Customer Ratings & Reviews

I recently moved into a bigger house and, on the recommendation of my Best-Buy in-home consultant, decided to purchase the Velop 3-pack whole home system for better wi-fi coverage. I also have 2 adult children and 1 teenager in the house who are ravenous consumers of anything that has to do with using the internet. For them, the coverage in the house has to be beyond average. I set the Velop system up myself, right out of the box. All the nodes were relatively easy to set up. Once I downloaded the Linksy’s app on my cellphone and hooked up the “mother node” to my Arris 9160 modem in the upstairs bonus room, I was able to see each node recognized quickly on my network, right from my phone. I even conducted a speed test for performance, right from the app. I placed each of the remaining nodes downstairs- one in the kitchen area and the other near the guest room to the front of the house. The coverage throughout the house was amazing and has remained ever-so. The kids have noticed a huge difference in coverage and everyone is pleased. We like to entertain, and no matter the number of people in the house logged in to my network, I did not notice any drop in coverage strength or capacity. I’m also able to see the number of people logged in at the same time, right from my app. In summary, I would like to say there’s been no regrets on this investment; it’s definitely been money well spent!

Hardware Set-up: Cujo, Arris Surfboard 8200, Linksys Velop (3 Pack), Linksys SE3005 (5 Port Switch), 4TB WD MyCloud, and a Philips Hue Bridge. I've seen a lot of bad reviews on this product. So, I wanted to write about my experience. Setup was fast, easy, and seemless! I have zero compatibility issues with any device, and I have about 50 connected, this includes smart lights, ring products, etc... This is a very solid mesh networking solution and I'd recommend it to anyone. My speed and range have stayed amazing without a single drop.

Where I was having all sorts of connection and bottleneck and restart woes with my previous router and extenders, EVEN though that router promised to cover the entire house in it's advertising, as soon as I set up this system, all the problems have vanished. We get super strong coverage throughout the entire house and even venturing outside to about 75' from the house in any direction on the property. No buffer issues anymore on the roku box, no sudden disconnections, no having to go to the den to reboot the router. AND, aesthetically these are rather attractive and fit into our decor perfectly. Setup was a breeze...the things practically set themselves up. We are extremely happy with this investment and would definitely suggest this product to anyone looking for something trustworthy.

Easiest, simplest set up I have ever done. Twenty minutes, three nodes, multiple devices. Immediately increased access speed and provided WiFi access to dead zones in my house including two bedrooms and immediately outside. Well worth the cost even if I had not saved seventy dollars. Used contactless, curbside service which was uncomplicated and quick. From online purchase to store to driveway less than one hour. My only regret is that I waited so long to take the plunge. Be safe; be smart; be well!

So I've been using the Linksys Velop 3 Node whole home system for about 5 days now and I feel that I'm in a good spot to give it an honest review. I have been using a mesh Network system currently, the Netgear Orbi and prior to that I've used a host of high-end routers and range extenders to try and get coverage across our home which is about 4000 square feet. Let me start with my quick Likes and Dislikes: Likes: • Build and design is solid and small footprint • Connection and range are excellent • Setup is very easy • Triband system Dislikes: • Mobile app only administration – no web utility • Mobile app is very buggy (Android) • Only 2 Ethernet LAN ports per node • Node handoff and device prioritization by 2.4 and 5 GHz bands is inconsistent • Most all advanced router functionality is removed Now what I love about the Velop system is that like the Netgear Orbi it's a tri-band system and what that allows it to do is communicate the backhaul with itself over a dedicated 5 GHz band while continuously providing bandwidth and range across the other two bands and never sacrificing speed or range like you would get using the traditional router and range extender. I will say that if you need or like to configure very specific router Administration functions, the system may not be for you as it has primarily stripped away most advanced router administration tools and settings and is built predominantly for easy setup, mesh network coverage range and speed and ease of use. All of the setup and configuration is done through their Linksys app available for IOS and Android and I must say using a router that has no web-based utility to access tools and administration and settings is a bit odd. I think over time I can get more used to it however the app right now is very buggy, at least on Android. The startup and configuration of the nodes can hang up and if that happens you simply need to power down, recycle and start again. I did try a couple times and I will say when it works the way they designed it the setup is extremely fast and easy starting with the first node and then configuring the additional add-on nodes all through the app. The app also doesn't tend to show me all of my online devices. I can be on one two or three devices and the app will show them as offline. The speed test that they give you in the app to natively test your ping and speed has never worked for me so short of uninstalling and reinstalling the app and trying again the app definitely right now has some major bugs which I'm sure Linksys will address with an update. Now our home is 4000 square feet and I figured having a three node system would be slightly overkill but I was looking forward to that thinking that I'm just going to soak the house in coverage and eliminate all dead spots and have maximum bandwidth in all corners of the house. So I started by using all three nodes throughout my home; one on the far East Side one on the far west side and one in the center of our two story home. Initially for the first day or two I was quite disappointed because I didn't seem to get the same amount of speed and range that I was getting with my Netgear Orbi which only has two modules. So I tried everything I could think of - power cycling, changing what settings I could in the app etc. and nothing I did seemed to get me the speed and coverage that I was used to. So what I ended up doing was removing one of the nodes from the loop. I simply uninstalled one of the nodes from the network and left the two on the far sides of the home connected and what I found is my speed and coverage immediately came back and has even shown improvements over the Netgear Orbi. So having all three nodes configured and running was a detriment in my home, which again is about 4000 square feet. So I'm not sure if my devices were unsure of which node to connect to or I'm not sure if the device prioritization within the node software could determine the best path and bandwidth and speed for all my devices but once I removed one of the nodes my speed and coverage has been fine. I'm seeing improved throughput on all of my devices compared to the Netgear Orbi. However with that said I have had some trouble with the Velop system prioritizing my devices across the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. There have been plenty of times where my phone or iPad or some other 5 GHz device is only connected to the Velop on the 2.4 gigahertz band. Now what the Velop tries to do internally via its software is determine the best possible band across all the devices to optimize both speed and range so it tries to automatically set the device to the appropriate band so that everyone maintains speed and connection. And this is something that you cannot set within the administration tools, what channel certain devices should connect to. With the Netgear Orbi I've never had that problem all of my 5 gigahertz devices remain connected to the 5 gigahertz band however with the Velop system I notice that maybe 60% of the time my devices will be on the 5 gigahertz band and then I think especially when I'm roaming the home or when the device needs to switch from one node to the other it takes the system a very long time to complete the handoff and then reconfigure on the new node what band my device should be on. There have even been times where I've needed to turn off Wi-Fi on the device turn it right back on reconnect to the nearest node and that generally gets does the trick, but it’s annoying to have to do that, so something I think Linksys really needs to look at is the node to node handoff and the band prioritization. In fact I would love it if they added that as an Administration tool that you can set what devices should be set to which bands manually so that you're guaranteed certain devices will always remain on the 5 gigahertz band or the 2.4 gigahertz band if you so choose. So when everything has been working as expected I am quite pleased with the range and the speed that I get from the Velop system and that's with having one node taken out of the loop. So before you buy, I would really look at your own environment and try to decide if you need a single, two or three node system. You can always add nodes if you need them, and the retail price of the whole home 3 node system is pretty steep. In terms of hardware the system seems very well built, the construction feel solid they do have a smaller footprint than most high-end routers and even the Netgear Orbi. They are even smaller then apples AirPort Extreme or time capsule in which they share a common cylinder type aesthetic. The connections are all made in the bottom of the unit. Each node has two ethernet Lan ports, a reset button and the power button. In terms of ethernet Lan connections, this is really the only other negative that I can see to the system. Most if not all routers today come with a minimum of 3 or 4 LAN ports, some can give you 8 etc. and so for the main node that would replace your main router, only having 2 ethernet Lan points can be a problem especially since one of them needs to be the ethernet connection to your modem. So essentially you're only getting one additional Lan port on one of the nodes. For me that was troublesome because I have a desktop Apple Mac connected LAN to my router as well as a security system router as well as a network hard drive. So with the Linksys Velop system I could not hook all of those devices up at the same point in the same place that I could say with my Netgear Orbi. If you don't use a lot of ethernet connected LAN devices then this shouldn't be an issue for you but if you do then you definitely need to consider would this system work for you knowing that the nodes only have two ethernet Lan ports on them and for at least the one that connects to your modem, you only have one additional. What I would love Linksys to do is build the node system where at least one the main node that you would use to connect to the modem includes more ethernet Lan ports to it or potentially at least add one dedicated LAN port for the modem and still give the user two available LAN ports for devices if they needed it because this could potentially be a problem for me long term. All in all the system is very nice. Range and speed are great, improved over what I’ve been using in the past. If you are looking for a simple to install system that doesn’t include all the bells and whistles of a high end router, but soaks your home in coverage and speed, then I would definitely take a look at the Linksys Velop. Once Linksys irons out some kinks with the mobile app and software bugs, this system is going to be king.

