Broadband ISP TalkTalk last week informed their customers, specifically those who are using one of their supplied Amazon eero routers, that they can now benefit from a free eero software upgrade that turns Echo Dot (4th and 5th Fen) smart speakers into WiFi extenders (the provider is currently bundling Dots for free with several packages).
The provider’s announcement makes it sound like the “eero Built-in” feature is new technology, although it first started appearing back in 2022 and received a wider release toward the end of 2023. Suffice to say it’s been around a while, but is now available via TalkTalk’s bundled eero kit too.
The eero Built-in feature, which harnessed Amazon’s patented TrueMesh technology, turns selected Echo products into eero mesh WiFi extenders, which can add up to 1,000 sq. ft. of wireless network coverage to your existing eero network.
However, the feature can only support network speeds of up to 100Mbps for 10 or fewer connected devices, and even then, only via the 5GHz band. In other words, if you want a proper mesh solution that can handle faster speeds, then this probably isn’t it.
John Bowles, Product Director at TalkTalk, said:
“We’re always looking for ways to bring our customers even more value for money and enhanced reliability. Thanks to this smart software feature and our partnership with eero, our fastest Full Fibre customers can now use select Amazon Echo devices as Wi-Fi extenders at no extra cost. This represents a great way to keep our beloved devices connected.”
One other thing to be aware of is that you’ll first need to activate the feature in order to use it (details here).