Linksys Velop WHW0301 Tri-Band Whole Home Mesh WiFi 5 System (AC2200) WiFi Router, Extender & Booster up to 2000 sq ft Coverage for 20+ Devices with 2 Gigabit Ethernet Ports, MU-MIMO - 1 Pack, White

I thoroughly researched the market before buying this product, looking at improving WiFi coverage around the house and finally decided to order the set of three units (AC6600). This system is a bit unusual and as a result some people, even those with network configuration experience, may find themselves confused when they set it up. I read several reviews complaining about what you cannot do with this system, however I found that it works very well for my needs and in my opinion it can satisfy the needs of most average users. So here is how it works: First of all, this system is not a modem and has to be connected to a device that can function as a modem, connect to the internet, acquire a public (WAN) IP address and then allocate a local (LAN) IP address to the mesh network. Most, if not all, the modems/routers supplied by the usual internet providers can do this. If you are looking at buying this product, you most likely already have a modem and WiFi router at home. To connect the Velop, just follow the incredibly basic and simple instructions. Essentially the process consists of creating an account with the manufacturer, download an app to your mobile phone or tablet (I use both the Android and Apple versions and they both work seamlessly), connect one of the three bases to the modem/router with the provided network cable and follow the process as instructed. One key element is to be patient and once the first base is configured, adding the other bases to create the mesh network is straight forward. Note that the Velop will create its own WiFi network, separate to the WiFi network provided by the existing modem/router. Most likely the modem/router will create the usual LAN with a 192.168.x.x IP range, whereas the Velop will create its own LAN with a 10.120.x.x IP range. Anyone with even just a basic networking experience knows that the two networks WILL NOT communicate with each other so there is no point in keeping, for example, a printer linked to the modem/router and a computer linked to the Velop network as you won’t be able to print. For either network to work as intended all devices have to be connected to the same network. The best thing to do once everything is configured, is to switch the old modem/router’s WiFi network off and just use the Velop network – you will never look back! It goes without saying that if the Velop has to work completely wirelessly, the bases MUST be able to communicate with one another and therefore be within their WiFi range. They do not necessarily have to communicate with the unit directly plugged into the modem/router, so long as there is a path to it, such as: base 1 connected to the modem/router, base 2 connected to base 1, base 3 connected to base 2. In this case base 2 will bridge the connection between bases 3 and 1; meanwhile all three bases will provide WiFi connection locally to them and roaming from one base to the others will be seamless. The system can work even if the bases are not in each other’s wireless range so long as you can connect them via a cable or via power line adapters. Once you have configured everything, you will have a great network able to provide high speed connection (subject to your internet provider’s maximum bandwidth). This system allows a lot of settings such as various WiFi configurations and options, parental control, device bandwidth prioritisation, remote monitoring of the home network via the app and online account, DHCP or manual settings, port forwarding (single and range), uPnP, MAC filters, separate WiFi guest network, etc.. I know there are people who are not happy about creating an account or having to use an app (though in fact you can also use a browser on any computer), however all taken into account this is by far the best network I have ever had at home and I had no problems to configure it to meet my needs. So much so that I bought another two units. I am now running a mesh network with 5 units in total, which covers the whole house with no gaps, plus a sizeable area around it. A real five-star network that you'll be happy with.

