Upgrading to a mesh router that makes use of a number of gadgets to relay a greater Wi-Fi sign all through your own home is fairly near a no brainer at this level, particularly when you stay in a big, multistory house. You have obtained a lot of choices, together with two notable new techniques from Google and Amazon: the Nest Wifi Professional and the Eero Professional 6E, respectively.
Every system guarantees top-of-the-line mesh efficiency due to the addition of Wi-Fi 6E, a brand new designation for current-gen, Wi-Fi 6 gadgets which can be geared up to ship indicators within the lately opened 6GHz band. Each promise to quarterback your good house, too, with full assist for the business’s new common good house normal Matter and different options geared toward house automation lovers.
Looking for a sooner web velocity? We’ll ship you the quickest web choices, so that you don’t have to seek out them.
So which system is the higher of the 2? Positive sufficient, we have simply completed testing them out side-by-side, and we have loads of knowledge to share. Let’s take a more in-depth have a look at how every system carried out, and what separates them. (For extra, try the best way to arrange your mesh router for the very best efficiency, and the very best location to your Wi-Fi router.)
Google’s Nest Wifi Professional builds on the earlier model of Nest Wifi by including in considerably sooner speeds with full assist for Wi-Fi 6E. That signifies that it could possibly join different Wi-Fi 6E gadgets over the newly unlocked 6GHz band along with the prevailing 2.4 and 5GHz bands. That is factor — the 6GHz band options greater than twice as a lot bandwidth because the 5GHz band, with room for a number of 160MHz channels of visitors, and with no previous-gen Wi-Fi gadgets within the combine, that visitors will get pleasure from a big discount in interference.
The opposite large change with Nest Wifi Professional is that there are now not Google Assistant good audio system constructed into the extenders. Actually, the Nest Wifi Professional does not characteristic separate extender gadgets in any respect. In contrast to the unique Nest Wifi, every Nest Wifi Professional machine is equivalent and interchangeable, so any of them can function the principle router of the system. Out there now in your selection of 4 colours, the Nest Wifi Professional prices $200 for a single machine, $300 for a two-pack or $400 for a three-pack. Learn our Nest Wifi Professional evaluation.
Velocity score: AXE5400
Construct: Tri-band (2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz)
Wi-Fi normal: 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6E)
Vary: 2,200 sq. toes
Processor: Twin-core 64-bit ARM CPU
Reminiscence: 1GB RAM, 4GB flash
Encryption: WPA3
Ethernet jacks: Two
Ethernet/WAN velocity: 1Gbps
Dimensions (WHD): 4.61 x 5.12 x 3.35 inches
Constructed-in Thread radio: Sure
Constructed-in Zigbee radio: No
Constructed-in good audio system: No
Backwards compatibility: No
Colours: Snow, fog, linen, lemongrass
Worth: $200 (1-pack), $300 (2-pack), $400 (3-pack)
CNET evaluation rating: 7.7
Ry Crist/CNET
Launched in 2022, the Eero Professional 6E is the quickest and most succesful mesh router the Amazon-owned model has ever launched, and it is the one one which provides Wi-Fi 6E assist into the combination. Beginning at $200 for a single machine, $320 for a two-pack or $440 for a three-pack, the Eero Professional 6E actually is not low-cost, but it surely nonetheless prices significantly lower than top-of-the-line Wi-Fi 6E mesh choices just like the Netgear Orbi AXE11000 or the Linksys Velop Atlas Max 6E. The Eero Professional 6E stored up with techniques like these in our at-home exams, and even outperformed them by some metrics.
With assist for Amazon’s Alexa and built-in radios for Zigbee and Thread, the Eero Professional 6E is positioned effectively to function a wise house centerpiece. That is notably true in Alexa households, however the Zigbee radio lets it join with all kinds of devices like good lights and good locks no matter which voice assistant you like, and the Thread radio permits it to facilitate transmissions between Thread-based devices that assist Matter. All of that, plus backwards compatibility with older Eero gadgets and a multi-gig WAN port that permits for wi-fi speeds in extra of a single gigabit, make this technique an interesting and forward-looking house networking improve. Learn our Eero Professional 6E evaluation.
