Soon, Eero routers will be able to use the hotspot on your phone as a backup internet source

What you need to know

• In the upcoming months, Amazon will release a software update that will enable Eero routers to use a mobile hotspot on your phone as a backup Internet connection.
• When your primary ISP fails, Eero Internet Backup will be helpful. When the DSL, cable, or fiber service fails, you can access the data network of your mobile carrier.
• Existing Eero routers will be able to access the service, thus a hardware change won’t be required.
• The drawback is that you will have to pay to use Eero Internet Backup because the service is only accessible through Eero’s optional membership service.
• A/V and SMB-focused new Eero hardware is being added to Amazon’s hardware inventory.

Amazon unveiled a significant improvement to its Eero mesh networking router series as part of its fall device showcase, which will improve users’ access to the Internet. By connecting to your smartphone’s mobile hotspot via a software update, Eero mesh wireless devices will be able to ensure that you don’t lose Internet connectivity when your cable, DSL, or fiber service goes down. This function is known as Eero Internet Backup.

In a blog post introducing the new function, the business stated that while internet disruptions are annoying when they occur, they are even more disruptive when we continue to work, learn, watch, and play games from home. Eero Internet Backup enables you to wirelessly link your Eero network to a backup internet source, such as a mobile phone hotspot, as a result.

 

You can set up the mesh network with Eero Internet Backup to connect to any one of up to eight adjacent Wi-Fi or mobile hotspots as a backup to your primary home network. Eero will use the hotspot on your mobile device, for instance, to connect you to your preferred video streams, downloads, and work even if your ISP signal is interrupted.

The major drawback of this latest version is that Eero Internet Backup will be paywalled, even though existing Eero users, such as those who use the Eero Pro, won’t need to change their gear to use it.

 

Although Eero devices are ready to use right out of the box, Amazon offers a number of extra services through an optional membership plan that extends the router’s functionality, such as access to password managers, VPNs, and antivirus software. Eero Plus subscribers will be the only ones with access to Eero Internet Backup.

 

All Eero Plus members as well as a few ISP customers will be able to purchase Eero Internet Backup in the upcoming months, according to Amazon. “We’re consolidating our subscription options for retail customers with Eero Plus and switching to solely selling Eero Plus, formerly known as Eero Secure+. All the same features from Eero Secure+, such as powerful parental controls, network insights, and Dynamic Domain Name System (DDNS), are included in Eero Plus, along with access to three highly regarded security programs: Malwarebytes, 1Password, and Encrypt.me. It also includes Eero Internet Backup’s advantages to provide a complete wifi solution. Learn more about the eero Plus rebranding.”

Even if the functionality increases the usefulness of Eero during an interruption of ISP connectivity, it falls short of what competitor Netgear has accomplished with some of its Orbi mesh router models. Some Orbi versions include 4G LTE or 5G radios, enabling them to access mobile cellular data networks as well, similar to a conventional mobile hotspot, in addition to connecting to traditional ISP networks like fiber or cable service. In order to manage the heavy lifting of mobile data, Eero’s hardware up to this point does not include built-in cellular modems and will instead depend on a nearby smartphone.

Amazon also unveiled new Eero devices at the same media event that are more geared toward small enterprises. Power over Ethernet (PoE) capabilities are supported by both the new Eero mesh router and gateway. The new Gateway offers 8 x 2.5 PoE-enabled gigabit ethernet interfaces and 2 x 10 gigabit ethernet interfaces, while the new Eero PoE 6 is a Wi-Fi mesh router that can be placed on a wall or a ceiling.

According to Nick Weaver, co-founder and CEO of Eero, “We started with a vision of offering simple, dependable, and fast Wi-Fi to customers throughout the globe, and now our wifi solutions are in millions of homes across the world.” We’re excited to broaden our offerings to professional installers and small businesses with these additional PoE products and services as we search for ways to address problems for new sorts of clients.

According to Amazon, the Eero PoE 6 can connect more than 100 devices and cover an area of up to 2,000 square feet. The Eero PoE Gateway will cost $649 while the mesh router retails for $299.