Linksys Velop Home Mesh Wifi System Ac1300 Review

When we reviewed the Linksys Velop mesh system last yr, its throughput performance, ease of use, and pleasing aesthetics earned it our Editors' Option for home Wi-Fi systems. The latest Linksys mesh offer, the Velop Dual-Band Whole Abode WiFi Mesh System ($299.99 for the iii-pack we tested), is a somewhat scaled-down version of the original. It'southward a 3-slice dual-ring system (as opposed to tri-band), and its components are smaller than the original. This organization is easy to install and manage using the well-designed mobile app, only it can't match the throughput performance and feature ready of similarly priced Wi-Fi systems.

A Stylish Mesh Organisation

You lot can lodge the Velop Dual-Band Whole Home WiFi Mesh System ($199.99 at Amazon) every bit a iii-node system (that'due south what'south reviewed here), a 2-node system for $199.99, or every bit a single-node router for $129.99. Each node is an AC1300 dual-ring router that uses 3 internal antennas to provide up to 1,500 square anxiety of coverage, and each is capable of speeds of up to 400Mbps on the two.4GHz ring and 867Mbps on the 5GHz band. (The iii-pack system reviewed here covers a total of 4,500 square feet.) They are powered by a 716MHz quad-core CPU, 256MB of flash retentiveness, and 256MB of DRAM, and support the latest 802.11ac technologies, including MU-MIMO data streaming, beamforming, and automatic band steering.

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As with other dwelling Wi-Fi systems, the nodes communicate with each other using mesh technology to provide whole-house coverage and offering seamless roaming using a unmarried network SSID and password. Each node has a Bluetooth radio used to communicate with your smartphone for organization setup.

At 5.5 by 3.1 by three.1 inches, the nodes are near 2 inches shorter than the original Velop nodes, but they retain the same stylish artful. They accept ii gigabit LAN ports and a ability jack effectually back, and a reset button and power push button on the underside of the base. The LAN ports can provide wired connectivity to devices such equally HDTVs and gaming consoles; the ports can also be used to provide wired connectivity between each node.

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A status LED at the top of the enclosure is solid bluish when connected to the internet, solid red when the connection is lost, blinking ruby-red when the node is out of range of another node, and solid yellow when the connection is weak. It turns solid purple when ready for setup and blinks purple when setup is in progress.

Setting Up the System

You install and manage the Velop organization using the Linksys Mobile app for iOS and Android. You lot can also access settings using the Smart Wi-Fi web console.

The app opens to a Dashboard screen that shows your internet status (online, offline) and how many devices are continued to the organisation...

Tapping the devices opens a screen with the list of connected devices and which node they are connected to...

Yous can tap on an individual device to enable/disable Device Prioritization and Parental Controls.

You tin can select up to three devices to requite them bandwidth priority over other devices, but there are no bandwidth-limit or application-specific settings. Parental controls are also limited: You tin break internet access and create access schedules for each device and block specific websites, merely you don't become the age-specific filters that you become with the TP-Link Deco M5 ($199.99 at Amazon) and Asus Lyra systems. Also missing is the congenital-in malware protection that comes with these competitors.

In addition to Parental Controls and Device Prioritization, the Dashboard has a button for enabling/disabling Invitee Access and for tweaking Wi-Fi settings such as security blazon and Wi-Fi mode. There's besides a Channel Finder setting that lets you scan for the Wi-Fi channels that will offer the best performance. You can access all of the above-mentioned settings by tapping the three-bar icon in the upper left corner of the Dashboard. This opens a menu on the left with tabs for Devices, Wi-Fi Settings, Guest Access, Parental Controls, and Device Prioritization.

Other carte du jour choices include Speed Bank check (which measures cyberspace upload and download speeds), Notifications (when enabled, it volition alert you when a node goes offline), Velop Administration (time settings, firmware upgrades, and private node statistics), and My Account (account email and password data).

The Velop also offers limited support for Amazon Alexa vox commands. You tin enable/disable guest networking and ask Alexa for the credentials of the chief and invitee networks.

Installing the Velop system is easy. I downloaded the app and logged in to my business relationship. (If y'all don't take an account, you'll accept to create one.) I plugged in the starting time (primary) node, continued information technology to my modem using the included cablevision, and tapped Setup New Device in the app. The node was recognized immediately and needed about xxx seconds to connect to the cyberspace. I was prompted to requite the network a name and countersign, and then to give the node a proper name from a listing, which included typical locations such as Function, Living Room, Family Room, Kitchen, and others. (You can also create your own name.)