Velocity score: AXE5400
Construct: Tri-band (2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz)
Wi-Fi normal: 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6E)
Vary: 2,000 sq. toes
Processor: 1GHz dual-core processor
Reminiscence: 1GB RAM, 4GB flash
Encryption: WPA3
Ethernet jacks: Two
Ethernet/WAN velocity: 2.5Gbps
Dimensions (WHD): 5.5 x 1.9 x 5.5 inches
Constructed-in Thread radio: Sure
Constructed-in Zigbee radio: Sure
Constructed-in good audio system: No
Backwards compatibility: Sure
Colours: White
Worth: $200 (1-pack), $320 (2-pack), $440 (3-pack)
CNET evaluation rating: 8.0
You are receiving value alerts for Eero Professional 6E
Them’s the specs. Now, let’s dive a bit of deeper into how these two techniques actually stack up.
The brand new Nest Wifi Professional mesh router is available in your selection of 4 colours.
Design aesthetics: Nest notches a colourful win
Mesh routers are supposed to be positioned out within the open all through your own home, as a result of wi-fi efficiency plummets when you stuff the factor in a closet or the again of a junk drawer. Should you’re utilizing them proper, you are going to be seeing this stuff, and that signifies that the aesthetics matter.
Within the case of Nest and Eero, the aesthetics actually come right down to minimalist versus tremendous minimalist. Neither one bombards you with antennas or flashing lights. As a substitute, they each conceal the {hardware} on the within, which makes every of the designs lots much less conspicuous. Nest provides your selection of 4 colours, although, whereas the all-white Eero Professional 6E sticks to the identical protected, considerably bland design playbook of each Eero era that got here earlier than it. It is not an eyesore by any stretch, but it surely is not doing as a lot to justify a spot out within the open in your lounge or bed room as Nest is.
Winner: Nest Wifi Professional
Every Eero Professional 6E machine comes with an Ethernet jack that is able to dealing with incoming wired speeds as excessive as 2.5Gbps. That makes it a greater choose than Nest Wifi Professional for multi-gig web plans.
Ry Crist/CNET
{Hardware}: Eero’s backwards compatibility and multi-gig jack give it the sting
Splashy colour selections apart, let’s discuss in regards to the insides of those mesh techniques. With matching AXE5400 builds providing high speeds of two.3 gigabits per second (2,300Mbps) on the 5 and 6GHz bands, plus a 2.4GHz band with high speeds of 800Mbps, the Eero Professional 6E and Nest Wifi Professional appear comparably quick, however there are some finer factors price analyzing.
For starters, every Eero Professional 6E machine comes with an Ethernet jack that is able to accepting incoming wired speeds as quick as 2.5Gbps. With Nest Wifi Professional, each of the Ethernet jacks on every machine will cap your incoming wired speeds at 1Gbps, which is not preferrred when you’re paying up for a multi-gig web connection, or planning to improve to at least one anytime quickly. Thoughts you, Eero says that you just should not count on to see wi-fi speeds any sooner than 1.3Gbps, however nonetheless, if you wish to surf at faster-than-a-gigabit speeds, Eero is the clear selection right here.
One other key level of consideration on the {hardware} entrance: Backwards compatibility. The Eero Professional 6E provides it, the Nest Wifi Professional doesn’t. With backwards compatibility, present Eero customers may buy a single Eero Professional 6E machine and add it into their present setup with older-gen Eero gadgets. You may’t do this with Nest Wifi Professional — the system will not work with present {hardware} from the unique Nest Wifi system, nor can it join with first-gen Google Wifi {hardware}.
“To do this with Google Wifi and Nest Wifi generations that do not assist 6GHz was not going to be expertise for customers,” stated Ben Brown, Google Nest’s director of product administration for power and connectivity.
The back and front of the Nest Wifi Professional mesh router. Every machine comes with two Ethernet jacks, so not like the unique Nest Wifi, you may wire them collectively for sooner efficiency. Nevertheless, Nest Wifi Professional gadgets are usually not backwards appropriate with the unique Nest Wifi or Google Wifi mesh gadgets.
