Eero, the quintessential Wi-Fi mesh-network provider for do-it-yourselfers, is edging closer to the smart-home installation channel with a couple of pro-friendly solutions: a PoE adapter for ceiling-mounted Wi-Fi access points, and a remote systems management (RSM) platform that lets pros monitor their clients’ networks from afar.
Demonstrated at CEDIA 2017 in September, the solutions will be “exclusively available to the channel,” says Eero sales exec Doug Bieter in an interview with CE Pro.
The PoE product is not a new access point from the company. Instead, it is a harness for an existing Eero gen 2 that exploits the device’s Ethernet port for power. The clever contraption hides the wires and slips into a mount for ceiling installations.
Bieter says PoE has been the No. 1 request from dealers. The second biggest request, he says, is remote networking monitoring, which also will be demonstrated at CEDIA.
The software lets dealers view all customer sites from a single portal, view connected device information and network health, and remotely troubleshoot and reboot a network.
The new service, which carries a fee, will help pros “monetize their Eero installations,” Bieter says.
