eero PoE Gateway and PoE 6: Overview and Product Story
Originally Posted: July 10th, 2023
Last Edited: July 19th, 2023
eero PoE Gateway and PoE 6: Overview and Product Story
On the surface, the eero PoE Gateway and eero PoE 6 are easy to understand. The PoE Gateway is a router and switch, capable of powering PoE devices and 9.4 Gbps of throughput. The PoE 6 is similar to the existing eero 6+, but it can be powered over Ethernet and mounted on a ceiling or wall.
Under the surface, there are a lot of details worth discussing. These aren’t just hardware products. They are tied to software and programs that define what they are and who they’re for. That is a shift from what eero is mostly known for, which is a simple mesh Wi-Fi system for home users. The new hardware and their positioning are big topics on their own, leaving little room for reviewing performance or alternatives. So, I’m splitting this review into two parts.
The eero PoE Gateway and it’s power supply (black, center) with two eero PoE 6 and two eero Pro 6E.
A Review in Two Parts
In this first part, I cover eero hardware options and the core eero software and features. I also cover eero for service providers, pro installers, and businesses. Those programs offer additional software, features, and benefits beyond the core eero experience. Together, this forms what I think of as the product story; What are these devices and who are they for?
In the second part of this review, we will look at performance. I will explain my test network, the setup process, and results from my performance testing. I will also cover competitors and alternatives, and try to wrap all of that into some purchasing advice.
Disclaimer
Before we begin, a disclaimer. I was contacted by eero, provided review hardware, and I had a brief conversation with them to discuss these new products. Also, I’m an Amazon Affiliate partner, and today is Prime Day. I want to be clear that is not influencing my review or my opinion.
I am not a professional journalist, but I take the role of being an independent reviewer seriously. No amount of free hardware or access is going to influence what I write. I review products as if I was spending my own money on them. Normally I do buy the equipment myself, and I have no special access or contact with manufacturers. I’ll be reviewing the PoE 6 and PoE Gateway as if that was the case here.
With that out of the way, we’ll start with reviewing the existing eero hardware options and where the PoE Gateway and PoE 6 fit in.
In the past, all eero products largely functioned the same. eero started around 2014, and their first product was designed to be fully controlled by a smartphone app and easy to use. Since then several new generations and variations have come out, but they’ve never strayed from that original vision. Plug it in, use the app, enjoy the network, forget about the rest.
They cover the basics like port forwarding and IP assignment, but they don’t have a web interface, and they don’t expose advanced networking features. They’re designed to be used by anyone, not just by nerds like me. This approach has a lot of advantages, but also some limits. You have never been able to control some key settings, like channel width, TX power, or channel selection. eero relies on TrueMesh and what I call “auto-magic” to handle all the complicated parts for you.
In 2019, Amazon purchased eero, and they released the Wi-Fi 5 eero (2nd gen) kits, which look like little cupcakes. In 2020 eero released their first Wi-Fi 6 equipment, the eero 6, eero 6 Extender, and eero Pro 6, which I reviewed at the time. They refreshed those models in 2022 with the eero 6+ and eero Pro 6E, which I also reviewed. Those are still the newest “normal” USB-C powered eero models.
Another recent addition is eero Built-In. Since Amazon owns eero, they have the ability to put eero technology into other Amazon brand devices. These can act as wireless extenders, expanding the coverage of your eero network. So far, we’ve seen the following products in this mold:
There is also the Ring Alarm Pro. Ring is another Amazon-owned company, mostly known for security cameras and doorbells. The Ring Alarm Pro Base Station can be the basis of your Ring security system, but it also has a eero router and Wi-Fi radios built-in. It can act as your eero gateway, or another node in your existing eero network.
The PoE Gateway and PoE 6 are the two latest to join the eero lineup, with retail availability rolling out in the US and Canada during the summer of 2023. You can buy them directly from resellers or the Amazon store page, but they are primarily meant to be installed by professionals or used in business network.