Wow! Am just amazed at how easy the Linksys VELOP was to set-up, its speed, and the terrific coverage even in remote locations both in and outside of my home. Living in our mild climate of North Florida we spend lots of time outside on the patio, deck, and in the front and back yards of our property. When my Grandchildren are over we virtually live outside. Unfortunately, my existing router was not able to provide the kinds of performance to allow us to use Wi-Fi devices in any of my outside 'play' areas. However, that has positively changed installing the Linksys VELOP, 3-Pack, Whole Home Wi-Fi system. Now, I can actually video conference with my Son and Daughter in real-time so that they can see my Grandchildren enjoying the tree swings I put up for them. When Grandma brings out snacks and lunch we can now sit on the patio while watching an Internet kid's programs or videos on my I-Pad or laptop. And, in the morning Grandma can use her tablet while I use my I-Pad to catch up on the morning news and e-mails while we have our coffee on the deck. The Linksys VELOP has opened-up our outdoor living up to Wi-Fi devices we could not use before. It also saves me from having to use costly cellular data on our smartphones with the terrific Wi-Fi signal strength we get outside, too. WooHoo! Out of the box the physical set-up of the three nodes is fast and easy. They are well designed and stylish for technology devices. Each node is attractive enough to place anywhere in your home. One node replaced my old router in my home office location. I placed the other two strategically near most of my Wi-Fi devices like the Smart TV and Wi-Fi sound system in the living room and Smart TVs and laptops in the bedrooms. I placed these nodes as high as I could get them. I also plugged them into surge-suppression' strips. They are too expensive to leave unprotected from lightning and electrical surges where I live. Later on I experimented with placing the other two nodes near the outside walls to get front and back outside coverage too. It does not make any difference which node you set-up to be the 'parent' router. But, since each node only has only two Gigabit Ethernet ports the one you use to connect to your modem leaves you with only one left for a peripheral, or, direct connection to another node. All of my devices are Wi-Fi including my printer, so that is not a problem. However, there is no USB port in any the nodes. I could not connect my USB, auxiliary hard drive to the VELOP system. Keep that in mind if you have several USB connected devices. Not having an available USB port is not a 'deal-breaker' for me, however. The signal strength, coverage, and speed is more then enough to offset that issue. I downloaded the Linksys App before disconnecting my old modem. Then I powered my 'parent' node to an A/C, 120V, surge suppression strip and connected my modem with the supplied Ethernet cable. When I 'opened' the app It walked me through the entire installation through the Bluetooth on my smartphone. The Linksys App prompted me to name my Wi-Fi network and supply a password. It even guided me through the uninstallation of my existing router. Gotta' hand it to the Linksys IT folks. They made this unbelievably simple through 'active' screens on my smartphone and step-by-step instructions along with troubleshooting tips to install my 'parent' node and each additional satellite node. On the top of each node is an LED light, which will blink blue when it is first plugged in. It blinks purple when it is paired with my smartphone for set-up, and solid purple for set-up. It also blinks solid yellow when it is too far away, or, interference like too many walls, etc. are keeping the unit from connecting to another node. Linksys' proprietary Spot Finder Technology guides you to the best location for coverage and signal strength. Firmware updates are an automatic, enabled feature by default, you don't have to worry about future updates. Once logged-in I can go to my dashboard and under Menu go into 'Administration' to allow Guest Access, Device Prioritization, apply Parental Controls, Speed Test, and visually see the number of devices connected to my network. Be aware that there is no web-based set-up – it is all done through the Linksys App using a smartphone. The entire set-up process is easy and It was so uncomplicated, even a Grandpa like me was able to do it all in just over one hour. From a technical standpoint the Tri-Band Linksys VELOP network uses 3-AC2200, MU-MIMO routers or nodes. Each node houses a Qualcomm Chip, 716 MHz Quad Core, ARM, Cortex A7 Processor. Three Wi-Fi radios, one 2.4 GHz and two 5.0 GHz utilizing Dynamic Frequency Selection, which will switch to the best and fastest connections of bands to give you constant maximum speed and performance. It is also worth noting that Linksys offers a 3-year warranty with VELOP, which is unheard of by other router manufacturers. And, if you are interested VELOP works with Amazon's Alexa on some limited features. Additionally, the three nodes can be connected together by Ethernet cable exclusively (LAN), if your home or building presents difficult Wi-Fi, radio broadcast scenarios. My home is one story with patio, decks, and garage, approximately 3,500 square feet of total space. The Linksys VELOP is stated to cover optimally up to 6,000 square feet, dependent on number of walls and type of construction. I also have a home office, which is much better served now with VELOP. I just love the increased performance of my Wi-Fi devices inside my home (no more buffering). I have a laptop and tablet that are MU-MIMO, but really never knew what that meant up until the last few days. They are lightning fast since I can now take advantage of 802.11ac , future-proof technology. I really cannot say enough good about the outside range of VELOP, which is changing my outdoor lifestyle, dramatically. Being blessed with good weather most of the year allows me and my family to spend lots of time outside. VELOP helps us to enjoy the great outdoors now in so many more ways with our Wi-Fi connected devices. YooHoo! I highly recommend the purchase of this Linksys VELOP., 3-Pack, Whole House Wi-Fi System. It is 'state-of-the-art'. If you have a smaller footprint for living space you may be able to purchase just one or two nodes for whole home Wi-Fi. VELOP nodes can be added on as needed and are not limited to just one, two, or three nodes. The system is easily expandable. VELOP's strength of signal and tri-band node configuration gives me my 'money's worth'. It allows me to check my ISP' speed anywhere inside or outside of my home at anytime. VELOP is pricey, but you get what you pay for. The reliability, performance, and simplicity of this system is absolutely amazing. You do not have to be a techno-wizard to install and administer this system. I recommend the Linksys VELOP Wi-Fi System for seniors, like myself, mainly for its simplicity and fantastic coverage. And, because the Linksys VELOP will be around for many more years.

