At its large Gadgets and Companies occasion again in September, Amazon took the covers off of the newest and biggest Eero system but; the Wi-Fi 7 powered Eero Max 7.
It was lower than a yr in the past that Wi-Fi 6E got here out, promising wired Ethernet speeds by way of a 6GHz community and itâs honest to say that uptake of that individual know-how has been sluggish and even Wi-Fi 6 isnât but ubiquitous.
Are we actually prepared for yet one more new model of wi-fi connectivity with Wi-Fi 7 and Amazonâs new Eero Max 7?
Contemplating its eye-watering worth (a three-pack Eero Professional 6E at $549.99 might be purchased for lower than a solitary $599.99 Eero Max 7), your preliminary ideas could also be that that is all a step too far, however look slightly extra intently at what Wi-Fi 7 is about, and it begins to make extra sense.
Learn subsequent: Greatest mesh Wi-Fi methods
Moderately than an iterative change, Wi-Fi 7 is a step-change in options and efficiency, which makes it way more appropriate to ever-faster web speeds and the rising variety of gadgets related to home networks.
Whereas the Eero Max 7 wonât be for all, those that demand the most effective and desire a diploma of future-proofing will like what it affords.
A single Eero Max 7 unit blankets a formidable 2,500 sq. toes, whereas a three-pack extends protection to 7,500 sq. toes.
That is all made potential by Eero’s TrueMesh know-how, which dynamically routes knowledge via the quickest path within the community, minimizing interference and making certain a persistently quick and dependable web expertise all through your home.
This being Eero, it is all backwards appropriate too, you can get the brand new Max 7 modules singing and dancing along with your current Eero equipment (though you will clearly lose some options and velocity in case you combine and match with older generations).
Learn our preliminary Eero Max 7 evaluation for our first ideas after dwelling with the system for a few weeks.
We are going to replace this evaluation in a month or so to mirror additional testing.
Eero Max 7: Setup and specs
Earlier Eero gadgets have been comparatively small, wanting like keys plucked out of a giantâs keyboard. Taller and bigger general, the Eero Max 7 is way extra like different mesh methods that Iâve reviewed, such because the Orbi RBKE963.
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A bigger case does have its benefits, and that is the primary Eero system to have greater than two Ethernet ports, so that you could possibly cast off further community switches.
Behind the satellite tv for pc are 4 Ethernet ports: two 10 Gigabit Ethernet and two 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet.
That 10 Gigabit Ethernet port means, in principle a minimum of nearly as good luck discovering an ISP that may match the tempo, you may obtain a 4K film in 10 seconds or a hefty 50GB recreation to your Xbox in lower than a minute.
The Eero Max 7 helps 2.4, 5, and 6GHz radio bands, boasting wi-fi speeds of as much as a whopping 4.3Gbps and wired speeds reaching as much as 9.4Gbps.
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An Eero doesnât distinguish between LAN and WAN ports, so both can be utilized with the gateway to your web connection.
To get began, merely connect an Eero Max 7 satellite tv for pc to your ISPâs modem, router or ONT by way of an Ethernet cable; thereâs a swanky Cat6a one within the field you should utilize.
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By default the Eero you join will turn into the Gateway Eero â primarily your router â though you do have the choice of utilizing the Eeros purely as entry factors however youâd be dropping out on plenty of the options.
You should definitely verify along with your ISP what is feasible along with your present modem/router system; ideally you need one that may be put into modem-only (AKA bridge) mode, and even higher nonetheless, bypassed solely.
As soon as youâve related and powered up, simply comply with the easy steps within the Eero app to get your community up and working.
Solely utilizing one port for this connection leaves loads of high-speed ports for a quick native community at home.
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That features linking Eero Max 7 satellites collectively utilizing a wired backhaul fairly than counting on a wi-fi connection. There are good causes to do that, and itâs not nearly vary (with a wired backhaul, you possibly can place a satellite tv for pc wherever you want it).
Internally, the Eero Max 7 is a tri-band Wi-Fi system (2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz), and shares its bandwidth between purchasers and inter-satellite communication. That may work nicely, however utilizing an Ethernet backhaul means all Wi-Fi bandwidth is for purchasers.
As with earlier Eero fashions, the Eero Max 7 is backwards appropriate with earlier Eero methods. Itâs true that completely different methods work collectively, however mixing and matching isnât at all times the most effective concept: in case you do, then the Eero Max 7 could not be capable of run at its optimum speeds.
One of many advantages of Wi-Fi 7 is that it may possibly use 320MHz channels, up from 160MHz on Wi-Fi 6/6E. In case you combine and match with older Eero gadgets, and also you wonât get this selection.
After I tried including the Eero Max 7 to an current Eero Professional 6E system, I discovered that my 6GHz community ran at 160MHz and my 5GHz community at 80MHz; putting in the Eero Max 7 as a brand new system solely, I received 320MHz 6GHz and 160MHz 5GHz.
