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How to Set up a Mesh Network with T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

by Josh Kirschner on February 17, 2023

T-Mobile 5G Home Internet can be an effective replacement for traditional cable and fiber ISPs. However, because T-Mobile’s Home Internet relies on cellular signals rather than wiring into your home, it usually requires placing the 5G gateway near a window facing the direction of your local cell tower. While that placement optimizes the signal into your home, it may not be ideal for sending a WiFi signal throughout your home or apartment. And the best way to overcome issues with in-home WiFi coverage for your T-Mobile Home Internet is to install a mesh network.

I have been testing T-Mobile 5G Home Internet for the last six months and connected it to my Eero mesh system. Setting up the mesh network with the 5G Home Internet gateway was straightforward. I’ll walk you through the steps and give you an essential tip for optimal performance. These steps will be the same whether you’re using Eero, Google Nest, TP-Link, or any of the other major mesh systems.

T-Mobile- 5G Home Internet gateway on table next to Eero 6E Pro router on a wood table

Equipment you’ll need

  1. Your T-Mobile 5G Home Internet gateway (obviously)
  2. The mesh system of your choice (I use the Eero Pro 6e, but any mesh system will work)
  3. 3-foot or longer Ethernet cable (I’ll get into why this length is important later)

Installation steps

  1. Set up your T-Mobile 5G Home Internet gateway for optimal cell signal using the placement guidance in the T-Mobile Internet app.
  2. Plug your mesh router into the T-Mobile gateway using the ethernet cable. Either of the two ethernet jacks on the back of the T-Mobile gateway will work to supply a connection to your mesh system.
    T-Mobile- 5G Home Internet gateway shown from the back plugged into the back of an Eero 6E Pro router on a wood table
  3. Set up your mesh system using the associated app. The mesh system should automatically detect the internet connection from your T-Mobile gateway. You can now also set up any additional mesh access points.

And that’s it; you should be all set with strong wireless throughout your home. This process will be the same if you already have an existing mesh network set up in your home and are switching from cable to T-Mobile for internet access.

Managing WiFi interference between your Gateway and mesh router

The WiFi on the T-Mobile gateway cannot be turned off using the T-Mobile app and there is the potential for WiFi signal interference between the gateway and your router (I experienced this when I had the two devices placed near each other in my initial setup). So, I suggest separating the two by at least three feet, and ideally six feet or more.

Alternatively, there is a third-party app called HINT Control (HINT Control for iOS or HINT Control for Android) that gives you direct access to your Gateway's WiFi radios, allowing you to reduce their power or turn them off entirely (Thank you to our reader, Gary, for giving me the heads-up). I tested HINT Control (Android version) on the Arcadyan KVD21 Gateway; I was able to shut off both the 2.4GHz and 5Ghz bands and confirmed the radios were no longer broadcasting using a signal meter. HINT Control should work for the newer T-Mobile 5G G4AR Gateway, as well, though I was unable to test this directly.

Note that once you turn off the WiFi bands you will no longer be able to access the Gateway through your apps (because there is no direct WiFi connection). To turn WiFi back on you will need to factory reset your Gateway or reset the WiFi using HINT Control via a wired connection from your PC (Mac, Windows, and Linux versions of HINT Control are available on GitHub).

Read more: My Review of T-Mobile 5G Home Internet

Based on my experience and feedback from our readers, T-Mobile 5G Home Internet can be a life-changer or rather frustrating, with occasional internet drops, depending on your local cell tower congestion. The good news is that if you’re not happy with cable and considering moving to T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, the cost is $50 total per month (no extra fees) and has no contract or setup fees. So you can test it out to see if it works well for your home with very little financial commitment.

Updated on 5/9/2024 with new information about the HINT Control app

[Image credit: Josh Kirschner/Techlicious]

Josh Kirschner is the co-founder of Techlicious and has been covering consumer tech for more than a decade. Josh started his first company while still in college, a consumer electronics retailer focused on students. His writing has been featured in Today.com, NBC News and Time.

