Can I connect Eero via Eth port 1 and smart TV via Eth port 2 simultaneously?

[markso]

Hi. I have Comcast and am trying to extend my Wifi (with Eero) while retaining a direct ethernet connection to my smart TV. Currently my TV is connected via ethernet to my cable modem (N600). The Eero setup instructions say to connect my Eero via the first Ethernet port on the cable modem and put the cable modem into bridge mode. Can i then plug my smart TV into the second Ethernet port on the cable modem or will I have to plug the TV into my Eero directly, via a gigabit switch, as the Eero instructions suggest? (My internet service is only 100 Mbps).

I'm not confident i'm approaching this in the right way (w/ Eero). Maybe i should simply buy a Netgear wifi extender and keep things simple. I am not very experienced with any of this. 

[StephenB]

Well, this isn't an Eero forum.  But generally if the cable modem is operating in bridge mode, then the Eero is operating as your router.  So you'd need to connect all your wired connections through the Eero.

Eero is an integrated wifi system - it doesn't extend your gateway's wifi, it replaces it.  Netgear's integrated wifi system is called Orbi.  There are several models, designed for different performance levels and different sized homes.  There is an Orbi model that would replace your cable modem (CBK40).  Orbis also can run as access points, allowing you to continue to use your gateway as a router - all you'd do is turn off it's wifi.  Then your wired connections wouldn't have to move.

[markso]

Thanks for your response. I decided to simplify and go a completely different route. I ditched the Eero and bought a Nighthawk X4 range extender. The configuration process left me with multiple networks, but not in the way i imagined. I previously had

  NAME2.4

  NAME5.0

Now i have:

  NAME2.4_2GEXT

  NAME2.4_5GEXT

instead of

  NAME2.4_2GEXT

  NAME5.0_5GEXT

or better yet just seamless integration with my old network names, so the user doesn't have to explicitly switch as they move around my house (that's probably unrealistic).

Sounds like NAME5.0 didn't get extended, just NAME2.0 (twice). How do i troubleshoot and potentially rename NAME2.4_5GEXT to NAME5.0_5GEXT (or set that one up properly if it's not really extending NAME5.0)?

Mark

[StephenB]

You can connect to the extender network, and then navigate to www.mywifiext.net (logging in using your setup credentials).  Then you can change the network names (and passwords) in the extender to match your main router.