Amplifi vs. Eero vs. Luma – Easy options vs challenging setups
If you are looking for a router, you want to get one that offers you great speeds, as well as reliability of the connection and a price that is friendly to your wallet. We compare three common brands; the Amplifi, Eero, and Luma, and seeing which among them is the best choice when looking at the three criteria.
Mesh routers are increasingly becoming popular in the wireless connectivity technology scene, especially since more consumers are adding more devices that can access their home network. However, not every router will work well for you, and there are many considerations to make in terms of the space you work with, number of devices, and connectivity speeds.
Since the process can be confusing, we take a look at three options in this article, and write our experiences on using them. Find out why we chose one of them as the winner, and what makes the other two choices unique.
Table of Contents
What are the differences between the Amplifi, Eero and Luma?
Amplifi |
Eero (Winner) |
Luma |
|
Throughput speeds |
200 Mbps |
240 Mbps |
94.6 Mbps |
Dimensions (inches) |
3.9 x 3.9 x 3.9 |
4.8 x 4.8 x 1.3 |
4.6 x 4.6 x 1.2 |
Maximum range |
150 feet |
65 feet |
65 feet |
Amplifi vs. Eero vs. Luma – How they compare
Design
The design of the Amplifi is like few others, even the Luma and Eero. For a start, it does not have any external antennas or switches, and it has the appearance of an alarm clock rather than a typical router. Coming in at 3.9 inches, it has a very attractive design that makes you want to show it off when you can, and a 1.6 inch touch screen that shows you the time, date, and day.
The underside of the router also has a white ring that is always on when the router is on, and you can tap its screen to see the amount of data that is moving in and out of the router. The use of 3×3 MIMO technology makes the Amplifi very high-performance, and it also includes two mesh points. The ball-and-socket design acts as the antenna here, as it will allow you to adjust it in angles in order to increase reception.
Like the other two, the Eero is easy to hide away because of its compact measurements and design. However, it does not have the touch screen of the Amplifi. It comes with a single LED light that will indicate different connectivity states; red will indicate no connection, white when the connection is active, and blue when it is ready for configuration.
Eero routers also use SU-MIMO system instead of MU-MIMO, and this allows it to connect well with any device in both its 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands.
On the other hand, the Luma is a great choice if you want a router that is simple to understand, and not too complicated to use. The hexagonal design is very small, and is very easy to hide away (it measures 4.8 x 4.8 x 1.2 inches). Its coverage also stands at 998 square feet, which is the smallest of the three routers in this article.
Performance
The Amplifi is quite impressive when it comes to performance, as it has the ability to move three simultaneous data streams. It boosts its efficiency by using beam forming, although it lacks MU-MIMO that increases efficiency of network management. The coverage is quite impressive as well, since it has a total area of 20,000 square feet, blowing both the Eero and Luma routers away.
The rating in terms of speeds goes up to 450 Mbps when using the 2.4GHz channel, while the 5GHz channel has a speed of 1.3Gbps, making it have a total throughput of 1.75 Gbps. When we did our testing procedures, the combined throughput at 5 feet was 368.2 Mbps, and the throughput at 150 feet drops to 230.9 Mbps, which makes it sufficient to share a typical broadband connection of 100 Mbps.
The Eero lacks the capacity to have multiple connections with a variety of devices at the same time. It also lacks a backhaul band because of its dual band connection. The maximum bandwidth that it offers is 471.8 Mbps, but the coverage is not much despite the high speeds.
The Luma, by contrast, uses two technologies for managing traffic – the MU-MIMO, and beam forming. Coming in the setup of a 2×2 router, it delivers two data traffic lanes that are independent from each other, and the highest throughput it gives is 100 Mbps.
Setup
The best part about the Amplifi is the setup process, which is very easy and requires a few minutes to get through with it. It will also make it easy as it does not require you to have prior networking knowledge, and unlike the Luma router, will not constantly ask you questions about your home.
It also includes an Amplifi Wi-Fi app (for bothAndroid and iOS platforms), and the app will give you a window into the operation of the network as well as controlling the setup. The downside though is the lack of setup software for both Mac and Windows PC.
The Eero routers will also be very easy to setup, and will not need you to know prior networking knowledge. The app is also exclusively for smartphone users, though it can only work in portrait mode. When using it, you will only need to create an account, and the app will do the rest for you. Other than that, the network settings let you adjust various aspects of the network, which is the most we see among the three routers.
While the Luma has the easiest setup process, it also has the longest one – though it is mostly automated. The only thing you need to do is creating an account on its mobile app, then it will handle everything else for you.
Amplifi vs. Eero vs. Luma – A comparison review
Amplifi router – Overview
- WHOLE HOME WiFi SYSTEM: Not Just a Wi-Fi router, it's a Wi-Fi system. The AmpliFi HD Kit includes a Wi-Fi...
- 802.11AC TECHNOLOGY FOR FASTER SPEEDS AND BETTER COVERAGE: AmpliFi HD is more than a wireless router:...
Even though the Amplifi is not the cheapest or fastest mesh router around, it is easily among the most reliable methods of filling your home with Wi-Fi. It also works very well in a mesh setup, as you will find extenders in the package that are designed to spread it out to all corners of your home. This makes it a good choice if you have a large or midsize home, and it is also very easy to set up.
Pros
- The design is compact
- The user interface has a color touch screen
- User-friendly setup
- Includes plug-in mesh extenders
Cons
- Lacks desktop admin software
- Quite expensive
Eero router – Overview
When looking at the Eero, we consider it among the pioneers in the field of mesh connectivity, although it has been overtaken by other options. The system itself is also very easy to operate and setup, though one of its annoying drawbacks is dropping connections when you move further away from the router. One of the most surprising aspects we found during our testing, in fact, was that the mesh setup of Eero routers is less effective compared to the single-router setup.
The individual coverage of each router is always the tricky part here. While you can use as many Eero units as you want, the ‘hopping’ of the connection from one router to the next results in reducing efficiency of the connection – the only exception here is if you are using Ethernet.
Pros
- It has a strong radio signal in its individual units
- Very extensive options for customization
- Comes with good security measures
Cons
- Disappointing performance when you are doing mesh networking
- High tendency of unreliability in connections
Luma router – Overview
- Fastest home on the block: Ultra-fast WiFi delivered to every square inch of your house. No dead zones....
- Serious security: All-day, every-day security automatically scans and neutralizes any virus or malware,...
Luma routers promise you many good things, especially if you have your struggles with Wi-Fi dead zones. Like the Eero, it comes with 3 hardware units, a mobile app, and relatively large coverage. The security features and web filtering are really the distinctions it has compared to the other two, but it falls short when customizing and the lack of a bridge mode. You can use one of them as the main unit, and the other two as extenders (minimum recommended distance between them should be 40 feet).
Pros
- The design is compact
- Connections are reliable
- Coverage is quite extensive
Cons
- Suffers from slow Wi-Fi speeds
- Lacks bridge mode
- Mobile app is challenging for first-time users
Verdict: So which is the winner? The Amplifi, Luma, or Eero?
At the end of the day, you might wonder what among these three the ultimate winner is. For us, it is Eero – it has the benefits of easy connectivity, reliable service, and a router that has an attractive design.
Frequently asked questions
Are there specific numbers of Luma routers I will need for my home?
Yes, as the usual home setup and size will need 3 Luma units. You can purchase more according to your needs.
What is the best distance to put Eero router beacons?
This will depend on what you want to the space you have in your home. The best experience though will require you to maintain a distance of 50 feet between different Eero devices.
