The Eero Outdoor 7 Brings Wi-Fi to the Backyard

We are all aware of the need for strong Wi-Fi inside the home, and Amazon’s Eero has done much to boost the popularity of mesh systems that create reliable networks. Now, Eero has set its sights on your backyard, garage, and other outbuildings with the weatherproof Eero Outdoor 7.

This dual-band (2.4-GHz and 5-GHz) Wi-Fi 7 access point can join any existing Eero mesh system to expand coverage outside your home and offers speeds of up to 2.1 Gbps. Eero suggests it can deliver up to 15,000 square feet of outdoor coverage, bringing a steady signal to smartphones, outdoor TVs, and Wi-Fi speakers. That’s great news for anyone who likes to chill or party in the yard.

Crucially for folks with a home offices at the bottom of the garden, garages, or barns some distance from the home, you can set up a point-to-point connection between two Eero Outdoor 7 units to extend your Wi-Fi into that space. Configured correctly, CEO Nick Weaver told us, you can expect hundreds of megabits per second approaching half a mile away. It is an option that could also prove handy for cafés or bars with patios.

Rugged Router

To survive in the great outdoors, the length and breadth of the country, Eero has made the Outdoor 7 seriously tough. This thing can operate in temperatures from –40 degrees Fahrenheit up to 130, and it withstand winds of up to 100 miles per hour. The Eero Outdoor 7 also scores an IP66 rating, so rain and snow are nothing to worry about. You can even turn a hose on the shiny white plastic exterior to wash it down. There’s a Gore-Tex vent at the bottom to allow condensation to run off and a grounding screw to keep it safe from lightning strikes.

The Eero Outdoor 7 comes with fixings and instructional videos for installation onto stucco, vinyl, wood, or fiber cement walls. You can also attach it to a fence or a wooden post if you prefer. The Eero Outdoor 7 supports PoE (power over Ethernet), meaning you can plug a single Ethernet cable into the 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port to deliver both internet and power, though the other end will have to plug into something like Eero’s PoE Gateway ($400).

A wired connection will squeeze the best performance from the Eero Outdoor 7, but means running a cable. If you prefer to connect wirelessly, you’ll need the optional outdoor power adapter, which costs an extra $50. It will use the 5-GHz band to connect to an existing mesh wirelessly, reducing the available bandwidth for devices. If you’re wondering about the lack of 6-GHz, often touted as the main advantage of Wi-Fi 7, Eero decided it didn’t make much sense for outdoor Wi-Fi where the range is so vital, and it’s a fair point (6-GHz is relatively short range and requires more power).

The Eero Outdoor 7 is compatible with all the existing Eero systems that the company sells, so you can move freely inside and out, and it will pass off the connection seamlessly to your devices, automatically finding the best channels and minimizing interference. Just like Eero’s routers, the Outdoor 7 is smart-home-friendly, with support for Thread, Zigbee, and Matter. That will be handy for devices like security cameras and robot mowers and could be a crucial selling point for the Eero Outdoor 7 compared to other outdoor routers, like the significantly cheaper TP-Link Deco X50 Outdoor ($150).

The Eero Outdoor 7 costs $350 and is available starting November 13. The bundle with the 30-watt PoE (Power over Ethernet) and outdoor power adapter is $400 and gives you around 18 feet of cable to run to an outdoor outlet. It will also be offered in two-packs and bundled with other Eero systems, like the Max 7. The Eero Outdoor 7 comes with a three-year warranty.