Ry Crist/CNET
That is truthful sufficient, but it surely signifies that present Nest Wifi customers will not be capable to improve their setups one machine at a time. It is also noteworthy as a result of the Nest Wifi Professional now not options extenders with built-in good audio system such as you obtained with the unique Nest Wifi. Should you needed to make use of these older, Google Assistant-equipped extenders with the brand new Nest Wifi Professional, you are out of luck.
One final notice: Amazon lately introduced that you can use choose Echo and Echo Dot good audio system as Wi-Fi extenders for Eero networks. We’ve not examined that out simply but (keep tuned), however as pitches go, it seems like an interesting and cost-effective technique to give your community a minor velocity enhance at vary — and the Nest Wifi Professional does not provide something prefer it.
Winner: Eero Professional 6E
Watch this: Google Nest Wired Doorbell and Nest Wifi Professional Fingers-On
03:16
Speeds: Eero will get the sting, however Nest scores for stability
The Nest Wifi Professional is the latest mesh router available on the market, however we have been in a position to take the system for a check trip at our lab in latest weeks. We examined it in opposition to a handful of different techniques that assist Wi-Fi 6E, together with the Eero Professional 6E, so let’s check out how the 2 in contrast. Chart time!
Up first, some scatter plots. Particularly, the 2 scatter plots beneath, every of which is exhibiting you the entire totally different obtain speeds logged whereas we examined two-piece Eero Professional 6E and Nest Wifi Professional mesh techniques in our five-room, 1,350-square-foot check surroundings, the place we have now a gigabit reference to obtain speeds that high out at 940Mbps. Throughout all exams in all rooms, the Eero Professional 6E got here again with a mean obtain velocity of 586Mbps, greater than 100Mbps sooner than the Nest Wifi Professional common of 482Mbps. In 4 out of 5 rooms, the Eero Professional 6E was in a position to hit obtain speeds as excessive as 750Mbps throughout some check runs, which is an excellent outcome and, once more, higher than we noticed from the Nest Wifi Professional.
Every dot in these scatter plots represents the obtain velocity throughout a single velocity check to a Wi-Fi 6 laptop computer on a gigabit community with the Eero Professional 6E and the Nest Wifi Professional working the connection, respectively.
Ry Crist/CNET
Nevertheless, whereas the Eero Professional 6E was in a position to hit greater highs than the Nest Wifi Professional, it additionally noticed decrease lows. It is plain as day within the chart on the left, with velocity leads to the lounge and kitchen dropping down as little as 150Mbps throughout some exams. The principle router sits in the lounge throughout these exams and the kitchen is the following room over, so these are close-range Wi-Fi speeds that needs to be lots greater. What offers?
To reply that query, I would like to clarify my check process a bit. For every router I evaluation, I run a number of collection of velocity exams throughout morning, afternoon and night hours. For every set of exams, I run three velocity exams in every of the 5 rooms, beginning near the router in the lounge and ending removed from it within the storage. Then (and that is the vital bit), I run all of these exams once more, besides this time, I begin my Wi-Fi connection from afar within the storage and work my approach again in the direction of the router.
It was in these back-to-front exams that the Eero Professional 6E noticed slower speeds close to the router, and that is as a result of once I began my connection from distant, the system acknowledged that and routed my connection by means of the satellite tv for pc extender (which we all the time place within the children’ room). That is the fitting strategy at first, however as soon as I moved again into the lounge, the system continued to route my connection by means of the extender, so it was nearly as if I used to be sitting even farther away from the router than the storage. Within the exams the place speeds dropped beneath 200Mbps, it might need been that Eero was routing me to the slower 2.4GHz band as a result of it perceived me to be a number of rooms away from the extender, all with out realizing that I used to be, in reality, sitting in the identical room as the principle router.
