eero, an Amazon-owned company known for its whole-home WiFi coverage systems, recently announced support for the use of certain Amazon Echo speakers as WiFi extenders. Called “eero Built-in”, the support for Echo speakers to extend your eero network is an initiative that makes whole-home WiFi coverage more convenient and affordable.
For context, the cost for an eero 3-pack mesh WiFi system can range from $249 – $699. Through eero Built-in, all you need is at least 1 eero 6 router and 1 Echo Dot device, which will cost you as little as $118.99 if purchased as a bundle (see below).
eero + Echo Dot bundle
$118.99
Although, there are some limitations to consider. As a WiFi extender, compatible Echo speakers only support speeds of up to 100mbps, not ideal if you rely on speeds faster than that. Albeit, 100mbps is more than enough speed for tasks like streaming HD video, HD video calls and surfing the web. However, it’s not enough for intense online gaming or for downloading large files. Also, if you’re paying for speeds faster than 100mbps, you may not want to rely on Echo Dot devices as your primary method of extending your eero network.
How many devices can you connect to your Echo speaker?
Compatible Echo speakers can only support up to 10 connected WiFi devices each at any given time. See below for a list of compatible Echo speakers.
How far does the Echo speaker extend your WiFi network?
Amazon Echo speakers with eero Built-in can extend your eero WiFi network coverage up to 1000 square feet. Performance will vary based on connection, usage and environmental factors such as dense walls or floors and distance between the eero router and Echo speaker. eero recommends a distance of no more than 50 feet between your eero router and Echo speaker for optimal performance.
What Echo devices support eero Built-in?
The following Amazon Echo devices support eero Built-in:
- Amazon Echo Dot (5th generation)
- Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (5th generation)
- Amazon Echo (4th generation)
- Amazon Echo Dot (4th generation)
- Amazon Echo Dot with Clock (4th generation)
What eero devices support eero Built-in?
The following eero devices support eero Built-in:
- Amazon eero 6 mesh Wi-Fi Router
- Amazon eero 6+ mesh Wi-Fi router
- Amazon eero Pro 6 mesh Wi-Fi 6 router
- Amazon eero Pro 6E mesh Wi-Fi router
Other things to consider
To take advantage of eero Built-in with your Echo speaker, you’ll need to be running the latest software version on your compatible eero device (at least eero OS version 6.12.2).