Topics

Tips & How-Tos, Computers and Software, Internet & Networking


Discussion loading

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From Graham Martin on March 01, 2023 :: 12:01 pm


Did you use a different SSID and password for the routers than what the gateway was broadcasting?

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From Josh Kirschner on March 01, 2023 :: 5:40 pm


When setting up the mesh network, I would use different SSIDs to avoid any drops or glitches from devices hopping between the two WiFi networks.

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From Ramon Vallejo on August 08, 2023 :: 12:22 pm


You mentioned you would use different SSIDs for the eero mesh network. How do you go about doing this? Are there clear instructions on the eero 6 product regarding how to do this? Also, can you confirm there is little drop in signal strength between the eero hardwired to the Tmobile gateway and the other two eero extenders?

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From Josh Kirschner on August 08, 2023 :: 3:16 pm


It’s easy to set up any SSID you like both during the eero set up or for the T-Mobile Gateway dashboard. By default they would be different, anyway.

There is always a drop in signal as you get further from the router (i.e., between the eero router and the two extenders) or due to interference from walls. Larger houses may require more extenders for this reason. eero provides some coverage guidance on their site, but it is really highly location specific.

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From Shari on March 31, 2023 :: 6:02 am


I keep seeing something about Bridge mode, can you explain if I need to do this with the mesh router.  thanks.

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From Josh Kirschner on April 03, 2023 :: 12:46 pm


Bridge mode is something you would set on your router to pass through the internet connection to another device (e.g., your mesh router). This would essentially turn off WiFi on your router to eliminate any interference or conflicts.

However, T-Mobile 5G Home Internet routers don’t support bridge mode, nor can you manually turn off the WiFi. So to use T-Mobile 5G Home Internet with Eero, Nest or another mesh router system, follow the steps above to get it set up and help reduce potential WiFi interference.

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From George Emory on June 11, 2023 :: 11:22 am


But yet you are wrong.  Cause you can turn off wireless on tmobile gateway.

https://community.t-mobile.com/gateways-and-devices-37/turn-off-wifi-on-t-mobile-home-gateway-36457

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From Josh Kirschner on June 12, 2023 :: 9:46 am


If you read through the forum comments that you linked to, the information supports what I already said - you can not turn off the WiFi on the T-Mobile gateway. You can hide the SSIDs, but the wireless radios will still be active and causing potential interference. There is a link to a third-party webapp someone created and posted on Github that appears to give more control over the Gateway settings, but I haven’t tested it and that isn’t a reasonable solution for most users.

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From Gary on May 08, 2024 :: 5:17 pm


You can definitely turn off the wifi radios on the Tmobile G4AR modem with Hint Control. The app tells you if you turn them off, then you have to use a wired connection to access the modem or you will have to do a hard reset on the modem.

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From Josh Kirschner on May 08, 2024 :: 6:31 pm


Hi Gary,

Thanks for forwarding that. I downloaded and tested the Hint Control app (Android version) on the Arcadyan KVD21 Gateway and it works. Confirmed with a signal tester that the WiFi channels were no longer broadcasting. This is a good solution for folks. I’ll update this article to include it.

Best,
Josh

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From Griff Glowen on April 16, 2023 :: 2:08 am


Thanks for this. I’m not particularly tech-minded but have switched to Three 5g and now looking into buying a mesh system since the best position for the Three Hub is upstairs a long way from most of the devices that need it.
Just wondering why you connect using Ethernet rather than just using Wi-Fi?
Do you have any tips on what to look for in a mesh? Eg is Wi-Fi 6 a big deal for a home where speeds aren’t likely to exceed 200/300 mbps anyway?