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Streams-wise, the Eero Max 7 has 2×2 2.4GHz, 4×4 5GHz and 4×4 6GHz networking, offering a complete of 4.3Gbit/s of Wi-Fi throughput (up from 1.6Gbit/s on the Eero Professional 6E). Not that you need to consider Wi-Fi 7 as particular person blocks of spectrum.
Because of Multi-Hyperlink Operation (MLO), Wi-Fi 7 gadgets can join on a number of frequencies on the identical time to enhance speeds. That’s the actual key to the velocity enhancements that Wi-Fi 7 guarantees.
Eero Max 7: Options
Managed by way of the Eero app, the Eero Max 7 is managed solely by way of the cloud with no native net interface. Meaning no superior setting, equivalent to the choice to alter the community channels, and it’s a must to depart the system to choose what it thinks is greatest routinely.
Thereâs no possibility to separate networks into particular person bands, however given Wi-Fi 7âs MLO know-how, you wouldnât need to do that.
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What the Eero app does provide is pure simplicity. At no cost, you possibly can create person profiles and assign gadgets to every individual, scheduling once they can and canât entry the web. If you need extra, you want an Eero Plus subscription ($99.99/£99.99 yearly).
This provides ad-blocking, net filtering, app blocking and subscriptions to 3 bits of software program: Malware Bytes, 1Password and VPN powered by Guardian.
You additionally get the intelligent web backup characteristic, the place you possibly can designate a second Wi-Fi community for the Eero system to connect with, ought to your Wi-Fi go down. This could possibly be a pleasant neighbourâs community or only a hotspot.
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For smart home customers, thereâs a Zigbee hub built-in, though itâs the inclusion of Thread that’s extra attention-grabbing, significantly with the rise of Matter, of which it may possibly act as a controller and border router.
Amazon integration is inbuilt, permitting for voice management. This nonetheless works higher within the US, the place thereâs voice management over particular person gadgets and the choice to toggle the Visitor community; right here within the UK, I might pause a profile however that was it.
Eero Max 7: Efficiency
To see what the Eero Max 7 was able to, I used it with a Xiaomi 13T Professional, which has Wi-Fi 7 built-in. I used the OpenSpeedTest server, working on a pc wired into a ten Gigabit Ethernet port.
At shut vary, I noticed common throughputs of 1895Mbit/s, which is the quickest throughput that I’ve seen from any wi-fi system ever.
Shifting as much as my second ground, the place I had related a second Eero Max 7 system, I noticed throughputs of 1317Mbit/s, which remains to be crazily quick. On my second ground, speeds remained excessive at 1128Mbit/s. Total, speeds at any vary utilizing Wi-Fi 7 had been sooner than Iâve seen from Wi-Fi 6E at shut vary.
Most of us donât have Wi-Fi 7 gadgets, so I additionally examined with a Wi-Fi 6 iPhone 13 Professional. I noticed speeds of 800Mbit/s at shut vary, 526Mbit/s on the primary ground and 439Mbit/s on the second ground. These are all enhancements over the speeds I get from an Eero Professional 6E system.
Ultimate ideas
In case you’re seeking to future proof your home Wi-Fi setup then the Eero Max 7 might nicely be the, albeit costly, reply.
The likes of Netgear’s flagship Orbi 970 Sequence is ready to go stay within the coming weeks and that is certain to have community lovers extra excited, significantly as they’ll tinker extra by way of an online interface, however for sheer ease of use and velocity out of the field, the Eero Max 7 goes to be laborious to beat.
Eero Max 7 Specs
Wi-Fi Data | |
---|---|
Wifi requirements | Wi-Fi 7 (IEEE802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be) |
Variety of radios | 3; tri-band |
Supported channels | 2.4 GHz: 1-13 5 GHz: 36-64, 100-144, 149-165 6 GHz: 1-233 |
MIMO | 2×2/4×4/4×4 MU/SU-MIMO |
Spatial streams | 10 |
Channel width | 20, 40, 80, 160, 240, 320 MHz |
Community safety and providers | WPA2-PSK, WPA3-Private transition mode |
Different Wi-Fi options | WMM, Tx Beamforming, OFDMA |
Connectivity | |
Smart home hub | Thread, Zigbee, Matter |
Bluetooth | Bluetooth Low Power 5.0 |
Antenna | 2.4 GHz: 2×2 5 GHz: 4×4 6 GHz: 4×4 |
Frequency bands | ISM (2.4-2.484 GHz) UNII 1: 5.15 – 5.25 GHz UNII 2A: 5.25 – 5.35 GHz UNII 2C: 5.47 – 5.725 GHz UNII 3: 5.725 – 5.850 GHz UNII 5: 5.925 – 6.425 GHz UNII 6: 6.425 – 6.525 GHz UNII 7: 6.525 – 6.875 GHz UNII 8: 6.875 – 7.125 GHz |
Ethernet | Two auto-sensing 10 GbE ports and two auto-sensing 2.5 GbE ports for WAN and/or LAN connectivity |
{Hardware} Specs | |
Processor | Quad-core A73 processor |
Reminiscence | 2GB RAM |
Storage | 4GB flash storage |
Measurement | 7.24 x 8.73 x 3.54 inches |