This graduation, give the gift of perfect WiFi

After the balloons have popped and the flowers have wilted, after the pomp and circumstance is over, the reality of college graduation sets in.

Your child isn’t a child anymore, and for the first time will be embarking on life as a (sort of) independent adult. Whether they’re backpacking through Europe for a few months or headed back home for food and shelter during the job-search, sooner rather than later reality sets in: time to start their first “real” job and move into their first apartment.

Perhaps your new grad will get lucky in the housing search and find a spacious studio to call their own, but more likely they’ll be sharing an apartment with roommates, divvying up rooms the size of closets. Deciding on whom to live with, the best apartment to lease, and even which room to call home are the first of many important decisions they’ll be making.

Another decision that looms large: choosing the best WiFi setup for their new space. Sure, they’ll have to navigate their career, make friends in a new city, plan their finances, etc. But most new grads haven’t ever had to think about WiFi before. At home, you’ve probably been the IT admin for most of their life. Now your child has to think about signing up for internet service, getting WiFi equipment, and choosing a modem — where do they even start?

Believe it or not, there’s a lot to think about when choosing a wireless router for an apartment. For instance, did you know that routers are built with several channels, and depending on which channel your router uses, can interfere with neighbors’ WiFi signals? Most routers have a hard time keeping up with multiple housemates trying to stream music or binge-watch movies on the WiFi network simultaneously. Too much traffic on an old router with dated technology can overload the system, causing streamed content to buffer and drop off. Set your new grad up for success with home WiFi that doesn’t drop in-and-out while they’re WFH, or leave them stranded in a dreaded “WiFi dead zone” where they can’t FaceTime without the video freezing. This graduation season, let eero come to the rescue.

One eero is perfect for a loft or small apartment, but if your new grad has a larger place, with multiple rooms and roommates, two or three eeros are a great solution to ensure there’s fast WiFi, everywhere. Nix the monthly router rental fee and gift your child buffering-free Netflix at the end of a long work day. They’ll never get the midnight “Do you know why the internet isn’t working?” text from their roommate, and you can rest assured they’ll always be able to Skype home.

It’s going to be hard enough to navigate life outside of the nest, and your child’s WiFi shouldn’t be an additional pain point. While they’re working hard from 9–5, let eero work for them from 5–9. Get eero today.

And now that you’ve helped lay the groundwork for great WiFi in their new place, here are a few other connected home essentials you and your new grad will love:

• Nest Cam: Home security at a fraction of the price? Yes please! Your son or daughter can now keep an eye on their new room or check-in on Snoopy from afar. And you can rest easy knowing your child’s safe.
• August Smart Lock: Does your child have a habit of losing their keys? With August, they can open their front door from an app on their phone. And if they have out-of-towners arriving (maybe even you!) when they’re at work, they can grant temporary access for guests to let themselves in.
• Sonos Play:1: If your new grad’s a music buff, Sonos speakers bring high-quality sound to every corner of their pad. Send it to one speaker or to all with the touch of a button in the app.
• Amazon Echo: For more of a splurge, Amazon Echo is a fun, new technology. Get answers to questions. Control your connected devices. Set timers and reminders. Do it all, hands-free.