This system is specifically designed for someone that wants to supply Wi-Fi throughout their house without having a gaudy looking, “alien like” router being the center piece of it. The design of each node is like a small vase or one of those Glade automatic air fresheners, with wires easily guided behind it and hidden underneath, too include a very “modern looking” power adapter. The Linksys Velop is directly aimed at someone that wants a simple method to set it up and a simple way to manage it. With the Linksys app it walks you through the process step by step and works its “magic” as it displays during setup. Managing the system is simple and straight forward through the app which is only available on iOS (8.0 or later) and Android (4.0.3 or later). The app allows you to control each devices access, enable/disable guest networks, and manage other technical aspects of the network. Using three nodes you can seamlessly cover a large area without ever needing to understand how it works. With the two Ethernet ports on each node you can also provide wired Ethernet connections to remote devices while wirelessly connected back to the internet. In my case my son’s room has always been a weak Wi-Fi spot and his old computer has just remained off the internet for years now. With this system he now has excellent Wi-Fi coverage and his old computer is connected via Ethernet cable to a wireless network. The Linksys Velop is an easy, simple and elegant way to provide a single hi-speed Wi-Fi network throughout a large area. On the flip side though, I am a tech nerd and I like to have much more control over my devices. For instance, you cannot control these network devices with a computer. Unlike other Linksys devices that you can use the Linksys app for, you can usually use the computer to get even more refined details, such as separating the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands into separate networks or setting times to restrict access for parental controls. With the Linksys Velop you must use the app, even after the network is set up. If you attempt to log into the main node via IP, it will remind you that you must use the app. The other side effect to the app is that it is only available on iOS and Android devices that must already have an internet connection, because you have to download the app before you even start setup. So, if you only have an old device (earlier than iOS 8 and Android 4.0.3), or a Windows based phone, and don’t already have Wi-Fi or data services on your device, you will not be able to set this system up. During the set-up process, though simple and guided, there were several times that I was on a waiting screen with no feedback other than a pinging blue circle or a rotating blue ring and the statement telling me it will take some time or please wait. After waiting over 15 minutes, two separate times, I restarted everything and it only took about 5 minutes to complete setup of the first node. The second node was even quicker and the third node required a hard reset of holding the reset button for 10 seconds, as directed by the app, though it installed after that with no issues. I just feel that the app should realize that after about 5 minutes of being on a single screen that something may be wrong and suggest restarting. The Wi-Fi connection is truly seamless. Going from node to node is not noticeable unless you are looking for it and that is where I noticed that it only changes nodes over when it is at near loss of the previously connected node. For instance if connected to node 3 and you walk to node 2, you will not switch over to a stronger signal unless the other signal is so weak that you may lose connection anyways. Due to the size of my house, my devices only switch once I was at node 1, which was in my basement. This is a good thing, as it prevented actual loss of connection, but to me did not seem like the best option as the signal is stronger and most likely faster if I am a few feet from node 2 as opposed to 20 feet from node 3 or 1. The speed of this connection also ran between 80 and 100Mbps, which is good enough for my internet connection, but not the fastest local network speed. Overall, Linksys Velop is a great looking system and works as intended. If you are looking for a simple and kind of discreet way to provide Wi-Fi throughout your house, this is the way to go. If you are like me and want more control over your home Wi-Fi, you might want to consider something like the Linksys WRT3200ACM.

A great addition to our Linksys Triband Wifi Router! Setup was a breeze and our entire home has high speed wifi now! Highly recommended.

Here are the different sections of the review Packaging -------------- The Device came in a beautiful package, the package itself looks expensive and the 3 node routers neatly arranged with minimal paperwork. Setup ------- You will need a smartphone or a computer with bluetooth for the setup. easiest is to setup using your smartphone. its so easy that even a 10 year old can setup. the app for the smartphone is very user friendly and has a nice interface. I was very impressed. I connected one of the nodes first and turned on the bluetooth in my phone and installed the app and it was just clicking "next" "next" and following the instructions. Connectivity & Speed ------------------------------ Only one node ------------------- With just one node, it will be able to replace your existing router. I had the ASUS AC-1900 router which is a fairly powerful router, i think by just using 1 node, i can replace the router easily. I did a speed test with the speedtest app and measured the speeds by placing the router in the living room and went to the basement to test the speed. Check my picture for the speed with just 1 node. Adding a node -------------------- Then i added a note to the grid. adding a node again was very very simple. just connect the node to power and use the app to set it up. you will need to go to my account to add a node, again very simple You can see that after adding a node, the speed is same as as if i was sitting in the living room, that good! Now to summarize the Pros and Cons Pros ----- 1. Easy Easy setup 2. Excellent speed and reliability 3. Very Small, yet powerful. 4. its beautiful, will go with your room decor and people wont even notice 5. Excellent App to setup, you can control everything using the app 6. Guest network setup 7. Excellent coverage with all 3 notes, easily covered by 3000 sqft home. Cons ------ 1. Cannot individually control 2.4 vs 5Ghz. this is automated 2. Some folks might need a USB for file sharing but this router does not have one

