How to get started with eero Built-in (original) (raw)
eero Built-in set up guide
Only eero turns Echo into a wifi extender. As a pioneer in whole-home mesh wifi, eero helps customers get the connectivity they need. With eero Built-in, the Echo can boost wifi range in your favorite room.
What is eero Built-In?
eero Built-in is a feature that turns select Echo products into eero mesh wifi extenders. Add up to 1,000 sq. ft. [92m2] of coverage to your existing eero network and support speeds up to 100 Mbps for 10 or fewer connected devices, in the 5 GHz band. You will need a compatible Echo device and you can read about full requirements below. No additional charges, just more wifi for all.
How does it work?
eero Built-in allows you to use select Echo devices as mesh nodes and access points on your eero wifi network. This will enable your connected devices (laptop, cellphone, security cameras etc) to connect to the internet through your Echo devices, extending the wifi coverage in your home and helping reduce buffering and dropoffs. For the eero Built-in functionality to work, you need a compatible eero gateway device and a compatible Echo device, and you will need to link your eero and Amazon accounts. Note, while other eero products in the network support devices on 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz (and 6 GHz on eero Pro 6E), eero Built-In extended wifi supports connected devices on 5 GHz only. When you enable eero Built-in, eero intelligently detects when your eero devices are already providing great coverage at your Echo device. If that is the case, eero will automatically disable eero Built-in on your Echo device to help avoid interference from nearby eero devices.
- eero’s patented TrueMesh technology is now added to select Echo devices making them the first Echo devices that can serve as mesh wifi extenders.
- Extends existing wifi coverage up to 1,000 sq ft [92m2]
- Each compatible Echo device supports speeds up to 10 Mbps
- Compatible Echo Devices support up to 10 client devices
- Requires a compatible gateway eero device
Estimated price: Free to enable feature with compatible eero router and Echo device
What devices are compatible?
Compatible eero Devices*
| eero Max 7 eero Pro 6E eero 6+ eero Pro 6 eero 6 eero Pro eero |
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* eero model availability differs by region, see eero availability by model and country for more information.
Compatible Amazon Echo Devices
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| DEVICE NAME | Echo Dot(5th Gen)with clock | | Echo Dot(5th Gen) | | Echo(4th Gen) |
| DEVICE GENERATION | Gen 5 | | Gen 5 | | Gen 4 |
| DEVICE COVERAGE | Adds up to 1,000 sq. ft.[92m2] | | Adds up to 1,000 sq. ft.[92m2] | | Adds up to 1,000 sq. ft.[92m2] |
| SYSTEM PERFORMANCE | Up to 100 Mbps | | Up to 100 Mbps | | Up to 100 Mbps |
| NUMBER OF SUPPORTED DEVICES | Up to 10 devices | | Up to 10 devices | | Up to 10 devices |
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| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------- |
| DEVICE NAME | Echo Dot4th Gen)with Clock | | Echo Dot(4th Gen) | | Echo Pop |
| DEVICE GENERATION | Gen 4 | | Gen 4 | | Gen 1 |
| DEVICE COVERAGE | Adds up to 1,000 sq. ft.[92m2] | | Adds up to 1,000 sq. ft.[92m2] | | Adds up to 1,000 sq. ft.[92m2] |
| SYSTEM PERFORMANCE | Up to 100 Mbps | | Up to 100 Mbps | | Up to 100 Mbps |
| NUMBER OF SUPPORTED DEVICES | Up to 10 devices | | Up to 10 devices | | Up to 10 devices |
How do I set up eero Built-in?
To use your compatible Echo device as a mesh wifi extender, you must link your Amazon and eero accounts. Linking your eero network to your Amazon account (which you can do by linking your eero account and Amazon account, or by using your Amazon credentials to login in to the eero app (also called Amazon Login) makes interacting with your network and smart devices even easier by supporting features outside of eero Built-in, like Amazon Frustration-Free Setup and Zigbee Smart Home Hub. For help setting up your eero or enabling Built-in, please select the option that best describes you below.
- I am a first time eero owner and will use Amazon credentials to login and link accounts
- I am a first time eero owner and will use eero credentials to login and link accounts
- I am an existing eero owner and want to link to or enable Amazon login
- I am an existing eero owner with a linked Amazon - eero account and need to enable Built-in
I am a first time eero owner and will use Amazon credentials to log in and link accounts
- Download the eero app for iOS or Android.
- Tap “New to eero.”
- Tap “Log in” with Amazon
- Follow the in-app instructions in the eero app. For more details on how to set up your eero, go here.
- If your eero gateway software is not up to date, you will automatically be prompted to update after setting up your network, or you can visit Settings > Software version to update your software. The version should be v6.12.1 or later.
- If you haven’t done so already, set up your Echo device in the Alexa app.
- Make sure your phone is connected to the eero network.
- Plug in your Echo device.
- Open the Alexa app.