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From Josh Kirschner on April 16, 2023 :: 7:07 pm


I haven’t tried setting up a mesh network via WiFi to your modem/router/gateway. It won’t work for Eero and I’m making an educated guess that it won’t work for other systems, either. You can set your mesh system to bridge mode so that it will use the same WiFi network as your T-Mobile router. However, you may lose certain features of your mesh system and I just prefer having a clean, separate mesh network. Here are the steps for setting your Eero into bridge mode.

WiFi 6 isn’t necessary, but it does have advantages beyond a slight speed benefit, such as better battery management for connected devices. Since WiFi 6 prices have come down a fair amount, I would recommend going with a WiFi 6 system for those reasons as well as overall future-proofing. But if all you can afford is an older mesh system, that will be fine for most uses.

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From Gene on April 21, 2023 :: 1:24 pm


Josh,
I love the T-Mobile service.  Its fast and inexpensive.  But, I have multiple Sonos audio devices that I guess expect a Static IP address and the T-Mobile 5G connection uses dynamic IP addresses.  My option is to add a separate wifi router system and others on some Sonos community discussions refer to using eero routers to solve the issue.  Do you know if adding a couple eero routers to my T-Mobile system will fix the issue?  I cannot listen to more than 30 minutes of music before the Sonos system loses connection to the T-Mobile service.  Thanks for any help.  Both T-Mobile and Sonos are pointing fingers at each other.

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From Josh Kirschner on April 21, 2023 :: 2:47 pm


I researched this and came up with a lot of murky explanations, some of which don’t make sense (including from Sonos). My best guess from what I’ve read is that it has to do with the way the T-Mobile 5G router assigns and shares access between the 5GHz and 2.4 GHz WiFi bands which prevents the speakers from connecting to each other through the network. There are two possible easy solutions to try before you buy another router or mesh system.

First, set the WiFi network to only run in 2.4GHz in the T-Mobile Internet app settings. By forcing everything to remain on 2.4GHz, it may fix the communication issues. There is a little downside to killing the 5GHz as far as network speed and congestion, but it probably won’t be significant.

The second option is to plug your first Sonos speaker into the 5G router via Ethernet and then continue the setup with the other Sonos devices. I’ve read (but haven’t confirmed) that this will cause the Sonos speaker to set up a private 2.4GHz network for communicating with other Sonos devices, avoiding the T-Mobile WiFi network entirely. It’s not clear to me if you have to keep this speaker plugged in to Ethernet or can remove it to use on WiFi after setup.

If neither of those options work, then you may have to try Eero or another system that offers more flexibility in the router options and, perhaps, better cross-band sharing. Eero would also resolve any issues with internal static IP addresses, though I’m not clear that is actually the issue as the T-Mobile router shouldn’t be swapping IP addresses on your network every 30 minutes.

Please let me know what ends up working for you.

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From Gene Morel on April 21, 2023 :: 3:32 pm


I will try and switch to the 2.4 GHz band.  I did try something like that before but didnt like the adverse effects but that was before I added the Sonos devices.  I did talk to eero support and they recommended putting a TP-Link TL-SG105 unmanaged switch in the middle.  I start to lose technical expertise here so I dont know why this would help but I am sure that if I order the system config like this, the instructions will help me out.  I do have one Sonos device connected directly via ethernet cable but the problem doesnt go away.  The other devices still say they are connected to the T-Mobile wifi and not Sonosnet.  I did ask Sonos about that and they have yet to respond.  Thanks for the help.

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From Josh Kirschner on April 25, 2023 :: 8:37 am


I don’t understand why they are recommending the switch, either. You should be fine with just the Eero, so would try that first.

When you set up the Sonos via Ethernet, make sure you have everything unpaired and reset before you plug in that first speaker to start the process so it defaults to the Sonosnet vs re-pairing with the prior T-Mobile network (at least that’s how it should work, in theory).