The app needed near a minute to add the node to my network and prompted me to either add some other node or finish the installation. I tapped Add a Node and plugged the second node into an outlet in my living room, about 30 feet from the outset node. I followed the same routine as to a higher place, then added the terminal node (which I placed in my basement), and the installation was complete. Afterwards each node was added, the app informed me that the placement was good, and all 3 nodes showed solid blue LEDs, indicating a adept connection.

Mixed Performance

Setup was easy, just the system turned in mixed results in our throughput tests.

Using automatic band-steering, the principal router scored an impressive 517Mbps on our SU-MIMO (Single User Multiple Input Multiple Output) close-proximity (same-room) test...

That'southward faster than the Asus Lyra (338Mbps) and the TP-Link Deco M5 (444Mbps), but non the Tri-Band Velop ($199.99 at Amazon) (556Mbps). However, its score of 102Mbps on the 30-human foot SU-MIMO examination, while certainly decent, came in backside the Lyra (153Mbps), the Deco M5 (249Mbps), and the Tri-Ring Velop (236Mbps).

The Velop nodes also turned in mixed results...

Node one (in my living room) scored 102Mbps on the SU-MIMO close-proximity test, while node ii (in my basement) scored 79Mbps. Both scores are significantly lower than what we saw with the Asus Lyra ($199.99 at Amazon) (256Mbps and 220Mbps), the TP-Link Deco M5 (234Mbps and 211Mbps), and the Tri-Band Velop (257Mbps and 328Mbps) nodes. On the 30-human foot exam, the Velop node ane scored 97Mbps, beating the TP-Link Deco M5 (48.3Mbps), but not the Asus Lyra (122Mbps). The Tri-Band Velop led with a score of 238Mbps. The Dual-Band Velop node 2 scored 57Mbps, making information technology the slowest of the bunch at that location.

To examination MU-MIMO operation, nosotros use three identical Acer Aspire E15 laptops equipped with Qualcomm Atheros QCA9377 wireless 802.11ac network adapters as clients. On the close-proximity examination, the Dual-Band Velop router'south score of 138Mbps was faster than the TP-Link Deco M5 (108Mbps), only not the Asus Lyra (268Mbps) or the Linksys Tri-Band Velop (264Mbps)...

On the 30-foot MU-MIMO exam, the Velop router'south score of 55Mbps was nearly 30Mbps slower than the Asus Lyra and the TP-Link routers, and 61Mbps slower than the Tri-Band Velop router.

Node operation was similar...

The Dual-Ring Velop node 1 scored 88Mbps on the shut-proximity test, beating the TP-Link Deco M5 (81Mbps) and the Tri-Band Velop (60Mbps), only non the Asus Lyra. The Velop'due south node 2 led the pack with a score of 75Mbps. Testing at a distance of 30 anxiety, though, both of the Velop nodes were at the lesser of the pack.

Spiffy-Looking, But Not Tops for the Field

The Linksys Velop Dual-Band Whole Abode WiFi Mesh Organisation makes information technology piece of cake to blanket your home with Wi-Fi coverage and manage your network. It uses sleek-looking components that you can identify out in the open. It also has a thoughtfully designed mobile app that lets you lot quickly and hands assign network priority for up to three clients and pause admission to the internet with one click.

Performance testing, though, does not distinguish this mesh system. The Velop delivered solid throughput on some of our tests, but it did not fare and then well on our 30-foot range tests. If your budget allows, the original Tri-Band Velop system offers the best overall operation we've seen from a mesh organisation and remains our Editors' Pick, but information technology's well-nigh $200 more than than the Dual-Band Velop system. If you lot need to stay in the $300 price range, the TP-Link Deco M5 or Asus Lyra Wi-Fi systems both offer better functioning than the Velop Dual-Ring organization, and they come with built-in anti-malware tools and robust parental controls.

Linksys Velop Dual-Band Whole Abode WiFi Mesh Arrangement

Cons

The Bottom Line

The Linksys Velop Dual-Ring Whole Habitation WiFi Mesh Organisation is nicely designed and offers modern features, just it can't keep up with the performance of its competitors.

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Source: https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/linksys-velop-dual-band-whole-home-wifi-mesh-system

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