Owners of Amazon’s Eero 6 and Pro 6 routers will now be able to isolate their HomeKit IoT devices from the rest of their home network and the wider internet, thanks to a new integration with Apple’s HomeKit that’s now rolling out (via MacRumors). The new feature is coming as part of a firmware update, and makes the routers some of the first Wi-Fi 6 systems that support Apple’s integration.
The added feature may be welcome, but it’s probably not a surprise for those who have been paying attention: Eero’s other, cheaper routers were updated to support it in February, 2020, and an Eero Support account mentioned in November that the router was going through Apple’s certification process.
Setting up your Eero (or any other supported routers) with HomeKit lets you manage how much data your other HomeKit devices are allowed to share over the network. If, for example, you had some smart window blinds that were a bit shady, you could use HomeKit to only allow them to talk to your local HomeKit Hub, and not connect to the internet (or other apps). It’s a niche benefit, to be sure, but if you were holding off on an Eero 6 purchase until it was available, it looks like the time has finally come.
It’s worth noting that, to use the feature, a separate HomeKit Hub is required: this can be either an Apple TV, HomePod (regular or Mini), or iPad that stays in the house. If you want to activate HomeKit on your Eero router, the company has a support page laying out all the details.
