Near Intersection of I-35 & I-90 Southern Mn. | Note: this is a revised reply to my reply of 1/12/22. By talking to a friend, sleeping on it and catching a couple of You Tube videos this morning, I now have a much better understanding. Some of the replies below from helpful AgTalkers are in response to my earlier reply.
My eero system arrived 1/12/22. I purchased the eero system that consists of three units and some power cables. I purchased it from eBay as the price was cheaper than Amazon. One unit I consider as the base and the other two are satellite units that are placed around my home.
I installed the app on my iPad. The app is very well done with some cute animations. I got part way but eventually got to a point where things failed.
In retrospect I now realize the problem. Like many homes I have a combination Modem/Router inside the home office that was installed some years ago by my ISP. I did not realize that it consists of two parts: 1) a Modem which converts the analog signal going in/out of my house to a digital signal for the devices inside the house and 2) a router which "routes" the digital signals back/forth to my computer, phone, tablet etc.
I felt that this device would no longer be used with the new eero system. That was NOT correct. A modem is essential so the modem/router must still be used since my modem is inside. By removing the modem/router device, my system had no modem. I was confusing the POE power device for the modem.
I called Tech support and although the person was in the U.S., there was still a language barrier in two respects: 1) He did not speak Midwestern English 2) He used certain technical terms of which I was not familiar. He had to make certain assumptions about my current equipment which were not correct. I was not knowledgeable enough to explain this to him. Had I been, I likely would not have needed him.
The setup which is now working has the original modem/router connected as before. My desktop office computer is hard wired to the original modem/router as before and uses the same network as before.
The installation of the eero system is pathetically simple. The supplied ethernet cable is plugged into an unused port on the Modem/Router. The other end of that cable is plugged into either ethernet port on the base unit. The unit is powered via a 110VAC adapter to a USB-C plug. The satellite units are placed around the house and are also powered by 110VAC to USB-C adapters.
The eero app on my phone guided me through the steps to create a new network for the eero devices. This new network is available seamlessly from any of the eero units. That means my desktop computer in the basement can be set to use the new network and works through the satellite unit in the basement.
I have my iPhone and iPad set to this new network also. That means they can work through any of the eero units through the house. This will switch between the units without my knowledge or intervention. I believe this means if I start to do something on the iPad in one portion of my home and walk to another portion, the system may switch to another of the eero units to maintain the best connection.
I have been playing with some ESP-32 micro controllers. They can work with WiFi and Bluetooth. One example is a WiFi scanner. It shows the networks in its immediate area, their names and signal strengths. I used this down in the basement in the area on the second computer. It shows 4 devices and their network names. One is the original network from the original modem/router and the other three are the new network from the 3 eero units. The results of this test show that the old original network is the weakest in the basement as expected with the three eero units show better signal strength. One of the eero units is considerably better than the other two. Unplugging the basement satellite proved that it was doing its job as the unit with best signal strength disappeared.
At this point, I am happy with my decision to go with this eero system although there may well have been other good options.
Edited by tedbear 1/13/2022 09:20
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Installing new eero unit soon