One of the downsides of having what was once considered a bigger house (2000+sq feet) is that it is challenging to have a Wi-Fi signal that is useable, with full throughput anywhere in the house (and outside in some respect). Most of my networking equipment and home entertainment system is on one side of the house above the garage. This does not do much for the master bedroom or the downstairs living room on the opposite side of the house when it comes to Wi-Fi reception. My solution until now has been to have another access point (another wireless router, configured to just repeat and serve as another access point – and separate SSID) or a signal repeater/extender on the other side of the house. Both of these solutions have always turned into “why is the Wi-Fi slow ? what network are you on ? Switch to the closer network” and the stubbornness of devices letting go of a weak signal for a stronger one that is closer. In comes a solution “mesh networking” and specifically the Linksys Velop Tri-band AC6600 Whole Home WiFi Mesh System (3-Pack). This setup essentially provides a wireless access point anywhere you place one of the three units (each resemble a computer speaker). Setup consists of solely using the Linksys mobile app (I prefer a web interface, but that is unavailable, more on that later). Basically you need to connect one of the units to your cable modem (each unit has two wired ports that can be used by wired devices (minus the one used to connect to your cable modem). I had initial issues with setting up device two and three (as I had an existing wireless access point that my iPhone would connect to while the Velop was rebooting, rendering the connection back to the Velop node invalid). Also had an issue with one of the nodes indicating that it was too far away from another node (via an indicator light), this was remedied by placing one of the units in another area. Once the system was up and running it truly provided seamless, fast internet throughout the house, just the solution I was looking for. Now the downside, I use my router for some fairly advanced functionality (security cameras piping images to a flash drive I have connected to my existing wireless router and some port forwarding rules enabled). The Velop has no USB ports and is lacking in configuration options, you can’t manipulate bands (2.4 or 5ghz), you can do limited port forwarding, so this turned into a non-starter in my book. My solution was to keep my existing router in place and configure the Velop to use my main router as a gateway and DNS server, seems to work fine for most of my uses and manages to keep my wireless camera traffic to the existing router and dedicate the Velop Wi-Fi to all my family’s other devices. Back to the configuration utility and a trend most wireless router manufacturers are adopting, cloud based, online configuration of my network router. Not big on the cloud having my router password and configuration (and devices I am connecting). All other wireless routers usually have a local, browser based configuration utility, with the Velop you have no choice but to use their online IOS or Android mobile configuration utilities. So I love how this has solved my Wi-Fi coverage issues, but am not thrilled with the lack of some features and the configuration utility. Performance wise these units deliver, although they don’t offer the flexibility that I need. If you have a lot of wired devices be prepared to buy a hub or convert them to wireless. However if you are a novice when it comes to networking these units are perfect for you and provide great performance. Pros: - Great Wi-Fi solution for large homes - Full speed, Tri-band technology - Fairly seamless setup for novice users Cons: - Not cheap - Limited ability to configure - Online, cloud based mobile configuration only - No USB connectivity - Only two Ethernet ports per unit (one used to connect to your internet source)

I've been following the idea of mesh WiFi for a while now and when Linksys announced they were coming up with Velop, I was equal parts intrigued and excited. Mesh WiFi is different from a traditional router-and-extender setup because each node communicates on a dedicated 5GHz channel, so you're not dealing with degraded WiFi strength if you're being routed through the extender. Sadly, that excitement was short lived. The first thing I noticed about the Velop's nodes was how tiny their footprint was. These are slimmer than an Apple AirPort Extreme, more like the size of a desktop speaker. I currently have a Linksys EA9500 powering the WiFi in my house and if you've never seen it before, it's a beast of a router. The first big disappointment with the Velop came when I noticed that each node only has 2 ethernet ports and no USB ports. That meant that I'd have to try it out while giving up all of my wired entertainment hardware and mapping them all, the ones with built-in WiFi, to the network. Once I had decided what device would get the super-special ethernet port, I set up the other nodes, one in the master bedroom and the other in the garage. The setup was simple, but there didn't appear to be any way to pick the IP address range during the initial setup - not sure if I missed a step somewhere. When it came to WiFi service, the mesh system worked great - there was solid WiFi throughout the house. But with so many devices demanding WiFi, I did notice that the Velop couldn't handle the traffic my house generates compared to the EA9500 - my guess was because I wasn't able to run as many devices off ethernet connections. I was also able to link up my Velop to my Amazon Echo - but there's not really a whole lot of wow factor there. We don't broadcast a guest WiFi signal, and I remember our WiFi password from near muscle memory. Another thing with the Velop is the cost. The 3-node set is $500 - that's a huge amount of money to plunk down on a system that doesn't allow as much customization and ethernet options. In the end, I ended up switching back to the EA9500. Sure it meant that I wouldn't have a strong WiFi signal in the garage, but it's January and I'm not out there all that much right now. The Velop line does show some really cool promise - I'm thinking the next generation of it will be the way to go. If you're looking for a device with solid WiFi connectivity, easy setup and don't have many hardwired devices then the Velop could be the system for you - especially if you have a bigger house and use extenders. If you're looking for more options, than the EA9500 or WRT line might be more your speed.

