Eero – The smart wireless routing system

So, you've probably heard this one before. A brand-new company says its designed a WiFi router that’s going to change the way consumers think about and use WiFi routers. This new product will apparently solve all your problems that you've had with your home network, from getting rid of dead spots to preventing your kids from getting to the wrong side of the web.

Have you tried to purchase or install a wireless router lately? It’s quite a mission! First you have to choose from dozens of options available, then you still have to install the thing, which means setting up new admin passwords and such so your wireless network isn't hacked or whatever.

The new startup WiFi router called Eero hopes to change the way we think about wireless router and it hopes to make an affordable, smart wireless network system. Okay, I've heard about these fancy WiFi routers more times than I can count, but something about the Eero tells me it’s going to be different this time.

So, what makes this router so special from all the others? On the outside Eero sounds and looks like any other router, it’s a dual-band 802. 11ac model that operates independent networks on the 2.4- and 5GHz frequency bands. However unlike the typical WiFi router, Eero is also equipped with a Bluetooth radio, but it’s the software that’s the best thing about Eero.

For most of us, the biggest problem with home WiFi are dead spots in certain areas of the home and/or not having enough wireless bandwidth to stream music and video everywhere in the home, but most of the time you don’t realise until you've already bought the router.

The Eero is different though, it is designed to intelligently route data traffic on your wireless network in a way that reduces buffering and gets rid of dead zones in your home. The router works either as a standalone box or in a set that creates a mesh network around the house.

To change wireless networking the Eero team built software that is aware of current wireless network constraints, including the large number of devices that are connected to a router at any given time and the types of traffic that are travelling over it. The software is extremely important in ensuring that high-bandwidth applications like streaming your favourite video or game are handled smoothly no matter of whatever else is happening in a home network.

So the Eero router is powerful and smart and it’s really easy to use, but it’s also beautiful. It’s the kind of device that is meant to sit out in the open anywhere throughout your home, rather than being hidden underneath your couch or on top of the fridge. There are no weird, alien-like antennas peeking out at strange angles and no flashing lights to bother you.

To develop this device and get it into the market, the Eero team raised 5 million dollars in funding led by First Round Capital; some other investors include Stanford’s StartX venture fund, Menlo Ventures and many more. If you would like to pre-order an Eero for yourself, they are selling the devices for a fee of 125 dollars each.

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Written By: Christine Romans
CopyWriter at The Computer Guyz Cape Town