WILL EERO BE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN EVER?

Posted By Simon Montford on Feb 16, 2015

Within only three hours, Eero received $100,000 (£65,000) in pre-orders, and two days later they amassed over $1 million (£650,000)! Goes to show that if you can solve pain points that consumers immediately identify with, extracting money from their wallets can be as easy as pie! Of course I don't mean that in a bad way, because those that hand over their cash are more than happy to do so if the technology acquired makes their lives better. 

This exchange only works, however, if their expectations are met, so hopefully the Eero will live up to the hype. Eero's makers, claim their gadget is not only super easy to install, but will also "blanket every inch of your beautiful home with hyper-fast, super-stable wifi". Of course this is only possible if your ISP is able to deliver your home or office with a hyper-fast, super-stable Internet connection in the first place!  

It does this by creating a mesh network that passes data along a path by "hopping" it from node to node until it reaches its destination. This is what makes it more effective than routers that extend a signal from a single hub.

Mesh networking technology is not new. It is in fact being used throughout the world already, and is transforming the way data is being shared via mobile. For example during protests in Hong Kong and Taiwan last year, activists relied on a free phone app called Firechat that enabled them to send and receive text messages without any cellphone connection. The app is also being used where connectivity is unavailable such as underground train stations.

In addition to the cash generated from pre-orders, Eero has also received $5 million (£3.25m) in external funding (the round was led by First Round Ventures earlier this month). The Eero can be pre-ordered directly from the company's website. It will cost $125 (£81) for one or if your home or office requires more than once device, you can purchase a three-pack for $299 (£195). These are discounted prices (the RRP is expected to be $199 (£129) and $499 (£325) respectively). Hopefully the company will be able to handle the huge surge of orders, and meet their estimated shipping date of Q3 2015. 

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