How to set up, control Family Profiles with an Eero Wi-Fi system
A recent update to Eero added the ability to control the connection to specific devices through profiles, here's what you need to know.
Eero's Wi-Fi System began shipping earlier this year, with the promise of fixing Wi-Fi in users homes. Our own Dong Ngo found the system to "create a seamless Wi-Fi network that covers a large area with reliable Internet access," but ultimately was left disappointed by Eero's lack of features, such as parental controls in his review.
Recently, Eero updated its system to include a new Family Profiles feature. Within this new section of the app, you can label and assign devices to a specific family member, or device group and set schedules to disable or enable Wi-Fi access.
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First things first
You'll need the latest version of the Eero app on your Android or iOS device. The update was released in mid-June, but it's a good idea to double-check you're running the latest version through your respective store.
Creating profiles, identifying devices
Open the app, then slide out the menu from the left side of the screen. Tap on Family Profiles, followed by the "+" symbol.
Give your profile a name. For me, I set up a profile for each of my kids, along with another profile specific to our Xbox One. After naming your profile, a list of devices currently connected to your network, followed by devices previously connected to your network. Scroll through and select the device(s) you'd like to add to the profile.
Locating local internet providers
To make it easier to identify devices on your network, you can add a nickname to each device. You can do this by tapping on a profile, then a device assigned to the profile. Alternatively, you can tap on the connected devices section on the main screen of the app, then select a device and add a name.
Create a schedule, or hit pause
With devices assigned to your freshly created profiles, you can create a schedule to disable Wi-Fi access for specific profiles. For example, say you want to keep your kids off of their tablets after bedtime -- create a schedule that disables access at bedtime, and turns it back on in the morning.
Another handy use of Family Profiles is the ability to pause Internet access on demand by tapping the pause button within a specific profile.
Kids haven't done their chores for the day? Ah, that's too bad...turn off their connection.