Amazon Eero Signal review: 4G LTE internet backup for your Eero mesh network

Amazon’s Eero family has grown to include a diverse set of mesh routers and even a wireless outdoor satellite. Now, Amazon is adding a new member: the Eero Signal. It’s a 4G LTE device that provides backup internet for a compatible Eero mesh network. Like all Eero devices, the Signal is easy to set up. Ot is governed completely by the Eero smartphone app, and it does its job with minimal fuss.

At just $99, the Eero Signal is a relatively affordable failsafe if you live in an area with frequent internet outages.

Design of the Eero Signal

The best way to describe the Eero Signal is that it looks like a shrunken Eero Pro 7/Eero Max 7 satellite. It features the same overall shape, with a single status LED at the top of the front fascia, and Eero branding at the center.

The Eero Signal is made from the same materials as the larger Eero satellites. That means the front features shiny white plastic, while the back is white plastic with a slightly textured surface. The materials have a high-quality feel.

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The Eero Signal includes a fixed “Y” shaped power cable. The cable exits from the back of the unit and forms one branch of the Y. The second brach ends in a USB-C connector that plugs into the back of an Eero satellite. The “trunk” of the Y ends in a USB-C receptacle, which accepts the USB-C connector from the wall plug. Once everything is connected, a single USB-C wall adapter powers both the Eero satellite and the Signal.

The device is relatively small, measuring 3.09 x 5.76 x 2.80 inches and weighing 0.65 pounds.

Eero Signal Specifications

Setting up and using the Eero app with the Eero Signal

Once the physical connections have been made, the Signal automatically appears in the Eero app. When you enter the Eero app, it will present you with two options to enable the Eero Signal cellular backup service:

• Eero Plus: You get 10GB of backup data per year for $99/year. Six months of service is included for free for new Eero Plus subscribers who opt for an annual plan.
• Eero Plus 100: You get 100GB of backup data per month. During the first year, you pay just $99/year for this tier, but during the second year, the price doubles to $199.99 year.

If you currently subscribe ot Eero Plus monthly, you are not eligible for cellular data backup service with an Eero Signal. If you live in an area that experiences frequent outages, the base Eero Plus plan, which provides 10GB of data per year, seems like a poor value. $199.99/year for 100GB of data per month seems like a far better value and would provide greater peace of mind.

Our Eero Signal review unit was provided with Eero Plus 100 service, giving us access to 100GB of backup data per month.

From the Eero app homepage, there are only two giveaways that an Eero Signal is connected to your mesh system. The first clue is that the main Eero gateway (in this case, an Eero Pro 7) shows green bars indicating the Eero Signal strength. The second clue is under Security & Privacy, where you’ll notice a green light next to Internet Backup.

If you click the Internet menu from the Eero app home page, it will display available connections. In our case, it confirmed my wired internet connection (T-Mobile Fiber) and that the cellular backup was ready. Clicking the Eero Internet Backup option opens a submenu that lets you turn the feature on or off.

Eero Signal Performance

The Eero Signal serves as an internet backup to your current home broadband connection, e.g., cable or fiber. And before the gears start turning in your head about using the Eero Signal with the Eero Plus 100 plan as your primary internet service, I've got some bad news. The Eero Signal cannot be used as your sole source of internet -- it requires that you have an existing ISP delivering service to your Eero mesh router. The Eero Signal serves only as a backup if your primary ISP goes offline.

I tested the Eero Signal’s primary function as a failover if your primary ISP goes offline. To do this, I removed the cable connecting the Eero Pro 7 to my fiber modem. It took about 20 seconds for the lights on the Eero Pro 7 and Eero Signal to change from white to blue, indicating that the latter was now working as an internet backup. I tested internet connectivity across multiple devices connected to the Eero mesh network, and all remained connected without issue.

However, you must remember that the Eero Signal is only a 4G LTE device, not 5G, unlike some popular home cellular internet plans from companies like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. With that in mind, don’t expect to see speeds that approach what those services can provide when operating in internet backup mode.

I saw SpeedTest download speeds of around 600 Mbps and upload speeds of 60 Mbps when I used T-Mobile 5G Home Internet as my ISP. With my current fiber connection, I achieve symmetrical speeds of around 2 Gbps. However, the Eero Signal could only muster a fraction of that, given its 4G LTE bandwidth limitations.

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For comparison, I saw up to around 80 Mbps for downloads and 30 Mbps for uploads using the Eero Signal (the device connected to AT&T’s cellular network). Those are not breakneck speeds by any means, but remember that the Eero Signal is only meant as a backup internet service. So if you need to conduct a video call for work, download some essential files for a work project, or even watch some TV in the background, the Eero Signal should have no problem handling your workload.

Another thing to consider is cellular reception. I live outside of a major metropolitan area (Raleigh, NC), so I have solid uptime for my fiber connection and a strong cellular signal. For people who live in areas where their wired ISP might be unreliable, there’s a strong chance that cellular connectivity will be spotty as well. So while a device like the Eero Signal could work in that situation, your performance may vary greatly.

Bottom Line

The Eero Signal offers a lifeline to people living in areas with frequent internet outages. Of course, it is only compatible with Eero mesh routers, so you’ll already need to be bought into that ecosystem to take advantage of the functionality.

The device is easy to set up, doesn’t require user intervention to activate if your primary ISP goes down, and the upfront hardware cost is just $99. The $99 Eero Plus plan only gives you 10GB of backup data to use for an entire year, so that option doesn’t really seem cost-effective for the target audience of the Eero Signal. However, the $200/year Eero Plus 100 plan gives you 100GB of backup data per month, which seems like a much better option.