We are celebrating The Verges 10th anniversary in New York City right now. However, we couldn't put on an epic two-day event and not bring you some tech news. Eero CEO Nick Weaver was just doing that at On The Verge. Weaver states that Eero, a pioneer in the Thread protocol, will be updating all Thread-equipped Wi Fi routers to fully support Matter. Matter, the 2022 standard, will make it easier to set up smart home devices. Any compatible Matter host can discover and work with any Matter client. Matter is also supported by Google and Apple, the smart home rivals of Amazon.
Weaver said it feels different this time. Weaver was asked about his companys support for Thread, a protocol which hadn't seen any success until it became part the Matter standard. Many Eeros now have the potential to make even greater use of it.
Weaver also stated that Eero is looking into a cellular backup system to protect its routers. This idea is similar to Amazons parent brand Ring, which uses a cell backup for its alarm system. However, Weaver did not promise anything today.
We asked him if he saw any competition from cellular companies (which now offer 5G home connections, which can be paired with their own routers), and he seemed to dismiss the idea. He says that the biggest trend is people upgrading to gigabits in large numbers. According to him, Eero has experienced a 75 percent increase in sales of Eero products to ISPs. He says that ISPs don't want to be contacted about their Wi-Fi routers. That is why they come with us.
Weaver said that the company designs routers regardless of how good or poor your ISP's internet connection. It is the last mile, or realistically, the final hundred feet, that will convert your fiber or cable connection into Wi Fi throughout your home.
If you're curious about Weavers home network, he explained to Nilay and Dieter that he has a long list of devices and an Apple HomeKit bridge. HomeKit support will Eero receive? Weaver would not say.