Straight out of the box I loved this router system! It is simplistic, looks great to place anywhere, and was fairly easy to set up. Comes with three nodes which are essentially each a single powerful router in its own right. Each node has two Ethernet ports, however 1 port is used as the LAN on the first one that is setup leaving you 5 Ethernet ports for hard wired devices. Each node also comes with a square power block that plugs into the outlet. The power block is a little on the larger side from what I was expecting but not cumbersome. The package also includes 1 cat5 cable to plug into your modem. The aesthetics overall are second to none and you don't need to worry about the spider looking antennas that come with other routers. Setup: you must download the Linksys smart wifi app which seems to be self explanatory as it walks you thru the initial setup of the first node. But after that there is no clear instruction. I had to search the app to figure out what to do next. After scrolling and combing the app I realized there was an add another device button. Tap this to add another node to your system. Plug in the node in another area of your home and the app does the work for you. Very simple and easy to do. Many will complain about using an app to control your home wifi but it works and it is easy to use. No real complaints for me. Also, having another node placed somewhere else in your home provides you another accessible hard wired Ethernet port for other devices. Great option. Performance: it does exactly what it is supposed to do. I have three nodes setup in my house that is 2000sqft. Yes, you may think this is overkill for the size of my house with the given specs of the syaytem, but I like to do a lot of yard work and play with my kids in and around the yard all while using my wifi to play music, stream videos, and use my cell phone. It works great!!! I have coverage in my entire yard outside which is just about a 1/4 acre. Now if you just want coverage in the house, 1 to 2 nodes will do just fine. The app comes with many diagnostic controls that help place and setup your nodes and also includes a speed test. I performed many speed test with the built in app and also with ookla speed test. Both recorded similar speeds and I was amazed of the speeds I was getting through my house with no dead spots. I am getting speeds of up to 117 Mbps download and 18 Mbps upload in my house. Out in the yard farthest from my house I have gotten up to about 35 Mbps download! Before setting up this system I was only getting less than half of this with the most powerful router Linksys had to offer with extenders plugged in! This Velop home wifi system lives up to the hype and I definitely recommend it if you are willing to spend the money for it. If you think about it, you will spend the same if not more for a router and multiple extenders.

Mesh routers are pushed as the solution to our wifi issues, promising better coverage and speeds over a single wireless AP (router). I have tried a few mesh solutions and Linksys may have one of the best currently available. The nodes (mesh points) are slender satin white towers with perforated backs and a status LED on top. Each node has two gigabit ethernet ports for wired connectivity. The ports can also be used for backhaul (node to node communication) connectivity between nodes, but I found the dedicated wireless backhaul Linksys uses works great. As opposed to some mesh solutions that use the same radios for both client and node communication, Linksys Velop uses a dedicated radio providing far better performance. In fact, this is the fastest home mesh solution I have used. The 3 pack Velop may have been overkill for my home (<2000sq ft), but I was able to use the third node to extend coverage to a detached garage. If you have a smaller home, you could probably get by with just two nodes. Using the Linksys app on your phone (which interfaces with the node via bluetooth) made the initial setup quick and easy. Configuring Velop using the app is also simple, you can quickly turn on Device prioritization and/or guest access. I found the parental controls lacking, you can manually block sites but can’t block categories, you can manually block internet access for a device but you can’t set up a schedule. Beyond this customization is fairly limited. You can’t configure QoS, setup VLANs, etc. Fortunately it does offer port forwarding and MAC filtering. Another issue I have with Velop (and most home mesh solutions) is the lack of bridging capability, meaning sophisticated users that run a firewall (pfsense) or a device that is performing NAT will be disappointed with Velop. I am not sure if this is a feature they can implement in the future but at this time Velop does not support a bridge configuration. If you don’t know why you would need to bridge a device, you probably don’t need to bridge Velop! In which case it makes a fantastic wireless solution. If the thought of setting up wireless routers makes you cringe and you are looking for an easy to install solution that will extend your wireless coverage throughout your home this is what you want.

Setup (3 node system) was easy. After about 2 hours, a node is alreday showing to be offline. Have reatarted twice with no luck. Bought it 3/26, installed 3/26.

Pros ________ Compact Easily blends into any part of the house allowing placement based on need instead of aesthetics Offers true mesh technology with automatic routing Separate backhaul channel to help keep speed between nodes higher Ports are universal so you don’t need to understand wan versus LAN or uplink versus bridge Cons ________ Device Prioritization (very basic QoS) has issues with higher internet speeds. Built in speed test can’t achieve the speed resulting in a low number. Subscribed speed cannot be manually entered to compensate No way to configure via a Windows computer of any sort. No website or app. Antennas seem weak as speed between nodes was not consistent. Only offers two ports per node Configuring via the app is slow. Between 12-15 minutes per node Limited advanced functionality (Port forwarding is offered but only device based prioritization) Antiquated, extremely basic, parental controls. You must manually enter URLs per device. No category based internet filtering. You are the parental controls No log to see what sites your kids are accessing to block easily No way to name the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands differently for legacy compatibility DHCP cannot be configured in any way or even turned off. Valid DHCP range not showing without using less than official means. LAN network address IP configuration is not adjustable without calling support. Stuck as 192.168.1.x. No option for reserving static IPs on the network Nodes cannot hardwired to allow faster speed and redundancy like a corporate mesh system. ________ Unlike regular mesh Wi-Fi, Velop cannot be used as just Wi-Fi while still being a mesh. This means in my case I have one unit sitting in closet in a less than ideal location. Corporate mesh Wi-Fi has an access point mode allow you to place the access points where they are needed most. The Linksys Velop system is intended to address one of the biggest problems old fashioned Wi-Fi systems encountered as internet speeds have increased and people start doing more online streaming. In a conventional system, Wi-Fi speed and strength drops the further you get away from the place where your internet comes into the house. By having multiple of what Linksys calls nodes spread throughout your house that work together the signal can be evenly spread everywhere allowing full strength and speed. This is a concept that has been around in the business sector for many years but was far too expensive and complicated for home use and the Velop intends to address this. Make no mistake, any consumer mesh Wi-Fi system today is going to be around $300 and up so you if you want good coverage and speed, regardless of manufacturer, you are going to have to spend more money. The best place for Wi-Fi is also out in the open so a traditional box with ugly antennas and wires won’t be tolerated. Just like many other solutions these nodes are designed to be placed in the open with minimal wiring and a more attractive design. Starting with setup things are different. You get three nodes that come with just a power cord. You get one Ethernet cable for your main node but that is it. If you need a local connection the bottom of each unit comes with two multi-purpose ports. They are not specifically designated and the system seems to know whether you are connecting the port to the internet, your network, or local device. It’s very convenient. If you have a fair number of wired devices you will need to purchase switches. In order configure your network, the process has been simplified. You install an app and just let it walk you through configuring and labeling each node. It will allow you to define where you put them, if the placement is ideal for signal, and then make sure the software is up to date on the node. There is one name for both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks and you can also define a guest network. Oddly, there no way to configure a separate name for the different bands so those of you with older Apple devices might run into trouble. The app is available for iOS and Android. Strangely, there is no way to configure this with a Windows computer. This is strange because devices such as Velop are often offered by computer consulting companies to small to medium business as a cheaper alternative to more expensive corporate equipment. These companies also typically do not want staff to have client information on their personal devices so not having a way to configure via their work computer is quite odd. This also leaves out anyone who opts either to have a different smartphone or has no smart phone. Not all hope is lost though as Linksys is open to customer feedback and I already asked to be added to the list of people asking for a Windows universal app. I can even imagine if they offered a Windows Universal app playing on the Xbox One and just telling Cortana to have Velop prioritize my Xbox One or even shut down access to all other devices so my gaming is not affected by anyone else. So many unique possibilities not being utilized. For now, this a glaring omission and my Xbox One and my Surface Pro have been rendered useless for this. It is software so maybe Linksys could think more outside the box and see the potential. Instead of traditional QoS (Quality of Service) this has what is called Device Prioritization. You can choose a device on your list and give it high priority but that is it. There are no options for prioritizing based on service or port. To activate device prioritization, you must run the integrated speed test which brings up a bug in the administration. If you have a higher internet speed, mine is at least 400Mbps, the speed test will not be able to give a full read of your internet speed. This means if you turn on the device prioritization it will artificially cut your speed down. In my case, it took my 400Mbps connection, read it multiple times as 150Mbps and limited my max speed to 150Mbps for any device. Turning off prioritization caused my speed to jump up to 315Mbps but node to node speed was inconsistent leading to tests showing speeds from 180Mbps to 330Mpbs. This replaced a competing mesh product that just came out recently, placed in the same area, that always produced consistent node to node speeds up near 400Mbps. Velop was unable to achieve full speed even with device prioritization off. Linksys Support is aware of the device prioritization issue and hopefully in the coming weeks and months a solution for this will be put in place. Ideally the speed test system should be upgraded but it would be even better if you could manually enter your internet speed for times like this when the integrated system just can’t keep up. I have already received a callback so Linksys is very keen on improving this. Normally with any Wi-Fi, including corporate mesh systems, you can configure your Wi-Fi as either the control for everything or just serve only as a mesh Wi-Fi access system. In the case of the Velop, it’s all or nothing. If you want to use Velop, you are going to have to make this your one and only system. There are no options to turn DHCP on or off or configure any static IPs. In fact, even under the advanced settings it doesn’t have anything about switching the address range used on your internal network. This presents a problem since many modern ISPs have their modem configured to use range 192.168.1.x, just like Velop. This causes routing problems as well as a security threat as the system has no way to know what is inside or outside your network. A call to support uncovered a less than official way to do this but the point is I shouldn’t have to. They are also aware of this and hopefully future updates will change the setup. If you are a gamer, looking for a mesh Wi-Fi add-on, want to have comprehensive parental controls, want QoS controls, need to have a different internal network besides 192.168.1.x, run internal static systems such as servers or NAS, or want to have a way to configure and administer the system via your computer then you are best to look elsewhere. It is an odd combination trying to cater to people who don’t want to mess with their Wi-Fi and want max speed and yet the people most likely to spend the money on the high-speed internet packages will most likely want much more control. Of course, this is a new system and these adjustments and abilities could be added in later versions of the software but currently, about the only thing this system offers is broad Wi-Fi coverage in an attractive package. Advanced users, gamers, and power users might want to look elsewhere or check back after future updates. It has A LOT of potential but the software is still extremely basic even when compared to basic routers. Who is this system most suited? If you mainly use Wi-Fi, want a system to cover your entire house regardless of size, and don’t care that there are almost no controls of any sort then this might be for you. Setup is about as simple and basic as it can get and for such people I recommend this product.