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From Jim on April 22, 2023 :: 10:44 pm


T-mobile says that their Home internet now has a built-in mesh in the little tower. One of the salespersons says that he uses a Google Mesh without any ethernet connections. I also read that Google, Eero, and all major brands will do the same.
Any comments on this? I hoped to place the unit by a window and the mesh in a media closet. I only get 4 bars when the unit is in my media closet and five bars at a window.
Thank you for your feedback.

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From Josh Kirschner on April 25, 2023 :: 8:52 am


The T-Mobile Gateway does NOT have built-in mesh networking. You can use Nest or Eero to create a mesh network with the T-Mobile Gateway only using WiFi by putting the mesh router into bridge mode, but you will lose some of the advanced network features offered by the mesh network provider. And given how limited the T-Mobile features are, that may not be ideal for many people.

To learn more about the trade-offs of going this route read this article on setting your Eero into bridge mode.

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From Gib on May 16, 2023 :: 9:08 am


If I keep the same network name on the mesh routers that I currently have my devices running on wirelessly will I have to setup and connect the devices after I switch my router from my current ISP to the t-mobile gateway?

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From Arnold P on June 09, 2023 :: 5:44 pm


Thank you for this great write up.  However, I am a little confused, since the T-Mobile Home Internet device is also router, wouldn’t adding a 2nd router be creating a conflict on IP address routings? Now you have both the Tmobile router and the eero distributing IP addresses.

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From Josh Kirschner on June 09, 2023 :: 8:49 pm


It’s not an issue because the T-Mobile router will assign an IP address to the Eero router, and then Eero will use its own IP address range to assign IP addresses to connected devices. On my Eero, IP addresses are all based on 192.168.4.xxx.

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From JOHN on June 14, 2023 :: 7:51 am


Is it possible to connect a NAS drive to the ethernet ports?

Thanks!

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From Sam on June 23, 2023 :: 4:43 am


Wouldn’t this setup create double NAT? That could cause performance degradation along with issues with Online games, XBOX, VPN connections, Port forwarding and triggering, and Secure websites that use SSL.

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From Josh Kirschner on June 23, 2023 :: 4:43 pm


Yes, this setup creates a double NAT, but I just set up the T-Mobile router again to test with Eero and had no issues with VPN (ProtonVPN), Tor, or any secure sites. I didn’t test with Xbox, but if you are experiencing issues, you could hardwire the Xbox into the T-Mobile router or use the T-Mobile WiFi network instead of the mesh network (the T-Mobile WiFi never gets shut off, so it’s still available). Note that the T-Mobile router doesn’t allow port forwarding at all.

So, the real world impact of a double NAT scenario created by adding a mesh system on top of the T-Mobile router is pretty limited for most users.

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From Pam Walker on August 25, 2023 :: 12:33 pm


By double NAT do you mean I can see the two wifi options, T-Mobile and the one I just created with my Google Nest router? I was expecting to somehow combine the three routers (I got 2 nests) to be one single wifi network. Sounds like having the two is fine and would we just connect some devices to one network and some to the other? Or is it better to just use the mesh network through Google?

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From Josh Kirschner on August 25, 2023 :: 4:18 pm


Double NAT is when you have two separate private networks, which can cause communication problems between devices in your home if they’re connected to different networks (e.g., if your Alexa is on one network and your smart lights are on another, they won’t be able to see each other). Unless there is some reason that you really want to split devices among the networks, it’s cleanest to have everything connect to the same WiFi (the Nest one).

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From Laurens Vernot on July 03, 2023 :: 3:24 pm


I am not technical.  Have had T-Mobile gateway since pre-5g.  Replaced with TMobile 5g gateway in April prior to installing house wide hard wired eeros Mesh for housewide coverage and to connect security cameras, etc.  At first, the mesh worked, then failed.  After long TMobile customer service call, replaced gateway at TMobile store.  Mesh worked again for a few days then failed.  Is this a known issue?  Can this be corrected, or am I going to have to go with another provider like spectrum?  Thank you!

