It’s nonetheless early days for Wi-Fi 7, with solely a handful of units supporting the brand new customary, however there’s already a gentle stream of routers and mesh methods designed to catch the attention of early adopters and energy customers. Amazon’s Eero is the newest producer to set out its Wi-Fi 7 wares. Predictably, the Eero Max 7 is its greatest and greatest mesh system but, with lightning-fast prime speeds and a a lot bigger type that permits for extra ports than ever.
Like earlier Eero mesh systems, the Max 7 is straightforward to arrange and largely takes care of itself, although to get full worth from it, it’s essential to spring for an Eero Plus subscription. However at $600 for a single router or $1,150 for a two-pack, this mesh is already a major funding. Whereas the Max 7 has largely impressed throughout my two weeks of testing, you want a multi-gig web connection and Wi-Fi 7 units to take full benefit, and I encountered some vexing stability points.
Go Massive
The obvious change with the Eero Max 7 in comparison with predecessors is the dimensions of every unit. Although nonetheless completed in shiny white plastic, the rounded sq. has morphed right into a a lot bigger 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 bigger footprint permits for a greater antenna design to spice up vary and match extra Ethernet ports. They’re fairly weighty, so I by no means nervous about them toppling over.
{Photograph}: Eero
The Eero Max 7 has 4 Ethernet ports, two rated at 10 Gbps and two at 2.5 Gbps. Of us with multi-gig web can get the utmost from their connection in the event that they use a wired Ethernet backhaul to hyperlink the Max 7 models. Utilizing wi-fi backhaul, the Max 7 selects the suitable band itself, however you possibly can nonetheless improve stability and pace by plugging devices like TVs and streaming devices into Ethernet ports on satellites or nodes.
There’s an influence button on the again, and the comparatively compact energy adapter plugs into the USB-C port. It might need been good to have a USB port for community storage like rival system TP-Hyperlink Deco BE85 (7/10, WIRED Review).
Every Max 7 unit covers as much as 2,500 sq. ft. Most individuals can be nice with one or two. As with all Eero mesh routers, the Max 7 is backward suitable, so you possibly can all the time purchase one to change in as your fundamental router, and blend and match with older Eeros and Eero Built-in devices.
Setup was as easy as ever. I reset my modem, plugged within the new Eero, and had my two-pack up and working in round 10 minutes. The tri-band system is designed to be hands-off, and it makes all the choices about how units connect with your community. It additionally routinely updates itself, and there have already been a few firmware updates since I put in it.
Velocity Demon
Potential speeds for the Eero Max 7 are as much as 4.3 gigabits per second on Wi-Fi and as much as 9.4 Gbps tethered. You’ll by no means get these speeds in real-world situations, however I topped 3 Gbps linked to Wi-Fi 7 in the identical room because the router with a OnePlus 11 5G. The Eero Max 7 sailed by my assessments, ending prime or thereabouts for speeds on the 6-GHz and 5-GHz bands, and was extraordinarily fast to switch recordsdata from one PC to a different on my community. Efficiency on the two.4-GHz band was common.
Connecting with Wi-Fi 6E units on the 6-GHz band has been zippy and secure, matching the perfect 6E methods I’ve examined, however Wi-Fi 7 efficiency was blended. My Google Pixel 8 (7/10, WIRED Review) continuously disconnected from the Eero Max 7 and did not match 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 haven’t but been solely eradicated.
Bugs are par for the course for those who’re an early adopter. Comparable points cropped up with the opposite Wi-Fi 7 mesh methods I’ve examined, however patrons can be pissed off after dropping this a lot money. If you need excellent efficiency, don’t purchase a Wi-Fi 7 system but. Except for bugs, most people don’t have many Wi-Fi 7 units, and within the quick time period you might be prone to get comparable, typically even higher, efficiency from a good Wi-Fi 6 or 6E mesh.