- Open “Devices” and click on the upper right “+” to add a device.
- Select Amazon Echo.
- Select Echo, Echo Dot, and more. Follow the instructions to set up your device.
- Make sure your Alexa app is updated to the latest version:
- If you’re on an iOS device, go to the App Store, select your Account profile in the top right, and scroll down to Available updates. Look for Alexa, and update if a new version is available.
- If you are on Android, open up the Google Play Store, select your Profile at the top right, and select Manage apps and devices. Find the Alexa app, and update if a new version is available.
- Update your Echo software by asking Alexa, “Alexa, check for software updates.”
- To verify your Echo is extending wifi, open the eero app, and on the home screen, you should see your Echo in the blue section. Tap on it and see that eero Built-in is enabled and your connection is extending.
I am a first time eero owner and will use eero credentials to login and link accounts
- Download the eero app for iOS or Android.
- Tap “New to eero.”
- Tap “Continue with email or phone”
- After you have created an account, tap “Settings” at the bottom of the eero app screen.
- Tap on “Amazon Connected Home.”
- Read through the page and tap “Connect to Amazon.”
- You will see an Amazon sign-in screen and a link to review “Conditions of Use and Sale” and “Privacy Notice.”
- Enter your Amazon sign-in credentials and click “Sign-in”. Amazon Connected Home is enabled -- Now you can configure each included feature.
- Follow the in-app instructions in the eero app. For more details on how to set up your eero, go here.
- If your eero gateway software is not up to date, you will automatically be prompted to update after setting up your network, or you can visit Settings > Software version to update your software. The version should be v6.12.1 or later.
- If you haven’t done so already, set up your Echo device in the Alexa app.
- Make sure your phone is connected to the eero network.
- Plug in your Echo device.
- Open the Alexa app.
- Open More and select “Add Device.”
- Select Amazon Echo.
- Select Echo, Echo Dot, and more. Follow the instructions to set up your device.
- Make sure your Alexa app is updated to the latest version:
- If you’re on an iOS device, go to the App Store, select your Account profile in the top right, and scroll down to Available updates. Look for Alexa, and update if a new version is available.
- If you are on Android, open up the Google Play Store, select your Profile at the top right, and select Manage apps and devices. Find the Alexa app, and update if a new version is available.
- Update your Echo software by asking Alexa, “Alexa, check for software updates.”
- To verify your Echo is extending wifi, open the eero app, and on the home screen, you should see your Echo in the blue section. Tap on it and see that eero Built-in is enabled and your connection is extending.
Once eero Built-in is enabled, any Echo devices that are eero Built-in compatible will be listed in the eero app (Settings > Network Settings > Amazon Connected Home > eero Built-in). Please also note that when eero Built-in is enabled, compatible Echo devices that are currently on your network, as well as those that join your network later, will automatically extend your wifi. Certain eero, Echo Amazon, and/or Alexa features may also be incompatible with eero Built-in (see these below).
You can enable or disable individual Echo devices in the “eero Built-in” section of the eero app by visiting Settings > Network Settings > Amazon Connected Home > eero Built-in and toggling eero Built-in on or off for each device. This way you can disable eero Built-in for specific devices without having to disable the feature at the network level.
For optimal customer experience, we recommend using eero Built-in on no more than 4 Echo devices per network. Customers looking for greater coverage or throughput may want to explore adding more eero devices to their network. You can find a list of available eero devices here that you can add to your network.
Congratulations, your eero Built-in should now work! If you have any issues, keep reading for troubleshooting tips.
Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting eero Built-In setup issues
A couple of common reasons for eero Built-in setup failure are listed below. When one of these errors occurs, you will see an error message appear in the eero app.
- The Echo device is not up to date / is not on an eero Built-in compatible firmware version
- To update your Echo device or eero firmware, see instructions above.
- Reboot your Echo device.
- Reboot your eero gateway device.
- Quit and reopen the eero app. As long as your eero account is linked to your Amazon account, reopening the app should register any eero devices to the Amazon app if they were not already registered.
- You may not have linked your eero and Amazon accounts yet
- See instructions above.
- Your Alexa account and eero account are not the same
- If the Echo device is set up on a different Amazon account than what is linked to your eero account, it cannot act as a device access point.
- This can only be solved by using the same Amazon account for both Alexa and eero account linking purposes. Go to the Alexa app > Device Settings to re-register the device with the same Amazon account as your eero network, or press and hold the action button on the Echo device for 25 seconds. Alternatively, you can unlink and relink your eero network to the same Amazon account you use with this Echo device.
- The Echo device is not able to use eero Built-in and the eero app is displaying an error
- Your Echo device is either too close to, or too far away from, your closest eero device. Please follow the placement instructions in the eero app and try again.
- Disable and re-enable eero Built-in for the impacted Echo device.
- Your Echo device is connected to a guest network and eero Built-in is not functioning.