Linksys Velop WiFi Whole-Home 3-Node System The age of the giant, black, multi-legged insects up on the wall or perched on a high cabinet is already nearing its end. Of course, I’m referring to techy-looking, dinner-plate sized, 3,6,8 multi-antenna routers that began arriving in recent years to serve home networking. If the newest router from Linksys is a sign of what’s to come, sleek, but inconspicuous is now in and no one gets startled by shadows on the wall. (See photo) Like those serious-looking routers, today’s modern routers are all about multiple, wide, contention-free pathways for data, control signals, voice, and video in our HOMES and OFFICES. They just disappear nicely into the decor. At recent count I have 15 wireless WIFI clients including security cameras, phones, etc. I have another 17 devices hard-wired to my network, including AVRs, printers, TVs, BR players, etc. At least 50% of these electronics are switch hitters, allowing me to choose hardwired or wireless. With internet providers stepping up with gigabit speeds, our homes have become the bottleneck slowing everything down. This new Linksys Velop.is providing multiple lanes for data, some with higher speed limits, some with prioritized connections to our devices. The features sound technical, but simply stated: MIMO describes the multiple streams of data allowed by the multiple antenna, and with “beamforming”, data/video is sent directly to the end-user devices. The multiple protocols (b, ac, n, g) describe the different speed-limited pathways that are simultaneously available. All of the this accomplished using satellites that communicate with each other and the primary router with minimal setup aggravation and their own dedicated pathway so bandwidth isn’t wasted enabling the home network. These aren’t wishful-thinking theories. The proof of the design is in the setup and use of the devices. How does the VELOP set up? Wickedly easy. Download the App onto your phone. Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your iOS or Android phone. Follow the instructions. You will have no problem setting up one node in 10 to 15 minutes, ‘cause it’s your first time. The next nodes (if necessary or desired) are up and running in minutes. The Linksys App tests your connections, advises on inadvisable distances between nodes and measures the final speed you’re achieving. And it’s all real. My Wi-Fi analysis software proved the speed (130Mb/sec speed), matching exactly the TWC signal this evening at my service entrance. And, I established multiple 2.4GHz WiFi paths (one for each node - see photo) as well as multiple 5GHz pathways. The Velop found the least used channels in my VERY busy neighborhood. How does VELOP perform? I selected a network name exactly matching my previous network during my setup. My wireless devices ALL found their way onto this newly established 3 node network and ALL worked perfectly. Wired devices? Yes, they are accommodated, but here is the first fly in the soup. While you can place your cute routers anywhere, you need to consider those other ethernet wires coming out of the base which are required for WIRED devices. You’re probably going to need a switch to feed the theater room cabinet or your printers. The tension between decor and utility isn’t going away. Velop makes a nice contribution to both, but it only provides two ethernet connections per node, so a switch or two is required. Quick notes: You will not find a better management App which installs on your phone. It does everything! It uses non technical language! it doesn’t require a Web interface. I loved it. Using the App, you can prioritize 3 devices to achieve maximum throughput. It tests your network and shows speed (which matched my separate tests, exactly.) it allows for parental control over prohibited sites. The App allows for setting up a GUEST NETWORK. Other issues: I love to integrate new devices into my existing network, and maybe later move them into primary or secondary roles. Linksys Velop is not going to play nicely in this scenario. It MUST be the primary router, acting as the DHCP server on your network. In order for any of the setup activities to function, you plug the first node into the cabe from your Internet provider (modem). You can NOT set up Velop as a bridge, and it will not add on to another primary router. I sought help from the ALWAYS friendly and cooperative Linksys HELP LINE and they confirmed my observations. I’m a novice. I don’t doubt that advanced network folks can establish multiple networks and create more elaborate networks using Velop. Not me. Bottom line. if wireless devices are outnumbering the furniture in your home, forget about fishing ethernet wiring in the walls. There is little sacrifice in the Velop system, and it delvers exceptional speeds, everywhere in the easiest to use network system. For more elaborate networks using extensive hard wired ethernet, don’t confuse Velop with the extenders which are also available and may make more sense. END

