A new startup called Eero aims to change the way we think about wireless routers. It hopes to make an affordable, smart wireless networking system that will do to WiFi routers what Nest did for thermostats or Sonos did for home audio.
Eero is designed to intelligently route data traffic on your wireless network in a way that reduces buffering and gets rid of dead zones in your home. The product works either as a standalone box or in a set that creates a mesh network around the house.
To change wireless networking the Eero team built software that is aware of current wireless network constraints, including the large number of devices that are connected to a router at any given time and the types of traffic that are travelling over it. That software is pivotal in ensuring that high-bandwidth applications — like streaming video or gaming — are handled seamlessly regardless of whatever else is happening in a home network.
Eero was also built to be really easy to use, enabling consumers to quickly create networks and share them with friends. Once Eero is connected to a cable or DSL modem, the device uses Bluetooth to pair with users’ smartphones during a five-minute setup process. After one device is connected, users need only plug in another Eero router and it will automatically connect to and manage the network.
So the Eero router is powerful and smart and easy to use, but it’s also beautiful. It’s a device that is meant to sit out in the open anywhere throughout your home, rather than being hidden underneath your couch or inside a book. There are no alien-like antennas peeking out at strange angles or weird flashing lights to bother you.
For pre-order, Eero is sending individual devices for £82,52 and selling three-Eero systems for£199 each. (It estimates MSRP at £131 for one and £320 for three after pre-orders are over.)
