Frequently asked security questions
Your security is incredibly important to us, and we go to great lengths to keep your network safe. We realize that you’re entrusting us with your network—and the data passing through it—and we take that responsibility seriously. Naturally, there are a number of frequently asked questions about eero network security, which are listed here. For other comments or questions, please reach out to us.
How do auto-updates keep my network safe?
Most routers are flashed with software right before they’re boxed at the factory. That means they typically don’t see another software update the entire time they live in your home. This leaves your network vulnerable and exposed to dangers on the Internet, many of which may emerge years after you install your router. Some companies allow customers to download the latest security to update their existing router, but most people don’t even know that they can do this (let alone where to start).
eero makes this easy by automatically pushing updates as they’re available. This means your network will always have the latest software, features, and security. Your Internet time should be focused on doing the things you love, not worrying about whether or not your system security is up-to-date. See our software release notes to learn more about what’s included in these updates.
What type of encryption do you use?
We make sure that the connection between eeros and the cloud is completely secure using Transport Layer Security (TLS). TLS is an industry standard security protocol—the successor to SSL—that ensures privacy between a user’s device and and their device’s connection to the Internet. It ensures that no third-party can listen to or intercept messages in transit between a server and that device.
What type of security protocol does the eero mesh use?
eero only supports WPA2 PSK AES network security, the most secure standard currently available. Additionally, eeros will only send information to our backend services, and our services will only accept information from eeros. This adds an extra layer of security and ensures data isn’t compromised while in transit.
eero doesn’t support WEP, WPA, or WPS, as these protocols are known to be insecure. This may cause some incompatibility with older hardware that only supports these protocols (such as some printers), but we firmly believe your network security shouldn’t be compromised.
What information does eero collect?
eero mobile applications collect account information like your first name, last name, e-mail, and mobile number when you register your eeros or create an account login for the eero app. eero devices collect performance statistics, temperatures of eero devices (to make sure they don’t overheat), and other data such as MAC addresses, IP addresses, and types of connected devices. See our privacy policy for a full list.
Is my network still secure without eero Plus?
We will always make sure your eero network remains safe and secure, but with eero Plus, you can add an extra layer of security that ensures your devices and everyone under your roof remains safe online.
eero Plus is not required for an eero network to continue to receive our security updates. Without eero Plus , eeros are designed to be safe and secure. A key differentiator with eero is the fact that we have put a significant amount of time and focus on your network’s safety and security, starting with us building our own hardware and software. We frequently test the security of eero networks and even reach out to the security community to have them try and expose any holes for us to patch.
However, your safety and security online go beyond just your network. At anytime, our computers, phones, or any other device can be exposed to other online threats, including malware and unsafe content. eero Plus ensures that all the devices on your network remain protected and vigilant. This means both you and those on your network are safe from websites that may contain threats like malware, as well as protecting everyone in your home from offensive and inappropriate content.
How do you store my data online?
All data lives in eero’s Amazon Web Services computing infrastructure. AWS data centers employ state-of-the-art security measures to ensure all customer data is private and secure. A more detailed look at Amazon’s security infrastructure can be found here.
There’s a high frequency of check-ins between the eero cloud and your network, about every 10 seconds. But very little information is exchanged—only diagnostic info that explains how the links between eeros are doing, which allows us to continually improve all eero networks. You can think of it as a remote network engineer working to ensure your network is properly configured at all times.
Does eero have its own firewall?
Yes. eero runs its own firewall; you don’t have to run one separately.
How does eero’s firewall protect my data?
eero’s firewall protects your information by creating a barrier between the Internet and your home’s WiFi network—only data associated with a known active connection is allowed to enter onto your network.
It’s important to note that configuring settings like UPnP and port forwarding—features supported by eero—potentially opens your network to vulnerabilities, since by doing so you’re allowing devices to bypass the firewall and have an open connection to the Internet.
For more information on eero and security, visit this blog post.