Never Lose Internet Again with eero Signal

What do you do when your internet goes out at home? It always seems to happen at the worst possible time, during a big game or while you’re filing important paperwork online. If you have eero for your home Wi-Fi, the eero Signal keeps you running when your internet provider goes down, with no manual steps and no reconfiguring.

This is the 4G LTE version, about $100. A 5G version is coming later for $200. You also need an annual eero Plus subscription to use it. This isn’t sponsored, and eero didn’t send or loan me anything.

What it is

The Signal is an add-on to your existing eero network that kicks in automatically if your regular internet goes down. It’s small, has a built-in SIM card that connects to the best carrier it sees in your area, and has a built-in Y cable because it shares power with the eero you connect it to. A 45 W power adapter is in the box.

Setup

1. Unplug the power cable from your eero.
2. Plug the USB-C end of the Signal’s Y cable into the back of the eero.
3. Connect the included 45 W power supply (unless you have a 7 Max or a PoE gateway), then connect it to the Y cable.
4. When both lights are solid white, open the eero app. It may already offer to enable cellular backup; if not, tap + → eero Signal, pick which eero it’s connected to, and finish setup.

Next you’re asked to choose a plan. eero Plus with up to 100 GB of data a month costs $200 a year, which seems overpriced for an occasional backup. Standard eero Plus includes only 10 GB a year. I’ll probably never use 100 GB a month, but this is about not having to worry, so I chose the 100 GB plan.

To check on it later: Security & Privacy → eero Cellular Backup shows which eero it’s connected to and your data usage. There’s no way to choose a carrier, or even see which one you’re on.

Testing the failover

I unplugged my internet from my main eero (a PoE gateway) while running pings. It takes about 15 seconds for the eero to decide the internet is really down rather than a blip, then a few more seconds to stabilize. The app changes from Ready to Active.

A speed test showed it picked AT&T in my neighborhood: about 20 Mb/s down and 8–9 Mb/s up. Not fantastic, but cellular is weak here on every carrier. It’s enough for browsing, social media and streaming Netflix, though not gaming, and it beats using my phone as a hotspot and reconnecting every device. (eero does have a hotspot backup feature too.) I’ll probably try the 5G version when it ships.

When I plugged the internet back in, it took about 10 pings to check the connection, then switched back and the app returned to Ready.

Who it’s for

Anyone who needs internet without downtime for work or health equipment at home, or the nerd who wants the internet up for the family at all times. I’m probably the second one.

The pricing kind of sucks. If you already pay for eero Plus, the free 10 GB a year isn’t enough; a couple of speed tests and it’s gone. Or add $100 a year for peace of mind. If you don’t use any other eero Plus features, $200 a year may not be worth it, and tethering from your phone will do. For me, I already use some Plus features and I’m all about convenience, so it’s a no-brainer.

Links

• EERO Signal
• EERO Wi-Fi 7
• A 6K display you can afford!

In this video

• 00:00 The problem with internet outages
• 00:13 What is the Eero Signal?
• 00:24 Pricing: 4G ($100) and upcoming 5G ($200) versions
• 00:30 Subscription requirement: Eero Secure Plus
• 00:42 Hardware overview: built-in SIM, Y cable, power adapter
• 01:08 Physical setup: connecting Signal to your Eero
• 01:41 App setup: enabling cellular backup in the Eero app
• 02:09 Subscription plans and data options breakdown
• 02:54 Navigating cellular backup settings in the app
• 03:21 Live failover test: disconnecting the ISP
• 03:57 Speed test results on 4G LTE (AT&T)
• 04:55 Reconnection test: switching back to home internet
• 05:19 Who is the Eero Signal for?
• 05:47 Final verdict and pricing assessment