All other eero products are powered by AC input, and rely on an included power adapter with a USB-C connector. This made them easy to plug in and place around your home, but made them less suitable for an office or home network with Ethernet cabling. That changes with these new PoE devices.
eero PoE 6 Specs
eero PoE 6 is a Wi-Fi 6 PoE-enabled eero that features a Wi-Fi 6 2x2 Access Point supporting 160 MHz channels and speeds up to 1.6 Gbps. It’s not exactly the same, but it is similar internally to the eero 6+.
Dual-band AX3000 Wi-Fi 6 Power over Ethernet (PoE) access point
Supports wireless speeds up to 1.6 Gbps
Can provide coverage for up to 2,000 sq. ft., with support for 100+ devices
Includes mounting bracket for ceiling or wall installation
One 2.5 Gbps and one 1 Gbps RJ45 Ethernet port
Powered by 802.3af PoE in on 2.5 Gbps port, or USB-C. USB-C adapter is not included
1 year limited warranty
MSRP: $299, with a 5 year license for eero for Business
eero PoE Gateway Specs
The eero PoE Gateway is a wired-only gateway which acts as both a router and switch for an eero network. It does not provide Wi-Fi, but it does have Bluetooth, Zigbee and Thread radios, and will support Matter in the future. It has eight 2.5 Gbps RJ45 ports, and two 10 Gbps SFP+ ports. It includes a 140W USB-C power adapter and supplies 100W of power for PoE-enabled devices, up to 802.3bt class 5 PoE++. It can power up to seven eero PoE 6 access points, or other PoE devices like security cameras or doorbells.
10-port hub gateway that powers multiple eero PoE access points
Eight PoE-capable 2.5 Gbps RJ45 ports share up to 100W of PoE power
Two 10 Gbps RJ45 ports support wired speeds up to 9.4 Gbps (upload and download)
Power input: 45W USB-C (no-PoE out) or 140W USB-C input (Full 100W available). 140W adapter included
Quad-core A73 CPU, 2 GB RAM, 4 GB Flash storage
9.8 x 5.3 x 1.8” (1.7” without feet)
250 x 134 x 45mm (43mm without feet)
Works With Alexa, Certified for Humans, Bluetooth Low Energy 5.0, Zigbee, and Thread (all range-limited)
1 year limited warranty
MSRP: $699, with 5 year license for eero for business
eero Comparison Charts
See my other eero Comparison Charts for more details.
This is not the first time I’ve reviewed eero, and I want to avoid repeating myself. If you’re interested in the basics of eero software and eero Plus, I covered them in my eero 6 and 6 Pro review, and again in my eero 6+ and Pro 6E review from last year.
All eero hardware relies on the eero app, which can run on any iPhone, iPad, or Android device. There is no traditional web interface or command line management option. Everything goes through the app, which is pretty good. At a high-level, the eero app allows you to setup your network, change settings, monitor usage, and troubleshoot issues. This has been the case in years past, but there are some new additions worth noting.
Out of the box with the PoE Gateway and PoE 6, you have access to the following features:
A free mobile app for setup, configuration, and monitoring.
At least 5 years of software support, bug fixes, and security updates. The five year countdown starts when eero discontinues the model and stops selling it, not when you buy it.
Wi-Fi scheduling, where you can schedule online and offline times for individual devices or for the whole network.
Multi-admin, allowing multiple people to administer an eero account, and hand off control to others.
Smart Home Hub, which allows you to control Alexa and other smart devices with Zigbee and Thread radios. This feature requires an Amazon account linked to your eero account.
A basic guest network, with or without a password. Adding a captive portal or other SSIDs requires eero for Business, but more on that later.
TrueMesh: The Secret Sauce
Since the beginning of eero, they’ve relied on TrueMesh and their software to handle the complicated parts of a mesh wireless network for you. TrueMesh automatically calculates the best path for network traffic to take, allowing each eero node to see every path in the network and send traffic to the best one.
