Loved eero until this announcement about only one subscription. I was already on the fence about paying for a subscription for features that others offer for free. Now they're only switching to only one subscription for "simplicity". The previous one was simple enough. I will be buying a wired router that offers these features for a one-time price.
The eero app downloaded alright, but to sign in was a nightmare. One can sign in either via an Amazon account or using Email and Mobile phone numbers. My Amazon account was ancient and no longer working and the eero software will not accept mobile numbers, saying "Mobile No. not accepted". (With great difficulty I eventually managed to recreate my Amazon account and got in that way).
Super easy, super fast set up! As an Android user, I was hesitant to install the Eero app after reading several of the most recent reviews. However, my husband & kids have Apple so I figured if the app didn't work on my Android, I'd use one of theirs to set it up. I downloaded the most recent version of the app and set up was a BREEZE! The app walked me through setting up each Eero one by one (we have the Pro w/3 "pods"), step by step, without a hitch.
Difficult setup. Took 4 times for the dumb thing to finally connect to the internet, with the same cable and everything. I just had to keep rebooting the device until it decided to work randomly. I plug in the second mesh transponder and nothing. It's blinking blue. I press add on the app and no option or indication on how to add another wireless router. Ok... Back to Amazon you go. Next time test your products before release. I'm not going to troubleshoot to get a plug and play device working.
Horrible. Nothing in this app works right. You can't even get to the setup you need. Forces you to set up your entire network (which is impossible to do) every time you try to use it so you can't even add a device. Finally it let me enter the serial number of device. Found it and said it was setting it up then just stayed on registering device forever. Tried it over several times. Same result. Very frustrating and device STILL not installed. I guess I'll just send the device back.
My issue is mostly hardware related. Every day the situation gets worse. I have to restart the routers several times daily. Mobile devices can't stay connected going from a room to the next. The app was working better while I had the paid subscription. Since I have not been paying, the app doesn't keep up with the connected devices and is unable to do simple thinks like disconnect a device from the network. Basically don't throw away your money with eero.
Why change an app that worked? The app was so easy to follow before the update. In addition, devices that are off the network show up as connected to eero. For example, I deleted and unplugged an Amazon plug and it comes up as connected. The previous app showed the total connected devices with icons that matched the device such as speakers, light bulbs, gaming and so on. It would be nice to bring back the previous interface.
The system itself works well with good coverage and small hardware. Where it really fails is in only offering an Android / iOS app to control it - no PC version - which requires you to use your Android or Apple device to control all aspects of it. Some prefer to utilize their laptops/PCs to control their devices which makes the eero a very unattractive option for home networking. Even though every other aspect of the device (size, connectivity, range, interface, etc) is exceptional I cannot recommend this product based upon the limited access options.
Oh my, this device has been a lifesaver for me. First, it immediately stopped my WiFi from cutting out every 5 minutes. Now, I have started using the Eero ad blocker and playing Words With Friends plays like a dream, ad free unless I want one for coins, and it has made Wordscapes run smoothly again - no more crashes and slow-downs are reduced to a minimum. Many thanks.
Requiring a phone and app to setup a router is stupid. I get it, it's to make it easier for non-tech oriented people, but removing basic functionality from devices isn't really what I would consider the best compromise. Having the option is nice, but not as a requirement. The router is part of my ISP package. If it weren't free (which surprised me), I certainly wouldn't use it. But hey, I guess free vs $150 - $200 is enough to make me have additional bloatware on my phone.
