Unwelcome surprise: eero has only TWO Ethernet ports

[karinmoore]

Edit: Solved!
I phoned Sonic last week to ask about wifi range extenders, and they recommended that I replace my router with an eero. It just arrived and I see that it has only TWO Ethernet ports, as opposed to the five in my current router. I'm pretty annoyed that this wasn't mentioned when it was suggested I replace my router with an eero.

I do need at least four Ethernet ports. I did a bit of searching and learned I can get that capability by buying a gigabit Ethernet switch to add to my eero setup. QUESTION: Is there an Ethernet switch that's recommended for this setup?

[dane]

Something like this would be ideal:

NETGEAR 8-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (GS308) - Desktop, Sturdy Metal Fanless Housing https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PFYM5MZ/re ... 0EbFNS3Q8M

I’ve also used a similar TPLink with good results.

You can place switches in rooms that have a single Ethernet uplink, or you can hang them off the back of any Eero, allowing for wireless bridging to wired devices. Lots of options.

Of course, the more devices you can get onto wired connections, the better. Faster and more reliable, and less WiFi congestion are all benefits.

[espier]

I don't have the eero myself, but in general for these kinds of applications a standard, unmanaged 5-port gigabit switch from a name brand like Netgear or TP-Link would work well. These days a unit like this will run less than $20.

Here are a couple of ideas (I don't own these but they should be fine):

• Netgear GS305
  TP-Link LS1005G

You'll also need an extra ethernet cable to connect your switch to your router, and one of the ports on the switch and router will be used for the connection between the two. (So if you need to connect 5 devices, make sure you get a switch with at least 6 ports.) You may read about 'uplink ports' or 'crossover cables' but modern switches are able to figure out whether they're connecting to a router/switch or just a one-off device and connect correctly.

You can pay more for more ports, or for a "managed" switch. Managed switches let you log in to a web interface, monitor traffic, send power over ethernet for devices that need it, set settings per port (for things like quality of service or virtual LANs) - but if you're coming from a standard multiport router you probably don't need these things. Another downside of managed switches is that they're often designed to be in server closets, run hot, and have very loud cooling fans.

Hope this helps! And if there are other networking folks in the forum, let me know if I'm off-base here.

[karinmoore]

Thanks so much, Dane and espier! I've got one on order now.

[ngufra]

Any cheap unmanaged switch from amazon, office depot, etc will work.
The only thing to pay attention is number of ports and speed (these days you may still be able to get "fast ethernet" switches -which are 100 Mbps- or gigabit switches -which are 1000Mbps-.

You will need one port to connect to the eero, so if you get a 8 port switch , you can connect 7 devices plus the eero.

[karinmoore]

Thanks ngufra! I'm all set now.

[ronks]

I just ran into this problem when I replaced the fiber router (WAN plus four ports) with an Eero gateway (WAN + one port).
Have ordered a Netgear hub and a cable, should be back in business in a day or two.
I expect this is a common issue when moving to Eero.
Sonic would do itself and its customers a favor by emphasizing this and offering an option to add a hub and cable to the Eero offer. Dosen't have to cost them anything, and would smooth the cutover process for many.
(And I have to say the Eero makes a big improvement in received-signal strength. Will appreciate it more once I can add some peripherals to it...)

[ngufra]

I think most people with eero don't want to bother with cables, hence the lack of ports on eero and why sonic is not including a way to add additional ports.
I do use cables and believe they are more reliable than wireless.

By the way i think you got a switch. Hubs are hard to come by these dayss

[ronks]

Not to prolong this debate - well maybe just a little - the terms seem to be elastic. Amazon calls it a

> NETGEAR 5-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch (GS305) - Home Network Hub, Office Ethernet Splitter, Plug-and-Play, Fanless Metal Housing, Desktop or Wall Mount

All things to all users.

And while I don't know what percent of customers are satisfied with only one outgoing Ethernet port (I use three: desktop PC, NAS, and Sonos), I think disclosing the fact would avoid "unwelcome surprises"; and the option to buy/lease a switch & cable at the same time would simplify and speed the setup.

P.S. Very pleased with the Eero network I have now. Only remaining step is to buy shorter cables so I can see the top of my desk again.

[dane]

Yes, we'll think about how we could make this clearer. The solution is inexpensive and easy, but not nice to discover after the fact.