- For eero Built-in to work, your Echo device must be connected to the main network.
- Follow the below instructions to switch networks:
* Open the Alexa App
* Select Devices
* Select Echo & Alexa
* Select your device
* Select Change next to Wi-Fi Network and follow the instructions in the app
General eero Built-In Troubleshooting
- Connected devices don’t appear to be choosing to connect to the eero Built-in enabled Echo device
- It’s possible that the coverage in that area is already sufficiently covered by eero devices and you may benefit from moving your Echo device a bit further away from the closest eero device. An eero device is an excellent mesh wifi provider, and its only job is to maintain mesh wifi. This means that even if your proximity to an Echo device is a fraction of your distance to an eero, your connected devices may not find a reason to use the Echo device, as they optimize for the best connection.
- It's important to remember that connected devices make their own roaming decisions. Some devices, such as some Android phones, roam more "actively" than others. They look to optimize their own connection by looking at factors such as received signal strength (RSSI) and wifi protocol. That means a specific device may not view the Echo as "ideal" to connect to, so it may connect to another node instead.
- Connected device upload/download speed is not as desired
- eero Built-in enabled Echo devices can support up to 100 Mbps in ideal RF environments (see more information on eero.com/eero-built-in). If you’re looking for supported speeds in excess of 100 Mbps, you can find a list of available eero devices here that you can add to your network.
If you need more help to troubleshoot eero Built-in, please contact eero Support.
What features are incompatible with eero Built-in?
Below are some of the primary features that are not compatible with eero Built-in. This list may not be complete, and it may change over time as we work to improve the performance of this feature.
- Echo devices with eero Built-in enabled support the 5GHz radio frequency only. To learn more about 2.4Ghz and 5GHz radios, please refer to this article
- Echo Device Low Power Mode (learn more about Low Power Mode here)
- When eero Built-in is enabled, Low Power Mode on Echo devices is disabled so they can remain active to serve as a mesh wifi extender, expanding your home’s wifi coverage.
- Alexa Home Theater
- When Alexa Home Theater is enabled, the Echo device associates as a client to the FireTV. This is incompatible with the eero Built-in architecture, where the Echo Device is meshed to the eero devices in the network — the Echo Device cannot be in mesh mode and client mode at the same time.
- eero Built-In is not supported on eero Guest Networks. The guest network will not be extended.
- eero Built-In is not supported when the eero network is in bridge mode.
- You may experience limited HomeKit Router functionality across your eero network when eero Built-in is enabled.
- WPA3
- When WPA3 is enabled (you can do this through Settings > Network Settings), your eero devices will support WPA3 transition mode for connections between the eero and the connected device. Your Echo devices will use WPA2 for connections between the Echo device (as an access point) and the devices connected to the Echo device.
- eero Home Mesh WiFi System (1st Generation) does not support eero Built-in
- Dynamic Frequency Selection (DFS) channels
- DFS channel support on the eero network may be impacted when you add an Echo device as an eero Built-in access point. Supported channels vary by eero and Echo device.
Q&A
Q: If my eero is providing coverage to an area and I have a compatible Echo device, will eero Built-in create interference and lead to a lower quality wifi signal?
- A: No. When you enable eero Built-in, eero intelligently detects when your eero devices are already providing great coverage at your Echo device.
Q: Why does eero disable built-in on my Echo device if there is already solid eero device coverage?
- A: Too many device signals can cause interference and cause poor device performance**.** Given eero devices generally support higher internet speeds than eero Built-in on a compatible Echo device, eero prioritizes using a nearby eero device over a nearby Echo device if their coverage areas significantly overlap. eero intelligently detects when your eero devices are already providing great coverage and to disable eero Built-in on your Echo device as needed.
Full Performance Information
eero Built-in is an optional feature available in the United States, Canada, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Your wifi network must use a compatible eero router and your Echo device must stay in range of a compatible eero device. You will need to link your eero and Amazon accounts and manage eero Built-in from the eero mobile application to use this feature. eero Built-in compatible Echo devices support up to 1,000 sq. ft. [92m2] of additional coverage, speeds up to 100 Mbps, and 10 or fewer connected devices in the 5 GHz band. Internet connection speeds and availability depend on your internet service provider; if your internet service provider does not provide you with the maximum supported speed, you will not experience that maximum speed. Maximum wireless signal rates are derived from IEEE 802.11 standard. Coverage estimates are based on normal use conditions. Actual range and performance can vary, and maximum supported speeds may not be available to all customers, due to factors such as local regulations (including power limits), network configuration, interference, connected devices, device usage, building materials, and obstructions. Certain eero, Echo, or Alexa features may be incompatible with eero Built-in. Use of eero and eero-related products and services, including eero Built-in, requires creation of an eero account and agreement to eero’s Terms of Service, found at http://eero.com/legal. You can review eero’s Privacy Notice at http://eero.com/legal/privacy.