A mesh with Beacons gets slower the further a Beacon is from the gateway, and eero's guidance and owner reports agree that placement is the biggest factor. A Beacon shares its radio between talking to your devices and talking back to the gateway, so a Beacon at the edge of the gateway's range gives a weak, slow link and drags every device on it down.
The checks in more detail
Move the Beacon closer to the gateway, to about halfway to the dead area, in a clear outlet. In the eero app, open the network's details and look at each device's connection and signal. Run a speed test next to the gateway and next to the Beacon to see the drop. Fewer hops are better, so avoid chaining Beacons. Check that your internet plan delivers the speed you test at the modem. An old modem can limit it.
Restart the gateway and Beacons from the app. Interference from neighbors or appliances matters too, and the app picks channels automatically. If one device is slow while others are fast, the device may be old or far away. Check also whether a Beacon is sharing an outlet with a noisy appliance: a microwave, a dimmer or a cheap phone charger on the same outlet strip can add noise that lowers Wi-Fi performance.
Moving the Beacon to a quieter outlet changes speed noticeably in some homes. If the slow device is a streaming box or a game console, plug it into a wired eero instead, since fixed devices gain far more from a cable than from a better Beacon position. A single wired device frees airtime for everything else on the mesh, which improves the speed of the other devices as well.
Differential
Likely causes of “eero Beacon internet or Wi-Fi is slow”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A Beacon too far from the gateway
What separates it The Beacon link is weak
How to confirm Move it closer, about halfway
- 2
Chained Beacons
What separates it Each hop halves the speed
How to confirm Place Beacons so each reaches the gateway
- 3
A slow internet plan or modem
What separates it Speeds are low at the gateway too
How to confirm Test at the modem and ask the provider
- 4
An old client device
What separates it One device is slow
How to confirm Check its Wi-Fi standard
- 5
Interference
What separates it Evening slowdowns
How to confirm Let the eero pick channels and restart the system
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Speeds beside the gateway and beside the Beacon
- The distance between them
- The internet plan speed
- Which devices are slow
Try in this order
0 of 8 completedTest at the gateway
ReversibleRun a speed test beside it.
Test at the Beacon
ReversibleCompare the result.
Move the Beacon closer
ReversibleHalfway to the dead area.
Avoid chains
ReversibleEach Beacon should reach the gateway directly.
Restart the system
ReversibleFrom the eero app.
Check the plan and modem
ReversibleIf speeds are low everywhere.
Move the Beacon off noisy outlets
ReversibleAvoid outlets shared with dimmers and cheap chargers.
Re-run the speed test after the move
ReversibleCompare with the earlier result.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Shared radio
- A Beacon uses its radio for both devices and backhaul.
- Distance
- Speed falls with distance from the gateway.
- Electrical noise
- Some appliances add interference.
- Outlet choice
- A quiet outlet helps.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If speeds are low at the gateway on a cable, contact the provider
- !If a close Beacon is still slow, contact eero support
- !Check the app's network status
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
Why is my Beacon slow?+
It is too far from the gateway.
Do more Beacons help?+
Not if they chain.
Where should I plug a Beacon?+
About halfway to the dead area.
Does a Beacon have its own backhaul?+
It shares its radio.
Can a microwave slow Wi-Fi?+
On 2.4 GHz, yes.
Does the outlet matter?+
Sometimes.