Home Networking Experiment

Since my first-generation Eero mesh system, my home networking setup has been rock solid (2016). Therefore, I am hesitant to change an otherwise perfectly working mesh system. When upgrading to the Eero Pro, my wife asked what the point was since our wifi is OK.

My setup (2016 to 2022) is as follows:

• 3 Eero Pro contacted each other through cat6 cables
• Each Eero is connected to an 8 Port TP-Link network switch
• Each network switch is connected to various devices such as Apple TV, Hue, Mac mini etc.

I spent more than two hours yesterday to come up with the following 2022 Network Setup:

• 3 Eero Pro each connected wirelessly
• Using only one TP-Link Switch connected to Philips Hue Bridge and HD HomeRun

Therefore, I have only three short cat6 ethernet cables connected in my entire home (excluding the wires behind walls that are not connected). I feel so much better already 😀

Why Bother?

The simple reason is cable management. I had over 20 devices connected via ethernet around the house, which is a cable management nightmare. This setup is also a  dust magnet. However, the main reason for this is that my son (now crawling everywhere) has found a new way to entertain himself by unplugging things. My current solution doesnt fix the issue entirely because he still has many things left in the house to unplug. This is a safety issue as well so we are closing off those areas and always keeping an eye on him.

I called Eero support and asked them, what if I removed the ethernet connection between the Eero devices. Thankfully, the customer representative very politely said, the Eero system was designed to work wirelessly. That gave me the confidence to go ahead with this. He advised me on placement which remained the same as before.

When I hardwired my home almost eight years ago, wifi devices weren’t great and limited to 2.4 GHz. These days, over 80% of my devices are running on 5 GHz. 2022 feels like the right time to do this.

Over 30 ethernet cables and two network switches are stored away in the garage just in case this experiment does not go well.

So far, fingers crossed 🤞, it appears to be working just as well as before. However, these are early days …….

The real test will be if my family members notice a change because I did not tell anyone what I was doing. For all they know, I was clearing out unused cables.

Look forward to updating this blog in 3 months OR maybe sooner 😢