Looking to further expand into an emerging market coveted by telecom companies including Comcast, Amazon has purchased start-up WiFi mesh gear maker eero for an undisclosed sum.
"We are incredibly impressed with the eero team and how quickly they invented a WiFi solution that makes connected devices just work,” said Dave Limp, senior VP of Amazon Devices and Services, in a statement. “We have a shared vision that the smart home experience can get even easier, and we’re committed to continue innovating on behalf of customers.”
Amazon has already infiltrated the home with a range of devices powered by its Alexa voice technology—everything from smart speakers to thermostats.
Beyond merely competing with telecom companies for the home automation market, analysts believe controlling a key piece of home WiFi infrastructure serves perhaps more sinister goals for Amazon.
“One entity might own all the devices in your home. It can form a very complete profile of you as a person in both the physical and digital world, and this is extremely concerning from a personal privacy perspective,” said Sydney Li, staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), told BuzzFeed.
