Eero Max 7 Evaluation: Amazon’s First Wi-Fi 7 Mesh

It’s nonetheless early days for Wi-Fi 7, with just a handful of units supporting the brand new usual, however there’s already a gentle circulate of routers and mesh programs designed to catch the attention of early adopters and gear customers. Amazon’s Eero is the newest producer to set out its Wi-Fi 7 wares. Predictably, the Eero Max 7 is its largest and perfect mesh gadget but, with lightning-fast best speeds and a miles higher shape that permits for extra ports than ever.

Like earlier Eero mesh programs, the Max 7 is straightforward to arrange and in large part takes care of itself, regardless that to get complete worth from it, you should spring for an Eero Plus subscription. However at $600 for a unmarried router or $1,150 for a two-pack, this mesh is already a vital funding. Whilst the Max 7 has most commonly inspired right through my two weeks of checking out, you want a multi-gig web connection and Wi-Fi 7 units to take complete merit, and I encountered some vexing steadiness problems.

Cross Huge

The obvious alternate with the Eero Max 7 in comparison to predecessors is the dimensions of every unit. Regardless that nonetheless completed in glossy white plastic, the rounded sq. has morphed into a miles higher tower design. This enlargement is a double-edged sword. On one hand, the brand new Eero routers want extra space and stick out greater than older fashions, however the higher footprint lets in for a greater antenna design to spice up vary and are compatible extra Ethernet ports. They’re rather weighty, so I by no means nervous about them toppling over.

Eero Max 7 routers

{Photograph}: Eero

The Eero Max 7 has 4 Ethernet ports, two rated at 10 Gbps and two at 2.5 Gbps. Other people with multi-gig web can get the utmost from their connection in the event that they use a stressed Ethernet backhaul to hyperlink the Max 7 devices. The usage of wi-fi backhaul, the Max 7 selects the best band itself, however you’ll be able to nonetheless building up steadiness and pace through plugging devices like TVs and streaming units into Ethernet ports on satellites or nodes.

There’s an influence button at the again, and the moderately compact energy adapter plugs into the USB-C port. It will were great to have a USB port for community garage like rival gadget TP-Hyperlink Deco BE85 (7/10, WIRED Evaluation).

Every Max 7 unit covers as much as 2,500 sq. toes. Most of the people might be superb with one or two. As with every Eero mesh routers, the Max 7 is backward appropriate, so you’ll be able to all the time purchase one to modify in as your major router, and mix ‘n match with older Eeros and Eero Integrated units.

Setup was once as easy as ever. I reset my modem, plugged within the new Eero, and had my two-pack up and operating in round 10 mins. The tri-band gadget is designed to be hands-off, and it makes all of the selections about how units attach on your community. It additionally robotically updates itself, and there have already been a few firmware updates since I put in it.

Pace Demon

Attainable speeds for the Eero Max 7 are as much as 4.3 gigabits in keeping with 2d on Wi-Fi and as much as 9.4 Gbps tethered. You are going to by no means get the ones speeds in real-world stipulations, however I crowned 3 Gbps hooked up to Wi-Fi 7 in the similar room because the router with a OnePlus 11 5G. The Eero Max 7 sailed thru my exams, completing best or thereabouts for speeds at the 6-GHz and 5-GHz bands, and was once extraordinarily fast to switch recordsdata from one PC to every other on my community. Efficiency at the 2.4-GHz band was once reasonable.

Connecting with Wi-Fi 6E units at the 6-GHz band has been zippy and strong, matching the most efficient 6E programs I’ve examined, however Wi-Fi 7 efficiency was once combined. My Google Pixel 8 (7/10, WIRED Evaluation) incessantly disconnected from the Eero Max 7 and failed to check the 6-GHz speeds of the OnePlus 11. I additionally famous some random disconnections and buffering on a number of units, issues that lowered after the newest firmware replace however have no longer but been fully eradicated.

Insects are par for the direction in case you’re an early adopter. Identical problems cropped up with the opposite Wi-Fi 7 mesh programs I’ve examined, however consumers might be pissed off after losing this a lot money. If you wish to have best efficiency, don’t purchase a Wi-Fi 7 gadget but. Except for insects, maximum other people don’t have many Wi-Fi 7 units, and within the brief time period you’re prone to get an identical, on occasion even higher, efficiency from a just right Wi-Fi 6 or 6E mesh.

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