in between. I could only expect to reach 12.5Mbps download and 14.6Mbps upload speeds in there on my Wi-Fi 6 smartphone. With the secondary Eero gateway node hooked up near there, I was able to get to 73.5Mbps download speeds and 18.6Mpbs upload speeds. I went from barely being able to load a web page to having no problems at all streaming full movies on Netflix.
The Eero app is worth boasting about too because it’s just so easy to use. Everything is very simply laid out showing you all of your connected devices in a list, as well as what’s connected where. You can take a look at the network’s activity, check up on your network speeds as well as create profiles that allow you to schedule pauses on connectivity, add content filters and track data usage for members of your household.
That all comes under the free plan, but if you choose to upgrade, you’ll unlock extra security features like ad blocking, content filters, historical data usage, DDNS and even anti-malware software if you opt for the priciest plan available.
The most basic plan will set you back $2.99 / £2.99 / AU$4.99 a month, but for the most advanced plan, you’ll be looking at spending $9.99 / £9.99 / AU$15.99 a month.
Another handy feature offered here is that the Amazon Eero Pro 6E doubles up as a Zigbee hub which means you can hook it up to your smart home devices and control them all using an Alexa voice assistant. It’s compatible with everything from Philips Hue to Hive Active Heating.
You’ll also be able to control parts of your home network using the Alexa voice assistant, so you can switch off the internet for designated amounts of time or for certain profiles that you’ve set up in the app.
Amazon Eero Pro 6E review: verdict
If you’re looking to make the most of your Wi-Fi connection at home, you want to eliminate dead spots, or if you just have a lot of online devices, the Amazon Eero Pro 6E mesh network is a stellar option that won’t cost an eye-watering amount of money. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still one of Amazon’s most expensive mesh networks but it’s still a lot cheaper than the most advanced ones out there.
Easy to set up and use, everything about it is clearly laid out in the smartphone app. We also loved how it doubles up as a Zigbee hub which ultimately means fewer wires to get the smart home setup of your dreams.
So what are the downsides? Well, it doesn’t actually cover as many square meters as some other choices so it’ll be best suited to small and medium-sized homes, it does also take a bit more time to set up the gateway nodes than elsewhere. That’s it though, overall it’s a pretty impressive piece of kit.
Amazon Eero Pro 6E review: also consider
For something even more powerful than this, take a look at the TP-Link Deco X90 (AX6600) Wi-Fi 6 mesh network. You will have to spend a bit more money on each node but the difference is huge because you’ll be covered for up to 200 connected devices when you buy a pack of 2.
Another top-notch mesh network to know about is the Netgear Orbi NBK752, so good in fact, that it picked up a 5-star rating in its T3 review. Admittedly, it’s far from being cheap but it’s one of the most reliable and sought-after mesh networks out there.