I've tested, used, and owned many routers over the years, and I'll say this is the best one I've used to date. I had some setup issues, but do realize this was during a pre-release testing phase, and those issues seem to have been resolved as setup now works as it should. The setup of these units is very simple, step by step. The units are tall and have a small footprint, which is much appreciated. Gone are the days of need to have a large flat router box taking up 1/2 the desk. They are white, and have a decent look to them. I am not afraid to let them sit out in view, as they look like a cool electronic device, not a traditional router with antennas and such; there are no visible antennas on these units. These are programmed via the app, available for free. You create an account, and it walks you through the setup. Plug in the unit, connect to your router, and in a few minutes, it will confirm you are good to go. Then, you can add a "node" (or repeater as I would call it) to extend your network out further using only an AC outlet vs. having to run a network cable - the main unit plugs into your router with a network cable, but the additional nodes simply plug into an ac outlet. You add the nodes to extend your network, and the advertising says 3 units go out to a 6000 sq. ft. home, and I would not doubt this to be true even though I've been using this in a much smaller townhouse. I was getting signal throughout my 1500 sq. ft. townhouse, albeit not great, with a single unit. Once I added the 2nd node, the signal went very well throughout the entire house, and out into the street. Adding the 3rd node made this go way out past the house. Each of the nodes has two gigabit jacks; for the main unit you plug into the modem, one of those is used to plug into the modem, but for all the other nodes, you can use both of them to plug in devices and make them a wired connection, like for a gaming computer, or something without WIFI. During my testing, I found my FIOS service that delivers 80 Mbps up and down, and that the router is delivering this speed consistently, no matter how far away from the main unit. I can tell you that the example shown on the package, about how other units slow down as you move out to the further nodes, has happened to me. This Velop system seems to be the same speed, no matter which repeater that seems to be nearest. Note that this is a tri-band radio router as well, and you don't have to pick which frequency you want to be on; it will connect automatically based on your device's capability. The system also auto scans the channels to find the best choice given your environment and other things that might be interfering with the WIFI signal. This is a decent WIFI solution, probably for most people. It showed well at the CES show and has proven itself to me as worthy of the hype. Often times the hype doesn't live up to the product, but in this case, it does. The app has some built in cool features, like you can see all of the nodes, a speed test, guest access feature, parental controls, a way to prioritize 3 devices, can get notifications if the units fall off of the network, etc. All of this is just icing on a really nice cake! BestBuy has a great return policy, has great support, and knowledgable staff who can help you with your decision to give this a try. Other choices for a mesh network are somewhat limited, but it seems that Linksys has a handle on this and is providing a great solution.

The new Linksys Velop system is perfect for anyone needing to extend Wifi throughout the house without a hassle. I live in a 2700 square foot Victorian brownstone home that still has thick plaster walls. I have tried several other routers and extenders but NONE of them cut the mustard. My plaster walls kept my Wifi signal from extending throughout the entire house at an acceptable level. I pay for 300MB, I want 300MB...but until now, no luck. The Velop system has totally remedied this with the mesh style system that gets a full strength signal all over my home. I have the 3 node system and it covers the entire 2700 square feet with no problem. It's nice to get a full signal no matter where I am. The system is super easy to set up as well. The individual mini tower nodes are nice looking (color matches my modem) and meant to be placed out in the open, like on a shelf or counter top. You set up the nodes via the Linksys App and it gives you super simple, step-by-step instructions. It takes longer than I imagined to connect each node but just be patient..it works great once it's linked. I'd say the set-up is perfect for a first timer but experienced users will fly through it. The app offers some control/customization but not like a typical router. Don't expect to dive in into anything very technical here. Fortunately, I have not needed any of the extended functions that my previous router had. I just keep it simple. This Linksys app has all the essentials that really make a difference, like device prioritization, guest access, parental controls–plus basic administrative controls...I just use the firmware update function in that group. So keep in mind that this is a super easy system for anyone not needing advanced features but wants an easy, hassle-free path to whole home Wifi. I'm so glad I finally found a system that works!

