Amazon’s Eero 6 had the right ingredients back in 2020, as mesh routers were starting to surge in popularity. The design was simple and inoffensive, the app was disarmingly easy to use, it offered full support for Wi-Fi 6 and, at $279 for a three-pack, it wasn’t terribly expensive. The only problem I had with it was that it made a regular habit of routing my connection through the wrong extender at the wrong time during my battery of performance tests, which caused its average speeds to deflate like a defeated soufflé.

Now, Amazon is back, and it seems to have beaten the eggs a bit better than before. The new Eero 6 Plus system still isn’t perfect at steering connections through the best extender for the job, but few mesh routers are (particularly dual-band systems like the 6 Plus), and this time, the issue is much less severe. Overall, it’s much improved and much easier for me to recommend, especially at its current price of $255.

Shopping for a faster internet speed?

We’ll send you the fastest internet options, so you don’t have to find them.

Part of that is simply because it didn’t happen quite so often, but you can also thank the new support for 160MHz channel width, up from 80MHz last time around. That’s the key part of the Plus pitch, and it means that the system can now move data twice as efficiently to 160MHz-compatible devices, of which there are many. Even without devices like that on your network, you’ll still benefit from the faster connection between the Eero devices themselves. That, combined with a faster-than-before AX3000 build, means that your speeds won’t drop as much if the Eero 6 Plus routes your connection through an extender that’s three rooms away instead of one that’s one room away.

Design, specs and app controls

Available now at $255 for a three-pack, $204 for a two-pack or $119 for a single device, each Eero 6 Plus unit is identical, so you can use any of them as either an extender or the main router of the system. They’re 99% identical to the Eero 6 devices that came before them, too — the same glossy white plastic, the same curved design, the same solo indicator light (white means all right, blue means pairing mode and red means « uh oh »). I wouldn’t fault anyone for calling the things uninspired, but they aren’t ugly or bulky or cheap-looking, and they shouldn’t have much trouble blending in with most home decor.

Performance and speed

To get a sense of just how much « Plus » we’re talking about here, I tested the Eero 6 Plus at my home in Louisville, Kentucky, the same place where I tested the Eero 6 system two years ago. It’s a 1,300-square-foot home, and I tested it on the same 300Mbps fiber internet plan, though the true speed limit seems to be more like 375Mbps. Once I’ve had a chance to test the system out in the much larger CNET Smart Home, I’ll update this section with some additional data.

What about gigabit speeds?

I recently upgraded my home’s fiber network from that 300Mbps connection to a gigabit connection, with max download speeds of 940Mbps and max upload speeds of 880Mbps. Those are the speeds that I’ll be using for my router tests moving forward, so I made sure to retest the Eero 6 Plus.

Watch this: Which Router Upgrade Is Right for You?

09:01

Ry Crist/CNET

Now we’re cooking

I have tasted the Eero 6 Plus soufflé — it’s fluffy and satisfying.

Overcooked metaphors aside, this is an excellent mesh system for the money, and a strong step up from what the Eero 6 initially had to offer. Setup is a cinch thanks to the Eero app, and performance held tall across multiple days of tests. Smart home users should appreciate the built-in Zigbee radio, and users of all kinds will benefit from the system’s ability to move more data at once than before.

At $255 for a three-pack, there’s plenty of value here, particularly given that a lot of other top-performing systems cost more for a two-pack. Since the system is backward-compatible with previous generations, I also like the idea that people who already own an Eero system can pick up a 6 Plus device whenever those go on sale and swap it into their setup. Either way, the Eero 6 Plus is well worth considering, and a great option for anyone looking for a faster connection at home.

!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;
n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,
‘https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);
fbq(‘set’, ‘autoConfig’, false, ‘789754228632403’);
fbq(‘init’, ‘789754228632403’);