Eero’s latest mesh extender brings Wi-Fi to the great outdoors
In a nutshell: Mesh Wi-Fi specialist Eero has introduced a product designed to expand coverage beyond your four walls and into the great outdoors. Outdoor 7 is the company’s first device specifically designed to operate in the unpredictable conditions outside your home. It boasts an IP66 rating – meaning it can stand up to powerful jets of water – and can operate in temperatures ranging from 130 degrees Fahrenheit down to -40F.
Eero tested the device across a range of real-world and simulated harsh environments such as in Arizona and at the beach, as well as in a commercial refrigerator and a tunnel with 100 mph winds.
Outdoor 7 includes a 2.5GbE port for Power-over-Ethernet. There’s also an optional 30W Outdoor Poe+ adapter, so you can plug the unit into any outdoor AC outlet and connect wirelessly to your Eero network.
As for range, the company claims a single unit can blanket up to 15,000 square feet with Wi-Fi at speeds up to 2.1Gbps. Those with larger properties can use multiple Outdoor 7 devices to create a point-to-point connection for even greater coverage. It also doubles as a smart home hub and is compatible with Matter, Thread, and Zigbee devices.
A weatherproof access point could be handy in a variety of situations, allowing users to easily keep outdoor devices like speakers and security cameras connected. Eero said early testers used Outdoor 7 to get coverage from their house to a beach, and from an apartment down to the street below. I could also see them being useful on hunting land.
Eero was founded in the mid 2010s but got off to a rocky start, leading to Amazon purchase the company in early 2019. Terms of the deal were not made public although leaked documents show Amazon paid $97 million for the company.
Eero’s Outdoor 7 goes on sale November 13, and comes backed by a three year warranty. It will set you back $349.99 (or $399.99 bundled with the 30W PoE+ adapter). Look for it on Eero’s website, Amazon, or at your local Best Buy.