That is not an uncommon outcome — I see back-to-front routing points like that with mesh routers on a regular basis — so it is not a significant ding on the Eero Professional 6E. As a substitute, I have a look at that outcome as a extremely good one for the Nest Wifi Professional, which did not see any inconsistencies in speeds from check to check. Consequently, the dots within the Nest Wifi Professional scatter plot are all fairly shut collectively, which tells you that it is about as secure and dependable as mesh routers get. That is end result right here, even when it is not the quickest mesh system we have examined.
These graphs chart the latency outcomes throughout the entire velocity exams we ran, all the time to the identical check server. Each techniques held to a baseline of about 20ms, which is what we count on to see with this server, however the Nest Wifi Professional additionally noticed a number of extreme spikes, one as excessive as 150ms. That is the kind of factor that would trigger an annoying delay throughout a video name.
Ry Crist/CNET
One final level of notice on efficiency: Along with speeds, we all the time keep watch over every system’s latency, as effectively. Every velocity check that we run goes to the identical check server positioned a number of hundred miles away in St. Louis, and with many of the routers we have examined right here, the latency per check sometimes comes again at proper round 20ms — the time it takes our sign to succeed in that St. Louis server and make it again to us. The Eero Professional 6E held tight to that 20ms baseline throughout all of our exams, with just a few tiny latency spikes up round 25ms. However the Nest Wifi Professional? It routinely noticed spikes as excessive as 150ms after we examined it. You may see for your self in these radar graphs above — and notice that I really wanted to zoom the size out on the Nest Wifi Professional graph to be able to present the complete extent of the difficulty.
These latency spikes may trigger delays throughout a video name or a web-based gaming match, so they are not preferrred. I am doing a bit of extra digging on this quirk to see what the precise subject was, so I will replace this publish if I’ve extra to share, however Eero was the clear latency winner between the 2. Between that and the upper (if much less constant) common speeds, Eero will get the sting, general, as effectively.
Winner: Eero Professional 6E
The Eero app makes it simple to arrange and handle your own home community, but it surely does not provide the identical stage of good house management because the Nest Wifi Professional’s Google House app.
Screenshots by Ry Crist/CNET
Ease of use: Eero and Nest each make Wi-Fi useless easy
From Google Wifi to Nest Wifi to Nest Wifi Professional, Google has observe report within the mesh class, as does Eero, which has a number of generations of mesh {hardware} on its resume over the previous decade or so. Every firm locations a powerful emphasis on the software program working their respective mesh techniques, and every has a powerful historical past of dependable efficiency in CNET exams.
You may management the Nest Wifi Professional alongside all types of different good house devices within the newly revamped Google House app.
That software-heavy strategy to mesh networking extends to the apps that you’re going to use to regulate every system, as effectively. No matter whether or not you are establishing a mesh router from Eero or from Nest, you may count on the expertise to be fast and straightforward due to simplified app controls that stroll you thru every step of the method, together with placement tips that can assist you place every extender in an optimum location. From there, every system’s app does job of providing fast entry to widespread house networking options. That signifies that neither system has an actual edge over the opposite so far as simplicity is worried.
The one factor I might notice is that Google moved its principal house networking controls into the newly revamped Google House app, the place they sit alongside different controls for including and controlling devices like cameras, audio system and good lights. Should you’re already a wise house fanatic — notably a Google-minded good house fanatic — then that all-in-one strategy may be precisely what you need. If not, and also you simply desire a router app that sticks to routers, then maybe the Eero app is a greater match.
Winner: Tie
Good house: Each assist Matter, however Eero’s Zigbee radio places it excessive
Talking of the good house, it is a central a part of the pitch with each Eero and Nest. For starters, every system contains built-in radios for Thread, a low-power protocol that transmits as an additional layer to your present Wi-Fi sign. That is vital, as a result of Thread is an enormous a part of the pitch for Matter, a brand new common good house normal backed by Amazon, Apple, Google and plenty of others. A number of Matter gadgets will use Thread to relay their indicators forwards and backwards, and each the Nest Wifi Professional and Eero Professional 6E mesh routers are totally geared up to quarterback these indicators and maintain Matter good houses working easily.