This allows an eero node to leverage all of it’s radios, in addition to Ethernet backhaul, if available. Some mesh systems have a dedicated backhaul radio, but eero opts to make every path available, and intelligently pick the best path. That is still how it works for dual-band devices like the PoE 6.
Recent Changes and Additions
While I’ve covered the eero mobile app, setup, and software before, I want to draw attention to some newer features.
For tri-band devices like the Pro 6 or Pro 6E, version 6.15 added support for per-client TrueMesh calculations. Rather than each eero node having a path, each Wi-Fi client has their own path. A tri-band eero can choose to split airtime on the same radio, use 5 GHz for 6 GHz clients, or vice versa. It also leverages wired backhaul, if available.
If this sounds complicated, it is, and thankfully it is one of those things that eero handles for you. Dual-band devices like the PoE 6 don’t do this per-client calculation because it’s almost always better to use wired backhaul or split airtime on 5 GHz for backhaul, but that may change in the future.
Another new addition is Internet backup. This allows you to leverage your phones hotspot or a dedicated cellular hotspot to keep your network running when your wired Internet connection is down. Your eero gateway will relay traffic through that connection to keep your network up until the wired connection is restored. eero Plus is required to use this feature.
Another new addition to the eero mobile app that requires eero Plus is the ability to view channel utilization, how busy your radios are, and how noisy your environment is. This allows you to see what channels are in use and how much capacity you’re using. It’s presented in graphs showing the past 6 or past 24 hours. It breaks down what percentage of airtime used by the radio itself, other devices, and by interference.
Channel utilization is a nice addition, and I’m glad to see more depth being revealed without overwhelming users with complexity. That’s a hard thing to do and I mostly agree with eero’s balance, even if I wish they allowed me to control more network settings. That’s the perspective of a network engineer and RF nerd though. I’m not a typical eero user.
Eero Plus Additions
Everything above applies to all eero networks, and is included in the purchase price. There are some asterisks to make note of, like per-client TrueMesh being only on the tri-band Pro 6 and Pro 6E, and bridge mode preventing the use of some features. For the most part, all of the above defines the core eero experience. The basic pitch when you buy any eero product is that you’ll get good Wi-Fi, an easy to use app, and at least five years of support and security updates.
eero Plus is an optional subscription that provides extra features. This was previously known as eero Secure or eero Secure+, but it recently went through a rebranding and price bump. There is only one option now, eero Plus, and it costs $9.99/month or $99/year. You might get a few free months with your hardware purchase, if you buy one of the bundles on eero.com.
With eero Plus, you get access to these features:
Historical Data
Internet Backup
Advanced Security and Scanning
Content Filtering
Application and Ad Blocking
Channel Utilization
DDNS
Subscriptions: Guardian VPN, Malwarebytes, 1Password
VIP Support
eero PoE 6, included mounting hardware and bracket, and the retail packaging.
Bridge Mode Subtractions
By default, eero networks control everything, acting as your firewall, router, switch, and wireless access point. If you want to blend eero into an existing wired network, pair it with other equipment, or place it behind another firewall or router, you can do that by enabling bridge mode. This makes the eero devices act as a basic layer 2 bridge, extending the network you have and allowing for wired and wireless connections to it.
This is normally what you want to do when you have another firewall, or an ISP router that can be put into bridge or passthrough mode. Ideally you’ll always avoid double NAT, and place a public IP on the WAN port of your eero gateway. In bridge mode, eero is not routing packets or acting as your firewall in this kind of setup, there is a lot that is out of the eero network’s control.
The following features are not be available in bridge mode:
Historical Data
Internet Backup
Advanced Security and Scanning
Content Filtering
Application and Ad Blocking
DDNS
To get the most out of eero, you’ll want to avoid bridge mode, and let it be in charge of your local network. eero Plus adds a lot of features, but bridge model cancels a lot of them out. You’ll have to consider your network and decide if the extra features of Plus are worth the money for you. Historical data, Internet backup, and a few other features would be nice to include without a subscription, but eero has made it clear you need to pay to get everything. Vote with your wallet if you don’t agree with the balance they’ve struck.
