Alright, so I found myself needing a network upgrade. My old setup was starting to feel sluggish, especially with more stuff connecting all the time. I kept hearing about mesh systems, and eero seemed like a popular choice. Ended up getting my hands on both an eero Pro 6E and an eero 6 Plus because I couldn’t quite decide based on specs alone. Figured the best way was to just try them both out in my own house.
Setting Up the Pro 6E
First up was the Pro 6E. Pulled the main unit out of the box – felt pretty solid, decent build. Plugged it into my modem, powered it on, and downloaded the eero app. Honestly, the app setup was smooth sailing. It found the unit right away, I created my network name and password, and it did its thing. Probably took about 10 minutes total, maybe less. No confusing menus or technical stuff, which was nice. I just followed the on-screen prompts.
Once the main one was up, I placed the second Pro 6E unit upstairs. Plugged it in, went back to the app, tapped ‘Add eero Device’, and it found it pretty quickly too. It meshed together automatically. Simple stuff.
Living with the Pro 6E
With the Pro 6E network running, I started using it like normal. Connected my phone, laptop, TV, a few smart home gadgets. Walked around the house doing speed tests on my phone. Speeds were definitely way better than my old router, especially upstairs where it used to be spotty. Downloads felt quick. My phone supports Wi-Fi 6E, and when I was near the main router, the speeds were seriously fast, like crazy fast. But, if I moved a room or two away, it usually seemed to connect to the 5 GHz band instead. The coverage was great though, solid signal pretty much everywhere, even out on the back patio.
Swapping in the 6 Plus
After a few days, I unplugged the Pro 6E setup and boxed it back up carefully. Time for the 6 Plus. The setup process felt identical. Unboxed the main unit, plugged it into the modem, used the same eero app. It guided me through resetting the network (since I used the same account) and setting up the 6 Plus units. Again, really straightforward, maybe 10 minutes. Placed the second unit in the same spot upstairs as the Pro 6E beacon.
How the 6 Plus Performed
Okay, so living with the 6 Plus… Honestly? For most of my day-to-day stuff, it felt very similar to the Pro 6E. Browsing websites, streaming video, video calls – everything worked great. I ran speed tests again in the same spots. Were the absolute peak speeds as high as the Pro 6E when standing right next to it? No, especially since the 6 Plus doesn’t have that 6 GHz band. But the speeds on the 5 GHz band were still really fast, and crucially, the consistency felt just as good. Coverage was also solid throughout the house. Maybe the signal wasn’t quite as strong at the absolute edges of my property compared to the Pro 6E, but it was still totally usable.
My Thoughts Comparing Them
So here’s the breakdown from my perspective:
- Setup: Both were incredibly easy. No difference there.
- Speed: The Pro 6E is technically faster, especially if you have Wi-Fi 6E devices and are close to a node. That 6 GHz band is no joke for raw speed. The 6 Plus was still plenty fast for everything I do, though.
- Coverage: Both gave me great coverage. Maybe a slight edge to the Pro 6E in reaching the furthest corners, but it wasn’t a night-and-day difference in my house.
- The 6 GHz Thing: This is the big differentiator. The Pro 6E has it, the 6 Plus doesn’t. Right now, I only have one or two devices that can even use 6 GHz. It felt a bit like having a Ferrari that you can only drive fast on one specific street near your house. Nice, but maybe not essential for me today.
- Price: The Pro 6E costs noticeably more than the 6 Plus.
Ultimately, after using both, I found myself leaning towards the eero 6 Plus for my specific situation. The Pro 6E is awesome, don’t get me wrong. If you have a ton of 6E devices already, or live in an apartment building with super congested Wi-Fi channels where that 6 GHz band offers a clear highway, it’s probably worth the extra cash. But for my house, with my current devices and internet plan, the 6 Plus delivered fantastic performance and coverage that felt almost identical for everyday use, and it saved me some money. It just hit the sweet spot of performance and value for me. Your mileage might vary depending on your house size, device types, and how much interference you deal with, but that was my experience hands-on.