Thread apart, every system has its personal distinctive strategy to courting good house lovers. On the Nest aspect, you will now not discover Google Assistant good audio system constructed into every extender such as you obtained with the unique Nest Wifi, however it is possible for you to to regulate the Nest Wifi Professional alongside all your different related house gizmos within the Google House app, which guarantees to function a one-stop-shop for good house administration. Eero does not have that — the Eero app is strictly a router app, and when you can sync your Eero up with Amazon’s voice assistant, the networking controls within the Alexa app aren’t sufficient to place it on the identical all-inclusive stage as Google House.
For its half, the Eero Professional 6E encompasses a devoted Zigbee radio along with the Thread radio, which is one thing you will not get with Nest. Zigbee is one other low-power wi-fi protocol, however not like Thread, it is totally separate from Wi-Fi. Loads of related locks, lights and different good house devices use Zigbee to ship their indicators, and pairing gadgets like these with your own home’s Wi-Fi community sometimes requires you to attach a Zigbee hub to your router to behave as translator. With the Eero Professional 6E, that hub comes inbuilt, which frees up one among your treasured Ethernet jacks and makes it attainable to pair Zigbee gadgets instantly together with your router.
This one’s shut, however for me, the mix of that Zigbee radio with the characteristic that permits you to use Echo audio system as Wi-Fi extenders offers Eero a barely extra compelling case as a wise house dream router. Benefit Amazon.
Winner: Eero Professional 6E
Worth: Nest is as budget-friendly as Wi-Fi 6E will get
This one’s mainly a draw. At $200 for a single machine, $300 for a two-pack or $400 for a three-pack, the Nest Wifi Professional is barely cheaper than the Eero Professional 6E, which rings in at $200 for a single machine, $320 for a two-pack or $440 for a three-pack. Should you’re available in the market for a three-piece mesh system and you have narrowed it right down to the Nest Wifi Professional or Eero Professional 6E, you will solely save $40 by going with Nest.
Each the Eero Professional 6E and Nest Wifi Professional are two of the very best values within the Wi-Fi 6E class, interval. They’re a few of the solely Wi-Fi 6E routers up to now that you could get for lower than $200 with out a large sale. That’ll place each routers fairly effectively as folks proceed upgrading to telephones, laptops and different main gadgets that assist Wi-Fi 6E. It may be sufficient for shoppers to forgive Nest’s lack of backwards compatibility or multi-gig assist.
Winner: Nest Wifi Professional
Ry Crist/CNET
The decision
It is a shut one, as each techniques are fairly interesting for anybody seeking to improve their house community. With two-piece setups out there for $300, the Nest Wifi Professional’s worth edge is a slight benefit. Eero’s largest benefit is on the {hardware} aspect — specifically, the truth that it features a multi-gig Ethernet jack, a built-in Zigbee radio, sooner common speeds and backwards compatibility with earlier-gen Eero gadgets. You do not get any of that with Nest.
Alternatively, loads of good houses have already got a Zigbee hub of some type (the Philips Hue Bridge, the SmartThings Hub and the Amazon Echo Plus are only a few that’ll do the job). Others could not want one in any respect. In the meantime, Eero’s multi-gig assist is sweet to have in a forward-looking sense, but it surely does not provide quick relevance to the overwhelming majority of us residing with sub-gigabit web speeds.
Ultimately, each techniques are recommendable at their costs. I just like the Nest Wifi Professional higher as kind of an entry-level Wi-Fi 6E choose, and one that would get higher with time as Google continues tweaking its mesh formulation. The Eero Professional 6E looks like extra of an improve to me, and a extra totally featured system given the additional {hardware} packed inside. Each are positioned to be succesful good house centerpieces — the Eero may be barely extra interesting on that entrance due to the built-in Zigbee radio, however the Nest Wifi Professional’s integration into the all-encompassing Google House app has some enchantment of its personal, particularly in good houses which can be already centered round Google {hardware} and Google Assistant voice instructions.
I give the Eero Professional 6E a small edge right here, general, however each techniques are attention-grabbing picks right here in 2023.