Eero vs Nest Wifi: 5 Must-Know Facts

As Wifi routers and access points continue to get more advanced, their differences become stark. Modern Wifi routers and access points offer more than just Internet connectivity. They deliver speed, convenience, flexibility, reliability, and adaptability, among countless other features.

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So, what about these two Wifi systems make them so great? And which one is the superior option? Picking the winner involves more than just comparing prices or brand names.

We will use side-by-side comparisons, key differences, must-know facts, and histories to put things in perspective.

Ultimately, you’ll see which wifi system is the best.

Eero vs Nest Wifi: Side by Side Comparison

Eero vs Nest Wifi: What’s the Difference?

Connectivity

Eero and Nest offer several individual distinctions. For one, Eero establishes its network completely differently than Nest. The latter has a designated router, and specific access points are not interchangeable. Eero allows for any one of its devices to serve as either router or access point. This makes Eero much more versatile than Nest.

Wifi Support

Eero offers support for Wifi 6, while Nest supports up Wifi 5. This is an enormous distinction worth emphasizing: Eero can deliver faster speeds with Wifi 6, while Nest still hasn’t introduced a device capable of doing the same.

When choosing a Wifi system, don’t you want the one that can bring you the fastest internet connection possible? Nest deliberately chose to skip the upgrade for Wifi 6 to focus on making its Wifi 5 devices as perfect as possible, but it might be a choice that loses their business to Eero in the process.

Data rate

Eero has a leg up on Nest in a few other key ways, the most prominent of which is its throughput. With 4200 MB of throughput compared to Nest’s paltry-seeming 2200 MB, the fact that Eero nearly doubles Nest in this regard is quite significant.

Price

Of course, all of Eero’s improvements over Nest come with a much higher price tag: Three EEro 6 mesh wifi router devices cost nearly $600 total, while a Nest router and two access points come in at only $350.

Eero vs Nest Wifi: What are the Similarities?

For starters, it’s worth stating the obvious. Eero and Nest Wifi are mesh networks. This means they combine multiple Wifi access points to create one big network. Each router shares a single Wifi network that can seamlessly stretch to cover anything from a small apartment to a huge office building.

  • WHOLE-HOME WI-FI 6 COVERAGE - eero covers up to 1,500 sq. ft. with wifi and supports wifi speeds up to 900 Mbps.SAY GOODBYE TO DEAD SPOTS AND BUFFERING - Our TrueMesh technology intelligently routes traffic to reduce drop-offs so you can confidently stream 4K video, game, and video conference.MORE WIFI FOR MORE DEVICES - Wi-Fi 6 supports faster wifi than prior standards and permits 75+ connected devices.SET UP IN MINUTES - The eero app walk you through setup and allows you to manage your network from anywhere. Plus, free customer support is available 7 days a week.BUILT-IN ZIGBEE SMART HOME HUB - eero 6 connects compatible devices on your network with Alexa—so there’s no need to buy separate smart home hubs for each device.

This differs from traditional Wifi networks, where routers are centralized in place as lone access points. Mesh is decentralized, allowing you to access Wifi from several different places at once. Not only does this give you more coverage, but it also improves your network’s strength and reliability while also eliminating dead zones.

Eero: The Complete History

©Phonlamai Photo/Shutterstock.com

Since the acquisition, Eero has not stopped innovating and improving upon the Wifi mesh network it helped pioneer years earlier. Today, the company is one of the first to offer Wifi 6 support. They also stand out for their yearly subscription service, offering subscribers content management, threat detection and protection, and ad blocking software built into the Wifi.

The Rise of Nest Wifi

When Nest emerged onto the market in 2016, it did so under a different name: Google Wifi. Late to the mesh network game after Eero’s earlier debut, Nest — a.k.a. Google Wifi — wasted no time trying to make a case for itself over its competitor.

The first generation device debuted Wifi 5 support, 2×2 antennas, and beamforming support. With two Ethernet ports, a quad-core processor complete with 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of flash memory, and the ability to adjust and control devices via an app, Nest was worthy competition for Eero.

With its second generation, Google Wifi had officially rebranded as Google Nest Wifi. This was done as part of Google’s efforts to rebrand its entire suite of smart home products under the Nest brand name. This 2019 upgrade added a smart speaker to each access point, made improvements to the RAM and flash memory, and also saw tweaks and changes made to the strength and functionality of the router and access points. All in all, it was a safe second-generation product.

Concurrently, Eero continued to boom. While Nest’s rise has arguably been faster and sleeker than Eero’s, Eero’s rise has undoubtedly seen far more innovation.

Eero vs Nest Wifi: Which One Is Better?

Now that you’ve seen how Eero and Nest Wifi‘s specs stack up against one another, it’s worth reiterating the question: Which is better? Which one deserves more use? Eero is the most innovative, the most flexible, and the most advanced product. Sure, Nest might fall short of Eero’s advancements in several key areas — including Wifi 6 capabilities and the flexibility of Eero’s devices.

Ultimately, these bonus features are nothing more than bells and whistles. What truly matters from a mesh Wifi network is whether or not it can function well. You don’t buy a product because of what it can offer beyond its key function — you buy a product because of what it was made to do. For this reason, Eero is the superior mesh Wifi system.

With Wifi 6, a higher throughput, and more flexible router/access point hybrids, Eero comes out above Nest. Should Nest upgrade to the next generation, perhaps this debate will be worth revisiting. For now, though, Eero is the true winner.

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