Linksys VELOP Whole-Home Mesh Wi-Fi Network System Modular 3-Node Dynamic Tri-Band MU-MIMO Dual-Stream (2x2) Routers w/2 5GHz Bands & 1 2.4GHz Band Model: WHW0303/AC6600 GOOD FOR -4K Streaming -Gaming -Video Chats -Smart Home Products FEATURES -6 built-in antennas & high-powered amps -Auto-sensing network ports -Velop App w/Spot-Finder Technology: recommends best placement for additional nodes: reducing latency, maximizing throughput, & improving range/signal strength to deliver the best performance. -Linksys XConnect: ensures sensitive info like passwords are encrypted/secure when passed between nodes. -Each node dedicates one 5GHz band for ‘backhaul’ ops (node linking), preventing signal loss & the 50% efficiency drop caused by a band that’s otherwise required to both receive & rebroadcast signal simultaneously. -Integrates w/Amazon’s Alexa Virtual Personal Asst. to control your home network w/verbal commands, incl. toggling a Guest network on/off & requesting Wi-Fi networks' passwords, etc. -Seamless Wi-Fi: Velop’s signal hand-off allows you to roam w/a connected smartphone/tablet/laptop from 1 node to another & from 1 end of the house or office to the other w/o interruption. -Airtime/Device Prioritization/Load Balancing: allows multiple devices w/different Wi-Fi speeds to be treated uniquely, connecting each device at optimum speed so that faster devices transmit at faster speeds while slower devices don’t impede the speed of your Wi-Fi network. -Dynamic Channel Selection: At setup, the Velop App dynamically scans available channels to select the best combo of bands/channels for optimum performance. The Channel Finder feature automatically finds the best channels on demand to resolve congestion/interference issues created by competing Wi-Fi signals. -If any node loses connection to another node, the remaining nodes self-heal & re-establish Internet connection thru other nodes in the network. -Wi-Fi-linked nodes can also be linked together by Ethernet cables to eliminate signal loss/distance restrictions. -Auto Updates: Velop’s cloud service connection auto-monitors firmware status, conducting security/performance updates to prevent vulnerabilities from delayed manual firmware updates. Users can toggle off auto-update feature. PROS -Once into the App, setup is quick & easy. Uses Bluetooth to auto ID nodes to be setup & creates secure connection between mobile device & each node. Can set parental controls, guest network, & add & auto-fix nodes. -Strong, reliable, secure, seamless connectivity w/excellent signal strength, range, speed, & overall performance right to edge of network. No disconnects so far. -Expandability: I can continue to add more nodes to grow my mesh network, w/each node adding ~2k sq. ft. -Aesthetics: Attractive hi-tech design/form factor offers sleek/compact/minimalist modular system w/small footprint -Cable mgmt. system keeps excess wires out of sight for neat/clean look. -Customer Support: 24/7 -Warranty: 3-yrs. vs. several competitors’ 1-yr. warranty NEUTRAL The 3rd VELOP node is in some cases overkill & likely needed only if you have a very large or multi-story home. Our humble abode did fine w/just 1 node (up to ~2k sq. ft.), & most homes can be easily blanketed w/impressive speeds w/just 2 nodes (up to ~4k sq. ft.). 3 nodes can cover up to ~6k sq. ft. CONS -It would be helpful & would save A LOT of time if the instructions made clear the necessity of logging out of your established Linksys acct. when replacing an existing Linksys Router. You have to create an entirely new acct. w/Linksys’ Velop router. Instructions should also advise that you’ll need your ISP settings, Username & Password BEFORE disconnecting your current setup as part of an “Items Needed” checklist prior to set up. -Access/Navigation: Unfortunately, the Velop router can’t be accessed by PC. It can only be accessed via the new Velop Android or iOS App. I’d prefer to be able to login to a Linksys web-based interface via my PC, as I did w/my Linksys EA-9500/AC5400 MU-MIMO Router. With Velop, I’m forced to use Linksys’ mobile app which I find harder to navigate & less user friendly overall. Case in pt.: For security reasons, I don’t like storing/accessing important passwords/logins via my smartphone. I have a long, secure, unmemorizable Linksys acct. login password which I always cut & pasted via my PC whenever I accessed my Linksys EA-9500 router. But I no longer enjoy the same ease of login or security via the Velop smartphone app. A full-size browser window & a real keyboard is far more convenient than tapping away on a tiny smartphone. And the Linksys web-based interface for the EA9500 offered a much better display of all my options for easy adjustability/fine-tuning of my Wi-Fi network settings vs. having to drill down & search thru menus on the Velop mobile app. -Connectivity: I’ve had major problems w/the Velop router re: printer sharing. The 2nd Velop node easily connects a 2nd desktop computer in a 2nd home office on the network, but the HP LaserJet printer that’s hardwired to that computer isn’t found/displayed. I still can’t even see that printer on the network even though the node easily finds & connects to a nearby HP Inkjet printer. This was never a problem w/the Linksys EA-9500/AC5400 Router. -Parental Controls: These allow you to restrict access to inappropriate content, control usage, & block specific devices from accessing the Internet. But poor design of the app limits some features to very basic usage. -Ports: Only 2 Ethernet ports per node can be very inconvenient. You can use a switch w/the Velop to expand the # of ports, but this defeats the node’s small footprint concept. There’s also no USB port for printer or storage. -AC Power Adapter: The oversized white square adapter measures nearly 2½” x 2 ½”. Even when using 1 of the offset/gapped sockets on my APC power strip/surge protector, this brick obscures access to the next closest socket. -Aesthetics: Each node’s mini-tower is white. I’d prefer an option in basic black &/or other colors to allow for color matching/blending w/individual room décor. For example: all the tech/telecom hardware in my home office, den, & study is in business black; so, the white mini-tower sticks out like a sore thumb.

No matter where I placed my previous router, there was always a “dead spot” somewhere in my house. It was usually my master bedroom, on the far end of the house. I tried using a repeater, but my phone seem to hold onto the main router’s WiFi even if it was down to 1 bar, despite the repeater’s WiFi being readily available. So what is this “mesh networking”? It turned out to be the perfect solution for me. PROs + Mesh networks cover a wide area seamlessly: With traditional routers, your phone only connects at one point in the house. The signal degrades the further you get away from your router. With this mesh network, there are now 3 points my devices can connect to. So if I wonder to another portion of the house, my phone or laptop automatically connects to the strongest point, because to that device, it looks like one large network. Or if something causes interference at one point (microwave switched on, Bluetooth speaker in use, etc), there are 2 other points my device can connect to. + No multiple networks with repeaters: Many WiFi devices do not “handoff” smoothly from a router to a repeater. For example, if your phone connects to your main router when you get home, but you then wonder away from it, your phone will try to maintain that connection to the router, even though the stronger signal from your repeater is available, as to not interrupt your WiFi connection. Also, going through each “repeater” cuts your bandwidth in half, since the repeater needs to first talk to the main router, then turn around and pass that data to your device. With mesh networking, your house is blanketed with one large continuous WiFi “blanket”. Even though there are 3 points, your phone only “sees” one network, so handoff is not an issue. + Easy setup: With the Linksys app, you can easily configure the nodes thanks to Bluetooth. You don’t even need to mess with your phone’s WiFi settings when setting up the system. CONs - There is no web interface for the Velop: All settings must be made in the app. This is likely fine for most people and the app lets you configure some advanced features like Port Forwarding (for gaming and IP cameras) and MAC filtering (to restrict devices connecting to your network). However, one feature that is missing from the app that I typically use with my routers is DHCP Reservations. Hopefully Linksys will add this in a future update. - Few Ethernet Ports: Each node has two Ethernet ports available, except the first node where one port is used to connect to your modem. If you like to connect your devices via Ethernet, you’ll likely need to purchase a network switch to expand the number of available Ethernet ports. The Linksys Velop has worked great in my home. I now get a solid connection anywhere in my home, as if I was sitting right beside the router. I can stream in HD in my bedroom where previously I would have buffering and interruptions. Setup was easily accomplished using the app on my smartphone, with easy to follow instructions. There are a few limitations that “power users” may miss, but for most consumers, the Linksys Velop provides a solid connection throughout the entire house.