Each one of these is a topic on its own, but it’s hard to make sense of them all without talking about them together. What’s driving the desire for eero to pursue pro installers? If you ask them, they will say this has been requested often, and they want to build out their portfolio to include products for this market.
Internet service providers and professional installers have installed and resold eero home wifi devices for years, but it was an opportunity for new programs, features, and hardware that weren’t only focused on home users. The same applies to small businesses. Nothing stopped businesses from using eero devices, but the software and features were designed for a home network. That is what brought about features like multi-admin, this new PoE hardware, and these three programs.
A glossary of terms:
eero for Service Providers is a hardware and software offering to help internet service providers (ISPs) install and manage customer networks. It includes a combination of tools, like eero Insight and digital security, to improve customer satisfaction, retention, and growth.
eero for Pro Installers is a set of software tools for professional installers to help them set up and manage customer Wi-Fi networks through the eero app. It also includes the ability to easily transfer networks from installers to customers, and eero Insight. The eero for Pro Installers software package makes it easier to set up devices, manage networks, get insights, maintain client relationships, minimize billing, and connect with customer service.
eero for Business is a set of hardware and software capabilities built for small businesses with limited or no IT support to set up and manage Wi-Fi networks. It supports multiple SSIDs, captive portal management, and business network management tools.
eero Insight is a software tool that provides fleet analytics, network visibility, and security capabilities. It is a full desktop web interface, included as part of eero for Service Providers and eero for Pro Installers to make it easier to manage and troubleshoot customer networks.
With all of these programs, the end user does not have a license fee or subscription to worry about. They will have a normal eero network, and the ability to add eero Plus if they find those extra features valuable. Once a network license expires, eero PoE Gateway and PoE 6 will continue to work for the customer, just like any other eero device or network.
For service providers, installers, and businesses, it’s not that simple. With the purchase of an eero PoE 6 or PoE Gateway, a 5 year license to the related software tools is included.
eero for Pro Installers is included with the purchase of eero PoE 6 or eero PoE Gateway at no additional cost, and provides Pro Installers with an initial five year license to access eero Insight for network health monitoring, remote network management, and an improved installer experience in the eero mobile app.
A license for eero for Business is currently only available to businesses through internet service providers, or by applying on the eero for Business page. eero may offer it as a separate purchase for consumers in the future, but right now the annual Eero for Business license will cost $299 per network.
There are no options to extend warranty currently, but presumably they will offer the ability to extend your subscription as well. Another thing worth considering is trade-in and recycling. Right now that would go through Amazon, see this eero help article for more details.
What makes a product? For modern computing devices the main answer is a blend of software and hardware. For networking equipment, especially mesh networking equipment meant for home users, the software is usually the more important part. The software is what users interact with, while the hardware is sitting on a shelf or in a closet. The hardware is usually based on commodity chips from a small handful of manufacturers anyway. So, comparing TP-Link Deco vs. Netgear Orbi vs. Ubiquiti UniFi vs. eero mostly comes down to a software comparison.
The importance of software is why I’ve had positive things to say about eero products in the past, and why I’ve personally recommended them to dozens of family and friends, and thousands of readers. Almost everyone in my family has an eero network in their home. It wraps good hardware and good software into an easy-to-use app and seamless user experience. I’ve never once gotten a tech support call for an eero network.
That foundation of simplicity makes the eero PoE Gateway and PoE 6 so interesting to talk about. Where does the PoE equipment fit? Is eero for consumers, businesses, or both? All together, the eero PoE 6 and PoE Gateway feel like the result of a monkey paw wish. I find it better to break it into two perspectives, the home user and the professional or business user.