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From Josh Kirschner on July 03, 2023 :: 3:56 pm


Not a known issue that I’m aware of. Can you provide more detail on how it is “failing”? The one thing you should try is ensuring there is adequate distance (6 feet or more would be ideal) between the gateway and your eero to avoid conflict with the WiFi networks.

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From Keith Mills on July 08, 2023 :: 9:16 pm


Would there be any obvious advantage to fitting a eero router to the t-mobile 5g unit and then use the eero units to form a mesh system.

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From Josh Kirschner on July 10, 2023 :: 4:18 pm


That is the process I describe in the article. The eero router has to plug into the T-Mobile gateway, then the additional eero devices create the mesh netowrk with the eero router. It’s not necessary to have a mesh network at all unless you have issues with getting a reliable WiFi throughout your home.

If you’re asking a different question, please clarify and I will get back to you.

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From Josh M on July 23, 2023 :: 7:15 am


Hey, I’m currently testing the Gateway and also just pulled the trigger on the Nest offer because I need a whole house solution where cable/fiber isn’t available. It seems there are some opinions about the model of the Gateway that is uses with Nest.  Do you know of any incompatibilities with Gen 1 vs. Gen 2 Gateway?

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From Josh Kirschner on July 24, 2023 :: 2:55 pm


The Nest mesh system should work with any of the T-Mobile routers. If you can provide more specifics on what you’re reading, along with a link, I can give a more direct answer.

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From Josh M on July 25, 2023 :: 7:39 pm


Currently running well, so moot point. Mesh was easy and intuitive to get going.

I just labeled the Gateway signal a utility to serve the Nest network, but can that signal still be used productively?

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From M.Ismail on July 31, 2023 :: 10:21 pm


Regarding the Gateway signal labeled as a utility for the Nest network, it remains productive and functional.”

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From Joe Weaver on August 03, 2023 :: 12:20 pm


I have router hooked up to switch and each device i want to hook to the switch. Goal is to run the home network with internet to each one.  Its been a very long time since I have come close to this. OS is windows 10 on everything.

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From John S. on August 04, 2023 :: 8:26 am


Maybe you can help. I recently dumped that major cable provider(and their contracts) for T-Mobile 5G internet. Works great with my eero mesh network (consistently getting >250Mbps) Part of cord cutting included hooking up antenna and using Tablo OTA DVR. Everything I read indicates T-Mobile 5G router will not allow for port forwarding. Any other suggestions? I’ve looked into LocalXpose however I am not thrilled about the need for a dedicated machine running locally in my house to support access. Also, most people who seem to try and solve this get bounced between the 3 companies in a finger pointing exercise. Any suggestions you may have are appreciated. Thanks.

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From Josh Kirschner on August 04, 2023 :: 9:01 am


Tablo explicitly states that the service is not compatible with cellular 5G networks. But my guess is that as long as you don’t need out-of-home streaming, all of the other features should still work as long as all your devices are connected to the eero network.

Is the out-of-home streaming important to you or are you experiencing other issues? It sounds like you’ve already done a fair amount of research into this and I don’t have any immediate solutions beyond what you’ve already uncovered.

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From Steve Z on August 17, 2023 :: 11:10 pm


I wanted to make a note here that I just set this exact configuration up and Josh’s notes here were VERY HELPFUL. For those a bit confused here is something I learned to look for in the mobile apps.

I had to place the Eero mesh in Bridge Mode, once I did that all the routing and NATing worked well. When you put Eero into Bridge mode I did notice that all of the devices connected to the Eero now show up in the T-Mobile 5g App AND the Eero app. Before I put it into Bridge mode, they only showed up in the Eero app and the only device you saw on the 5G app was the Eero.

I don’t see much loss of functionality on the Eero mesh when in Bridge Mode and you won’t run into the performance issues otherwise.

