Amazon Echo Dot smart home speakers are getting a cool new feature for free

Fourth generation Amazon Echo devices officially confirmed for free new feature update

Amazon Echo (4th Generation) smart home speaker
(Image credit: Amazon)

Great news if you own one of the best smart speakers in the Echo range comes courtesy of Amazon itself, which has officially confirmed that fourth-gen Echo Dot speakers will soon be able to act as range extenders for Eero mesh Wi-Fi networks.

That means that if you have an Amazon Eero mesh Wi-Fi system in your house - and if you haven't then you really should consider it as it is one of the best mesh Wi-Fi systems - then your internet connection is about to get even better for free.

The news, reported by The Verge, will no doubt be very welcome to Echo and Eero owners, as it is literally new functionality that is being turned on for free via a software update.

The software update is set to be pushed to all fourth-gen Echo Dot models on October 20th.

This new Wi-Fi extender feature is dubbed by Amazon "Eero Built-in" and uses Eero's TrueMesh software technology to sync in with the wider mesh Wi-Fi network, acting as another node in it and helping to spread Wi-Fi even more evenly around a home.

The T3 take: A great reason for Echo users to buy Eero, and vice versa

This development just makes perfect sense. Amazon makes both the Echo smart home speakers and the Eero mesh Wi-Fi systems, so having them work together like this to enhance the performance of both products is just a no-brainer.

It also strengthens the call for Echo users to buy into Eero as their next home Wi-Fi upgrade or, if they own Eero, buy Echo devices (or more of them). The fact that if you had an Eero mesh Wi-Fi network in your home then every new Echo speaker you buy not only delivers its own functionality but also improves Eero's, sounds really pleasing to me.

Naturally, Amazon has confirmed that this new feature will be coming to all new Echo speakers as well.

Robert Jones

Rob has been writing about computing, gaming, mobile, home entertainment technology, toys (specifically Lego and board games), smart home and more for over 15 years. As the editor of PC Gamer, and former Deputy Editor for T3.com, you can find Rob's work in magazines, bookazines and online, as well as on podcasts and videos, too. Outside of his work Rob is passionate about motorbikes, skiing/snowboarding and team sports, with football and cricket his two favourites.