Home Users
Home users have been asking for PoE support for a long time, and we’ve got it now. That’s great, right? Unfortunately the new hardware is tied to a complicated, overlapping set of three offerings, additional licenses, and an unclear path for home users buying at retail. There’s nothing stopping you from spending $1000+ to set up a PoE Gateway and PoE 6 home network, and then $99/year to get access to the additional features of eero Plus. I’m not sure that is a compelling solution for home users, though.
With traditional eero kits, the sales pitch is clear. Buy as many as you need to cover your home. Get the more expensive one for additional speed. Add eero Plus if you want those additional features, and that is it. Use the app to control a few things, otherwise enjoy a trouble-free home Wi-Fi network.
I’m not sure the PoE 6 and PoE Gateway fit within the cost-to-benefit ratio for most home users, or that it delivers enough value without the features that are limited to eero for Business or eero Insights. I am not able to access that software as part of this review, so I’m left with a very similar experience to a network based on eero 6+ or Pro 6E nodes.
If that continues to be the case, most home users are better off getting an eero 6/6+ or eero Pro 6/6E kit, and living within eero’s comfort zone, the home network. They will have to really value the 10 Gbps interfaces and PoE support, or go through a home installer or service provider to get the full benefit of this equipment and the additional features.
Professional and Business Users
This sales pitch is less clear to me. I wasn’t able to access eero Insight, eero for Business, or any of the installer features in the eero app. Most likely if you’re reading this and buy these devices yourself, you won’t either. The sales pitch laid out on eero.com is polished, but the details matter a lot. I don’t know all of those details, and I don’t have any firsthand experience with using that software.
I think for someone who makes a living installing home Wi-Fi networks, getting into the eero ecosystem makes sense. Your customers will probably enjoy having an eero network more than a typical all-in-one router or ISP-managed device. The hardware, software, and performance are good. Other home-focused mesh systems like TP-Link Deco or ASUS ZenWiFi may do certain things better, but they don’t offer software tools to help with the installer side of the equation. Things like handing off control of the device, remote management, and others are problems you’ll have to solve yourself, or come up with your own solution for. The eero for Pro Installers and Service Providers are potential solutions, and worth investigating.
For businesses, I have more reservations. Again, I wasn’t able to access the software tools, but from their public descriptions and the details we do have, I don’t see it as a straightforward win. When you consider the cost of the hardware, the licenses, and lack of details, I would be more careful pursuing a business network based on eero. I can’t say it’ll be good or bad, but I know what other options are out there.
If you’re a truly small business — I’m imagining a coffee shop — what is the advantage of the PoE Gateway and PoE 6 over a $200-300 basic eero kit? A captive portal guest network is one, multiple SSIDs and some additional software features are another, but is that worth the price of entry? What if they needed multiple VLANs, advanced firewall rules, or a remote access VPN? These PoE devices and eero for business may be too expensive for a coffee shop, and too feature-limited for larger or more advanced business networks. I can’t say without seeing the software.
For businesses with a larger area to cover or higher feature needs, is it going to be enough? What will the solution be for a remote access VPN? What about custom firewall rules, VLANs, 802.1x or RADIUS authentication - is that in the road map? There is more to a typical business network than eero has covered here, and it’s not clear if that is ever going to be part what eero for business addresses. I’d proceed with caution, confirm the features you’ll need, and compare to alternatives like Cisco Meraki, Ubiquiti UniFi, Firewalla, Netgate pfSense, OPNsense, TP-Link Omada, Aruba InstantOn, and others. I can’t say exactly where eero for Business fits in that landscape, but there are no shortage of alternatives.
For businesses, professional installers, and service providers, I wish I had more details to share about the specifics. If the idea sounds interesting to you, sign up and ask those questions yourself. I’d love to hear about your experience. For everyone else, take a hard look at eero’s other hardware and the alternatives, and decide for yourself how much PoE support and multi-gigabit networking matters to you.