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From Amy on September 14, 2023 :: 12:47 pm


I need to be able to connect to my office vpn and it will not work.  They are recommending a mesh network to ensure a static ip.
  Does that sound reasonable.

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From Josh Kirschner on September 30, 2023 :: 1:08 pm


The question of interference with the WiFi signal may come into play whether you’re running your Cudy mesh system in access point mode or as a separate network. So I would still look to separate them, if possible.

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From MT on September 29, 2023 :: 4:41 pm


We just got tmobile internet.
I had an existing Cudy M1200 mesh system.
It offers Access Point Mode. Should I use that? Or just separate the gateway and the mesh as far as possible?

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From Josh Kirschner on September 30, 2023 :: 12:55 pm


I’m not sure that would work. Presumably the security is set up with your company VPN so that your external IP address needs to be static. Setting up a mesh network will give you a stable internal IP address (i.e., how your router identifies your device on your home network), but your external IP address will still be that of the T-Mobile gateway.

This is one of the drawbacks with all consumer ISPs (my Verizon Fios IP address will change occasionally, as well). The only way to 100% ensure a constant IP is to go with a business internet plan, which is usually significantly more expensive.

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From Andrew Cheney on October 14, 2023 :: 6:28 pm


Not sure if anyone can comment but I get 50 Down / 50 Up when connected directly to the TM5G gateway wifi. When connected either wirelessly or wired LAN to my Google Home mesh wifi system with 4 access points, speeds drop to 15 up / 2 down! I rely on the mesh system given size of home and outbuildings. All mesh access points are wired. Google tech support wasn’t of much help. Any suggestions are appreciated.

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From Josh Kirschner on October 16, 2023 :: 10:15 am


Can you provide more information on your network configuration? You said that the Google Home access points are wired - do you know what cabling your house is wired with? Anything below Cat 5 will deliver slow speeds which will be degraded even more based on cable length.

If you connect directly to the Google router via Ethernet, what speeds do you get? Is it also that slow or is it just an issue with access points?

I’m also assuming your Google router is hardwired into the T-Mobile Gateway and you’re not trying to piggyback it off the T-Mobile WiFi network in some manner?

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From Kim St. Ours on November 06, 2023 :: 6:34 pm


Helpful article but I guess I need the setup for dummies version. wink I’m trying to set up 3 new Google Nest Wifi routers (NOT the Pro model) to extend my T-Mobile Gateway (ARC KVD21 GATEWAY). I have two problems. 1) The first Nest Wifi router I set up doesn’t seem to work after I disconnect it from the Gateway Ethernet and move it. 2) When I try to set up a second Nest Wifi router I get a “Network is offline” error.

I set up the first Google Nest Wifi Router with its own unique SSID, then I disconnected it from the T-Mobile Gateway. I moved the wifi point across the room and plugged it in—so now it is not tethered by Ethernet to the Gateway, only connected to power. I can connect to this newly set up wifi point on my laptop this way, it shows it’s connected and green, but I can’t access the internet. I tried unplugging and plugging it.

Then I tried to connect a second Google Nest Wifi Router to the T-Mobile Gateway. I click on “add a new device.” The app finds the device, but when it tries to connect it says “Network is offline.” Both the T-Mobile Gateway (which is working) and the first Google Nest Wifi Router (which is plugged in but can’t access the internet) are showing up on my laptop. I tried unplugging and plugging it. I tried rebooting Google Home (again).

My iPhone meets all the iOS requirements, I’ve loaded Google Home, I’ve troubleshooted all the possible setting errors with using iOS and I already had everything set the way it’s supposed to be (e.g. no VPN). I’ve tried rebooting Google Home. I really don’t want to have to delete all my other “known networks” on my phone and computer on the off chance that that’s a problem. Any suggestions?

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From Josh Kirschner on November 06, 2023 :: 8:00 pm


In order to work, the primary Nest WiFi router must be connected to your T-Mobile Gateway via Ethernet or you won’t get internet. So leave your first Nest router plugged into the Gateway and you should be fine.

