7 ms·

I hope Eero stays afloat, once Apple abandoned the Wi-Fi router business Eero has been the most reliable consumer solution I've found.

pat2man 9y ago
If Apple started carrying them in stores I'm sure it would be a huge boost. They are still selling Airport routes.
- r00fus 9y ago
  Does Eero require a cloud account to manage their routers? I bought Ubiquiti Amplifi simply for that reason. Working great.
  - jdpedrie 9y ago
    Yes, and it's by far the worst thing about it. Reset your router while there's a cable outage? Sorry, no wifi until your cable company gets the internet connection back online.
    - ktta 9y ago
      What? That's ridiculous.
    - philsnow 9y ago
      This hit me when I moved recently. I would usually fall back to just accessing the configuration on my phone's cell connection, but 1) the house I moved to has poor reception for my carrier and 2) the cable enters the house in the basement so even less signal. Cue several rounds of climbing up and down the stairs.
  - leesalminen 9y ago
    I switched to Ubiquiti products a few months ago and am quite happy with it. Lots of settings, modern UI, and no cloud required. I even had fun placing all the APs and whatnot.
    - rconti 9y ago
      Agreed. I've got a full UniFi setup at home and setup an AmpliFi network at my brother-in-law's house. Great gear. The range on Ubiquiti blows my old Meraki gear out of the water. I spent years tweaking settings on Meraki and was always unhappy with the range. I blamed it on everything except the gear until I replaced it.
Consultant32452 9y ago
I've had excellent service from Google Wifi. FWIW all of my devices are Apple.
- MBCook 9y ago
  Do you mean the box that comes with Google Fiber? I have odd issues with some of my devices every few weeks, though none of my Apple stuff, where they seem to stop getting DHCP leases (or stop using them?) for no discernible reason. Restarting the Google box always fixes it, but it’s extremely annoying. That was never an issue with my AirPort in charge of things.
  - wmf 9y ago
    No, the product named Google Wifi is different from the box that comes with Google Fiber. https://store.google.com/product/google_wifi https://store.google.com/product/google_wifi
    - MBCook 9y ago
      Oh, I didn’t know they had their own stand alone AP. Thanks for the link.
      - kyrra 9y ago
        It's also Chrome OS based. https://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-information-for-chrome-os-devices https://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-information-f... It gets automatic regular firmware updates to stay insync with Chrome OS, so it should always be patched. It has a dead simple user interface, though it means many power user features are not there. Though there is a project out there to root the device and do more with it. https://github.com/marcosscriven/galeforce https://github.com/marcosscriven/galeforce
        Consultant32452 9y ago
        While it's true that it has a relatively simple user interface, I've found that it has every feature I've wanted and I'm generally a power user. I can set access schedules for my kids' devices. It even has a "porn" filter but I don't use that so I don't know if it's effective. I can prioritize certain devices so they get first dibs at bandwidth. I can reserve static IP addresses for some devices, and I can do port forwarding. I feel like those features and probably a few more that I couldn't think of off the top of my head are going to cover 99.99% of all users' needs. I agree there are other devices, especially if you flash your own firmware, that will give you more fine tuned control. I just didn't want to leave anyone with the impression that it lacked the major features people will be looking for. The only feature I personally would like to use that it doesn't have is the ability to configure the router as a VPN client.
Johnny555 9y ago
A coworker swears by Ubiquiti's home mesh router: https://www.amplifi.com/ https://www.amplifi.com/ I've never used it, but am very happy with their business products (switches+wifi)
- Domenic_S 9y ago
  Another vote for Amplifi. I have an unusual home (several additions over the years meaning "exterior" walls on the inside, single story, large) and using Amplifi I have full bars anywhere in the house or on my property. They're a little trigger-happy with the firmware updates (one recent update bricked DNS) but otherwise it's a fire-and-forget solution.
dogma1138 9y ago
Ubiquiti is dirt cheap for the entry level which pretty much outperforms any consumer oriented routers on the market. I’ve replaced my entire setup with an edge router and 2 APs for less than what a mid to high end linksys or similarly performing routers would cost. The QoS you get is 10 times better I can have 100% utilization on both uplink and downlink without a single real time application affected. Security and networking features are also in an entirely different league even with taking DDWRT and OpenWRT and the likes into account.
- mbesto 9y ago
  > Ubiquiti is dirt cheap for the entry level which pretty much outperforms any consumer oriented routers on the market. Very true, but unless you're talking about Amplifi, this is usually a non-starter for 95% of the non-tech population.
  - gervase 9y ago
    I took the parent's suggestion as being targeted for the HN audience; I agree that for most people, it's impossible to use, but for the readers here, I'd say it's an apt recommendation.
- snowwindwaves 9y ago
  Ubiquity is using openwrt since a few years ago with their own UI I thought?
  - TheKitchenSinc 9y ago
    Ubiquiti uses EdgeOS, which was forked from Vyatta, with their own UI on top of it.
  - dogma1138 9y ago
    Not as far as i know they use EdgeOS for the routers and AirOS for their managed APs, with a few others for their SGAs and managed switches. As far as I know they never used OpenWRT or anything like it, if they did they hid it very well to the point where it would be legal for them to remove it from their license agreements. The CLI and the file system you can see on the router looks and acts nothing like OpenWRT.
the_mitsuhiko 9y ago
I found Netgear's Orbi really great consumer devices. I am using them exclusively at home now and they are great. They support ethernet or wifi backhaul, can build an actual mesh if you need but have really great out of the box performance with just the satellite(s) connecting to the router. Definitely the most stable wifi setup I have ever owned and they also provide OpenVPN and a bunch of other nice things out of the box.
kstrauser 9y ago
I agree. Like a lot of us here, I can build (and have built) my own networking gear starting with an empty hard drive and a Linux/BSD installer. I don't have to use an off-the-shelf networking solution. That said, Eero "just works" and much better than anything I've ever built myself. The mesh stuff delivers on its promises: I can start watching a video in my living room, then wander about the house hopping from AP to AP without dropping a single frame. My family doesn't pester me about idiosyncrasies. My kids' friends talk about our wifi being much better than what they have at home. I could not possibly love Eero more. I hope they make it through this unscathed!
foobarbazetc 9y ago
Google Wifi is better in every way, especially if you get some dirt cheap OnHubs.
- jacksmith21006 9y ago
  Agree. Have the GW and it has worked extremely well. The app is 1st rate.
rorykoehler 9y ago
I got a Linksys Velop system after researching thoroughly. It's also rock solid.
dbbk 9y ago
Everyone keeps saying that Apple has abandoned the router business and I'm not sure where this is coming from. They still sell and support the AirPorts. They're even in stores. A router isn't something that needs annual upgrades... realistically, there's not a whole lot technologically meaningful Apple could add to the product today. When 802.11ax comes around, then I'm sure Apple will make a big upgrade.

