The eero Pro line is a tri-band mesh with two Ethernet ports on each unit, and its ethernet-slow reports contain a misreading as often as a fault. In the eero app each node shows a data rate, and owners of an eero Pro 6E who saw 100 and assumed their gigabit line was throttled had been looking at a link rate that is not the internet speed: the number describes the link between that node and the one it connects to, and it can read low for a wireless backhaul.
The right test is a wired speed test at the gateway and another at the node. If the wired test at the gateway is slow, the cause is the cable or the ISP's box, as with any eero. If the wired test at a node is slow while the gateway is fast, the node's backhaul is the limit, and wiring the node with Ethernet removes it. The Pro units use a dedicated 5 GHz band for the backhaul, so placement matters.
Differential
Likely causes of “eero Pro Ethernet link is limited to 100 Mbps or disconnects”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
Reading the node data rate as the internet speed
What separates it The app shows 100 for a node while a wired test is fast
How to confirm Run a speed test at the gateway, not from the data rate
- 2
A weak wireless backhaul
What separates it A node far from its parent has a low link and slow wired speeds
How to confirm Move the node closer or wire it with Ethernet
- 3
A Cat5 or damaged cable at the gateway
What separates it Wired speed is about 100 Mbps at the gateway
How to confirm Use Cat5e or Cat6
- 4
The ISP's box negotiating 100 Mbps
What separates it The test at the modem is slow
How to confirm Try another ISP box port or ask the ISP
- 5
A busy mesh
What separates it Speeds fall at peak hours
How to confirm Wire nodes and pause heavy devices
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Wired speed tests at the gateway and at the node
- The node's position and its backhaul type, wired or wireless
- The cable categories
- The ISP plan speed
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedTest at the gateway
ReversibleA laptop on a gateway Ethernet port.
Test at the node
ReversibleThe same laptop on the node's port.
Compare to the app's data rate
ReversibleRemember the data rate is the link between nodes, not the internet.
Wire the slow node
ReversibleRun Ethernet from the gateway to the node.
Move the node
ReversibleAbout one room from its parent with a clear path.
Replace the cable
ReversibleCat5e or Cat6 at the gateway.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- A common misreading
- Owners new to eero read the node data rate as the internet speed.
- Tri-band
- The Pro line uses a dedicated band for the backhaul, which makes wired nodes the best fix.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the gateway is fast and a wired node stays slow after wiring it, contact eero support
- !If the gateway is slow on good cables, call the ISP
- !Share the speed tests with eero support
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
An owner puzzled by a data rate of 100.
Discussion of what limits eero speeds on a gigabit plan.
An owner whose eero sees only 100 Mbps on a gigabit line.
Exact questions
Common questions
Why does my eero Pro show a data rate of 100?+
It is the link between nodes, not your internet speed; a wired test shows the real speed.
Does the eero Pro have Ethernet ports on every unit?+
Yes, two per unit.
Should I wire the nodes?+
Yes if you can; it removes the wireless backhaul.
What do I test first?+
Wired at the gateway.