Best answer: No. Once an EeroOS update is available, the update will be rolled out to every Eero in your mesh. While the entire Eero update process can take 15-20 minutes, you can continue to use your network until the device restart that takes about 90 seconds.
Eero is designed for simplicity
There are few reasons you may want to prevent your software from auto-updating, starting with the fear that an update might break something or cause a device you expect to stay connected to drop. This is an understandable fear since many of us rely on our internet connections for security equipment and even our jobs.
The goal of a software update is to not only add new features, but to make sure any security issues are solved before they become a problem. You might feel that updates and other software changes might open up your network to a new set of problems but more often than not, these updates are designed to foresee and prevent future issues.
Eero reckons that a software update will take 15 to 20 minutes to complete in total, and in that time, your network will remain usable throughout most of the process, with a downtime of around 90 seconds during the router's reboot cycle. Depending on your network setup, there's a good chance you'll never even notice a change.
If you want to stay on top of the updates, you can manually push them to your devices within the Eero app so there are no surprises.
Make sure Eero is the best fit
If you have a network device that absolutely requires 100% uptime like a server, Eero isn't the right choice for that device. Really, most home wireless routers wouldn't be the right choice for you, though many of the best Wi-Fi 6 mesh systems offer more customization such as Netgear's Orbi line. Furthermore, it's worth considering if you need a mesh system at all.
If you still want to use Eero for your home, you can add a switch between the modem and Eero so a priority device never even has to see your Eero router. It's also possible that your modem has multiple Ethernet ports built-in, making it easy to skip your Eero.
For most of us, Eero's updates will happen completely unnoticed and shouldn't affect the way your devices interact with the router. If you have a home internet connection, you more than likely will have some downtime on your modem nearly every night and will likely even be assigned a new IP address. In the end, the security and feature updates that come packaged in Eero's updates are far more valuable than the 90 seconds you will lose out on every month or so.
Enough speed for most with great software
Eero's cheapest router is still a great fit for many people with enough speed for 350Mbps and it even works with all other Eeros.
Support for Wi-Fi 6 and still compact
The Eero 6 is one of the most compact Wi-Fi 6 routers you can buy with the power for gigabit speeds and mesh expansion if needed.