pat2man 9y ago

If Apple started carrying them in stores I'm sure it would be a huge boost. They are still selling Airport routes.

r00fus 9y ago
Does Eero require a cloud account to manage their routers? I bought Ubiquiti Amplifi simply for that reason. Working great.
- jdpedrie 9y ago
  Yes, and it's by far the worst thing about it. Reset your router while there's a cable outage? Sorry, no wifi until your cable company gets the internet connection back online.
  - ktta 9y ago
    What? That's ridiculous.
  - philsnow 9y ago
    This hit me when I moved recently. I would usually fall back to just accessing the configuration on my phone's cell connection, but 1) the house I moved to has poor reception for my carrier and 2) the cable enters the house in the basement so even less signal. Cue several rounds of climbing up and down the stairs.
- leesalminen 9y ago
  I switched to Ubiquiti products a few months ago and am quite happy with it. Lots of settings, modern UI, and no cloud required. I even had fun placing all the APs and whatnot.
  - rconti 9y ago
    Agreed. I've got a full UniFi setup at home and setup an AmpliFi network at my brother-in-law's house. Great gear. The range on Ubiquiti blows my old Meraki gear out of the water. I spent years tweaking settings on Meraki and was always unhappy with the range. I blamed it on everything except the gear until I replaced it.

Consultant32452 9y ago

I've had excellent service from Google Wifi. FWIW all of my devices are Apple.

