Mesh
Wi-Fi
pioneer
Eero
is
tackling
a
new
frontier:
the
outdoors.
Today,
the
Amazon-owned
company
announced
the
Eero
Outdoor
7.
Starting
at
$349.99,
the
dual-band
2.4
and
5Ghz
Wi-Fi
7
access
point
boasts
an
IP66
rating
and
can
provide
up
to
15,000
square
feet
of
outdoor
coverage
with
speeds
of
up
to
2.1Gbps.
That
should
be
enough
to
stream
movies
to
your
outdoor
TV
or
projector,
get
good
connectivity
for
your
security
cameras,
and
even
funnel
some
decent
Wi-Fi
to
that
shed
at
the
end
of
the
garden.
With
connectivity
now
a
necessity
for
so
many
things
we
do,
from
work
to
play,
extending
your
Wi-Fi
network
beyond
your
home
into
your
yard
feels
increasingly
more
important.
Nick
Weaver,
CEO
of
Eero,
told The
Verge in
an
interview
that
a
purpose-built
device
to
extend
an
Eero
mesh
network
outdoors
is
their
most
requested
product.
“The
thing
we’ve
heard
time
and
time
again
from
our
customers
since
we
launched
is,
‘I’ve
got
all
these
devices
outside.
Do
you
have
a
product
for
that?’”
With
the
Eero
Outdoor
7,
Eero
users
can
now
use
their
Wi-Fi
network
outdoors
regardless
of
the
weather.
The
device,
which
is
backward-compatible
with
all
Eero
products,
has
an
IP66
rating,
meaning
it
can
withstand
jets
of
water
and
extreme
temperatures.
“Our
design
goals
were
we
wanted
it
to
be
able
to
work
in
the
desert
in
the
summer
and
Alaska
in
the
winter,”
said
Weaver,
explaining
it
was
tested
“in
the
heat
of
Arizona,
a
commercial
refrigerator,
on
beaches,
and
in
a
tunnel
with
100
MPH
winds.”
“It’s
the
proliferation
of
devices
and
that
people
are
just
accustomed
to
being
able
to
work
everywhere,”
Nick
Weaver
The
device
is
rated
for
temperatures
as
low
as
-40
degrees
Fahrenheit
and
up
to
130F
and
comes
with
a
new
three-year
warranty.
(Indoor
Eero
devices
have
a
one-year
warranty.)
The
Outdoor
7
is
designed
to
be
mounted
to
a
wall
and
comes
with
mounting
accessories
for
stucco,
vinyl,
wood,
or
fiber
cement
walls.
Weaver
says
it
can
also
be
wrapped
on
a
pole.
“It's
really
flexible,”
said
Weaver.
To
maintain
its
waterproofing,
there
is
only
one
port
—
a
2.5GbE
port
that
supports
Power
over
Ethernet
and
has
a
special
sealing
gasket.
There’s
also
the
option
of
a
30W
Outdoor
PoE
Plus
power
adapter
that
lets
you
plug
the
Outdoor
7
into
an
outdoor
AC
outlet
and
connect
wirelessly
back
to
an
Eero
network.
Weaver
said
this
comes
with
an
extra-long
18-foot
cable.
The
Outdoor
7
comes
bundled
with
the
cable
for
$399.99.
While
Eero’s
indoor
Eero
Max
7
line
is
a
tri-band
router
adding
the
6GHz
band,
the
outdoor
model
only
offers
2.4
and
5GHz.
Weaver
said
this
is
because
there
are
“some
pretty
big
limitations
on
outdoor
usage
of
6GHz.
It
can
really
impair
the
product
experience.
We
felt
that
with
up
to
2
gigs
a
second
and
given
the
number
of
clients
outside,
this
was
a
great
balance
in
terms
of
what
the
technology
can
support
and
price
point.”
The
Eero
Outdoor
7
has
a
single
port
for
power
and
ethernet.
The
device
also
features
a
reset
button,
a
vapor
vent
to
release
any
moisture,
and
a
grounding
screw
as
an
extra
precaution
against
lightning
strikes.Image:
Eero
The
Outdoor
7
also
offers
point-to-point
connectivity,
so
two
placed
in
line
of
sight
can
extend
a
network
to
other
buildings,
like
a
shed
or
garage.
This
provides
a
faster
connection,
said
Weaver.
“Hundreds
of
megabits
per
second
at
almost
half
a
mile
away,”
he
said.
“Say,
if
you
have
a
gig
in
your
house,
you
could
easily
get
200
to
400
Mbps
out
in
a
shed
if
it’s
not
too
far
away.”
He
said
you
could
also
hardwire
devices
from
there
using
an
Eero
POE
gateway
or
just
use
Eero’s
mesh
networking
technology.
Related
Beyond
extending
Wi-Fi
to
an
outdoor
TV
or
entertainment
system
or
working
on
your
laptop
in
the
garden,
an
outdoor
access
point
can
help
with
smart
home
struggles
like
keeping
your
security
cameras
online.
Today,
many
more
outdoor
devices
need
Wi-Fi,
from
smart
sprinklers
and
landscape
lighting
to
connected
pool
pumps,
gate
and
garage
door
controllers,
and
smart
locks.
Even
cars
need
Wi-Fi
now
for
software
updates.
Clearly
our
connectivity
needs
are
increasing.
“It’s
the
proliferation
of
devices
and
that
people
are
just
accustomed
to
being
able
to
work
everywhere
and
a
lot
of
customers
are
also
building
outdoor
entertainment
areas,”
said
Weaver.
The
Eero
Outdoor
7
also
works
as
a
smart
home
hub,
with
support
for
Thread,
Zigbee,
and
Matter
devices.
The
Outdoor
7
is
pricey
at
$350.
A
Wi-Fi
6
outdoor
access
point
from
TP-Link
costs less
than
half
that (a Wi-Fi
7
version
is
coming
soon).
Ubiquiti’s
new Wi-Fi
7
option
is
$250.
However,
the
combination
of
Wi-Fi
7,
IP66,
and
15,000
square
feet
of
coverage
in
the
Eero
appears
to
be
a
first
for
a
consumer-level
device.
The
Eero
Outdoor
7
will
be
available
starting
on
November
13th
for
$349.99
at
eero.com,
Amazon,
and
Best
Buy,
among
others.
If
you
need
the
outdoor
power
adapter,
it
comes
in
a
bundle
for
$399.99.
A
Canadian
version
is
coming
soon.
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