Note that the second Nest access point likely didn’t work when you plugged it into the Gateway because you were setting it up as a mesh node attached to your first access point (which doesn’t have internet because of above). This and all other access points will just be set up using the app to attach to your primary Nest router via WiFi (do not plug them into the Gateway).

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From Dave Brandman on November 20, 2023 :: 11:48 am


I have the TMHI with an Eero mesh behind it.  Very vanilla.  But I need to setup an openvpn environment for my home for remote access.  Eero does not support built in VPN’s.  If I hook up an ASUS router (which can support OpenVPN) with the WAN port of the Asus to the LAN port of my Eero gateway (giving the ASUS a different base address (say 192.168.0.x) and then port forward port 1149 to the Asus, should this work. Or is there something

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From Jake on December 03, 2023 :: 3:20 pm


I just got the new T-Mobile 5G Gateway (15-day free trial, white box). Couple of questions - I’ve moved the gateway at various locations close to windows and at best, I only get “Good” signal strength. I am able to connect all my systems and devices without much issues though. Speedtest varies - ranging from 40-120Mbps download, but upload is not that great (2-9Mbps). I’m concerned connecting all my systems/devices directly to this gateway wifi, hence what would you recommend making this more secure? I’ve tried connecting the Eero 6+ mesh devices, but these did not make much difference in terms of speed. Besides, I would have to sign up for their subscription service for the enhanced features. BTW, when you connect the Eero using Bridge mode, the enhanced features capabilities disappear. When you revert back to the Automatic DHCP option, the enhanced features appear back, but you would have to sign up for the subscription. Basically, would you recommend connecting all my systems/devices directly to the T-Mobile gateway wifi (from a Security standpoint)?

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From Josh Kirschner on December 04, 2023 :: 3:26 pm


Your maximum speed will always be limited by your connection to (and capacity of) the tower, so not a surprise that connecting the Eero didn’t make a difference. The Eero will only help to improve the signal within your home so speeds aren’t degraded further.

It’s ultimately a personal decision whether you want to run the Eero in bridge mode or not. There are some advantages and drawbacks to doing so, as you’re finding out. If you choose to not run bridge mode and go with automatic DHCP, you don’t need a subscription - that is the default setup. Personally, I prefer to run the Eero not in bridge mode because I like the Eero app and features more than the T-Mobile app.

As far as security, either method should be very safe. I’m not aware of any vulnerabilities identified with either the T-Mobile or Eero routers. Theoretically, connecting the Eero to the Gateway in standard mode and then connecting devices only to the Eero “may” be safer, as a hacker would need to breach both the T-Mobile Gateway and the Eero firewalls to get full access to your network. Though I’m admittedly speculating here based on a hypothetical attack scenario. Among the many online risks we face, hacking of modern, up-to-date mainstream routers is low on my list of concerns.

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From James Stradling on December 06, 2023 :: 12:33 pm


I’m having an issue due to existing Mesh (Asus) mesh network and am thinking I need to rename.  The T-Mobile gateway has it’s named network but the mesh system has it’s differently named network.  Even though the gateway is plugged into the mesh system, the two networks are still remaining separate and so printers and items on the former mesh network are not accessible from the 5G network.  Is there a workaround? or do I need to “remove” the mesh network and start all over?

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From Josh Kirschner on December 06, 2023 :: 6:35 pm


As you have it set up, both the Gateway and your Asus mesh system are operating as independent WiFi networks. If you want everything accessible in a single WiFi network, you can just connect everything to the Asus one and ignore the T-Mobile network (that’s what I did). Or, you need to set up your Asus mesh network in bridge mode so that it becomes part of the same network as your T-Mobile Gateway.

Note that setting up bridge mode is more than just naming the two networks the same thing. You will need configure the Asus router specifically for bridge mode in its settings.

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