MBCook 9y ago
Do you mean the box that comes with Google Fiber? I have odd issues with some of my devices every few weeks, though none of my Apple stuff, where they seem to stop getting DHCP leases (or stop using them?) for no discernible reason. Restarting the Google box always fixes it, but it’s extremely annoying. That was never an issue with my AirPort in charge of things.
- wmf 9y ago
  No, the product named Google Wifi is different from the box that comes with Google Fiber. https://store.google.com/product/google_wifi https://store.google.com/product/google_wifi
  - MBCook 9y ago
    Oh, I didn’t know they had their own stand alone AP. Thanks for the link.
    - kyrra 9y ago
      It's also Chrome OS based. https://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-information-for-chrome-os-devices https://www.chromium.org/chromium-os/developer-information-f... It gets automatic regular firmware updates to stay insync with Chrome OS, so it should always be patched. It has a dead simple user interface, though it means many power user features are not there. Though there is a project out there to root the device and do more with it. https://github.com/marcosscriven/galeforce https://github.com/marcosscriven/galeforce
      - Consultant32452 9y ago
        While it's true that it has a relatively simple user interface, I've found that it has every feature I've wanted and I'm generally a power user. I can set access schedules for my kids' devices. It even has a "porn" filter but I don't use that so I don't know if it's effective. I can prioritize certain devices so they get first dibs at bandwidth. I can reserve static IP addresses for some devices, and I can do port forwarding. I feel like those features and probably a few more that I couldn't think of off the top of my head are going to cover 99.99% of all users' needs. I agree there are other devices, especially if you flash your own firmware, that will give you more fine tuned control. I just didn't want to leave anyone with the impression that it lacked the major features people will be looking for. The only feature I personally would like to use that it doesn't have is the ability to configure the router as a VPN client.

Johnny555 9y ago

A coworker swears by Ubiquiti's home mesh router: https://www.amplifi.com/ https://www.amplifi.com/ I've never used it, but am very happy with their business products (switches+wifi)

Domenic_S 9y ago
Another vote for Amplifi. I have an unusual home (several additions over the years meaning "exterior" walls on the inside, single story, large) and using Amplifi I have full bars anywhere in the house or on my property. They're a little trigger-happy with the firmware updates (one recent update bricked DNS) but otherwise it's a fire-and-forget solution.

dogma1138 9y ago

Ubiquiti is dirt cheap for the entry level which pretty much outperforms any consumer oriented routers on the market. I’ve replaced my entire setup with an edge router and 2 APs for less than what a mid to high end linksys or similarly performing routers would cost. The QoS you get is 10 times better I can have 100% utilization on both uplink and downlink without a single real time application affected. Security and networking features are also in an entirely different league even with taking DDWRT and OpenWRT and the likes into account.

mbesto 9y ago
> Ubiquiti is dirt cheap for the entry level which pretty much outperforms any consumer oriented routers on the market. Very true, but unless you're talking about Amplifi, this is usually a non-starter for 95% of the non-tech population.
- gervase 9y ago
  I took the parent's suggestion as being targeted for the HN audience; I agree that for most people, it's impossible to use, but for the readers here, I'd say it's an apt recommendation.
snowwindwaves 9y ago
Ubiquity is using openwrt since a few years ago with their own UI I thought?
- TheKitchenSinc 9y ago
  Ubiquiti uses EdgeOS, which was forked from Vyatta, with their own UI on top of it.
- dogma1138 9y ago
  Not as far as i know they use EdgeOS for the routers and AirOS for their managed APs, with a few others for their SGAs and managed switches. As far as I know they never used OpenWRT or anything like it, if they did they hid it very well to the point where it would be legal for them to remove it from their license agreements. The CLI and the file system you can see on the router looks and acts nothing like OpenWRT.

the_mitsuhiko 9y ago

I found Netgear's Orbi really great consumer devices. I am using them exclusively at home now and they are great. They support ethernet or wifi backhaul, can build an actual mesh if you need but have really great out of the box performance with just the satellite(s) connecting to the router. Definitely the most stable wifi setup I have ever owned and they also provide OpenVPN and a bunch of other nice things out of the box.

kstrauser 9y ago

I agree. Like a lot of us here, I can build (and have built) my own networking gear starting with an empty hard drive and a Linux/BSD installer. I don't have to use an off-the-shelf networking solution. That said, Eero "just works" and much better than anything I've ever built myself. The mesh stuff delivers on its promises: I can start watching a video in my living room, then wander about the house hopping from AP to AP without dropping a single frame. My family doesn't pester me about idiosyncrasies. My kids' friends talk about our wifi being much better than what they have at home. I could not possibly love Eero more. I hope they make it through this unscathed!

foobarbazetc 9y ago

Google Wifi is better in every way, especially if you get some dirt cheap OnHubs.

jacksmith21006 9y ago
Agree. Have the GW and it has worked extremely well. The app is 1st rate.

rorykoehler 9y ago

I got a Linksys Velop system after researching thoroughly. It's also rock solid.

dbbk 9y ago

Everyone keeps saying that Apple has abandoned the router business and I'm not sure where this is coming from. They still sell and support the AirPorts. They're even in stores. A router isn't something that needs annual upgrades... realistically, there's not a whole lot technologically meaningful Apple could add to the product today. When 802.11ax comes around, then I'm sure Apple will make a big upgrade.