Amazon is acquiring home WiFi startup Eero - here's what its products do and what the acquisition could mean

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• Amazon is acquiring home WiFi startup Eero in a move to bolster its home tech ecosystem, which currently includes Echo devices and Ring video doorbells.
• Eero's minimalist mesh WiFi systems take the form of an Eero hub, which plugs into your modem and covers up to 1,500 square feet, and eero Beacons, which plug into standard wall outlets and cover an additional 1,000 square feet.
• They look better than traditional routers, are easier to set up, and make your home internet connection faster and more reliable.

This week, Amazon announced that it is acquiring Eero, a home WiFi company founded in 2014 whose WiFi systems have garnered over 2,000 reviews and a 4.6 rating on Amazon.

In the world of tech products, WiFi routers probably rank far down the list for glamour and excitement - unless you call feeling your blood pressure rise as you struggle yet again to figure out why your connection dropped the pinnacle of all thrills.

Eero doesn't make WiFi any more sexy, but it does make your home WiFi experience fast, seamless, and reliable by replacing the traditional router, extender, and booster with a mesh network-powered system.

And unlike traditional WiFi products, Eero's actually look pretty nice: small, minimalist, and unobtrusive.

Read more: This startup may have finally solved the problem of bad WiFi

Its products set up quickly - within 10 minutes - so you don't have to deal with a confusing jumble of cords or pages of instructions. Simply plug the Eero into your modem and additional Eero devices or Eero Beacon devices into wall outlets throughout your home to create your network.

Eero's TrueMesh software can go around walls and through hallways without compromising WiFi speed, and also uses dynamic rerouting algorithms to sense disruptions in your network and recalculate the best paths.

The whole time, the Eero app lets you see your network speed, track device usage, set parental controls, and grant guest access.

Read more: The best mesh Wi-Fi systems you can buy

In 2018, Amazon acquired home security company Ring, maker of the smart video doorbells that let you monitor your home from anywhere. The addition of Eero to its home tech family, which includes its own Echo smart speakers and Ring, could mean a stronger, better-integrated ecosystem of connected devices that take advantage of the Alexa smart assistant.

For the same reason, the acquisition sparked concern among some users about Amazon's hold on nearly every aspect of life.

There was also criticism that Eero is compromising its original commitment to world-class network security by allowing Amazon access. However, it's assuring customers that it "does not track customers' Internet activity and this policy will not change with the acquisition."

Ultimately, the acquisition should grant Eero more resources to help create a home of the future. Time will tell how Amazon affects innovation in the WiFi tech space.

Keep reading to learn more about the different Eero WiFi system sets and shop Eero on Amazon.