WHW0303 Whole Home Started off by watching a couple of YouTube videos re the set-up of the Velop system; download the Linksys App, IoS in my case, connect the first node to your modem or router, power on follow the app instructions, set-up the other 2 nodes in the same app session, in the same room then relocate them around the home as required. Worked pretty much flawlessly (app did hang when finalizing node 2, had seen this mentioned online so closed the app, restarted app and it carried on from where it left off). Point to note, be fairly patient it does take a couple of minutes for the setup to c I used WiFi Sweetspots app to measure the device to node WiFi speed; most other apps I have tried check the broadband speed so this app was very useful. Quick note I have both IoS and Android phones; on the Android app the WiFi signal strength in dBm is displayed, not on the IoS version. My setup has Node 1 as router into BT fibre modem, node 2 hardwired via ethernet via a couple of switches Node 3 pure wireless. I now have excellent coverage over a 2 storey house; Node 1 centrally upstairs 2 nodes downstairs. In the same room as a node I now get about 480Mbps, to lowest of about 180Mbps furthest from any node. A great improvement over my previous 2.4GHz only AP. Nodes are proving to be very reliable / stable after a couple of months use. Linksys app is very good allowing you to see what is connected, rename devices so you can readily see what is connected. You can choose 3 devices to have priority; I have chosen my BT small cell, Google hub and an iPad. Also have 13+ Meross plugs and switches attached (2.4GHz only) swapped straight over no issues (I called my new network the same as the previous BT hub, and same password). Have subsequently added more and connected straight away no issues. I also used the Linksys wall mounts, a bit pricey but work well and match the units. On the back of this experience I purchased another for my son; 3 story house, Sky router and Q on the ground floor, seemless setup (1 room at the same time) then distributed 1 per floor; top floor went from 2Gbps, 20s responses to internet queries to 450Gbps, instant responses. Top floor node also connected to network switch and PCs, printer, laptops etc. Turned the Sky WiFi off, but kept the sky router as DHCP controller (easily sorted during app set-up). Works a treat. Recommended; easy setup; ethernet or bridge WiFi; 5Ghz backbone; stable; excellent throughput; good app.

*Have updated again at the bottom* *Have now returned it, updated with reasons why below* Let me preface this by saying that I know my way around technology, I know my spanning tree from from my VLAN's, my preferred way to configure a router is via a command line, I've built Linux servers from source code (Linux From Scratch) and have been an IT specialist for over 20 years, in other words I generally know what I'm doing and am not usually beaten by technology. These devices made me want to throw them at the wall and then put the remains back into the box and ship them back to Amazon. The first node configured without a hitch, the app saw it, I configured it, the firmware updated, everything was good in the world. The second node kept getting as far as having joined the network, then the app would say it was testing to see if the location was optimal, then the whole thing would finally fail and ask me to restart the process. I tried again about 4 times, then I factory reset the second node and tried again, then I moved the node so that it was only about a foot away from the first node and tried again, every time I had the same issue. Then I thought that maybe the second node was faulty and tried to configure the third node. The third node did exactly the same and would fail when it was detecting if the location was optimal. I then factory reset the third node and reconfigured it as if it was a brand new setup, this worked fine and allowed me to update the firmware. I then factory reset it (thinking that now it had the latest firmware maybe that would fix the problems), this time it failed at roughly the same point but with a different message and the light on top was red. I tried to add it again and then had the same issue. I then tried turning off every node and restarting just the master node again. This rebooted fine just as expected. I then tried powering on the third node and adding it again, it worked! I then moved the third node to it's proper location and it still seemed to work. I then tried to add the second node again and it again failed where it did the other times, however I did note the light on top was solid blue which the things I could find online said meant it was working fine. At this time I was tired and frustrated and decided I would pick it up again in the morning. Two hours later just before I was about to go to bed, on a whim I decided to check the Linksys app, and was surprised to see all the nodes were listed, all were shown as being updated to the latest firmware and all said they were working fine. I've now done some tests and can say that the speed and coverage is awesome. 4K direct rip content streams perfectly from my plex server, I'm getting at least 200mbits from every device when testing my internet connection, local network transfers are blindingly fast, I'm getting no drop outs anywhere. Basically, setting these devices up is one of the most frustrating technology experiences I've ever had, but once you actually get them working they are truly superb. *Update 19/12/17* Other than providing whole house WiFi, one of my other requirements was to be able to wire in certain devices such as my NAS for home media serving. I kept noticing that may connections to my media server would keep disconnecting with no seeming reason, so on the assumption that maybe the node serving the top of the house was maybe having signal issues, I then purchased an additional two node Velop system so that I could place one node in the center of the house and use the other node at a future point. Unfortunately this didn't make any difference, and infact, although initially the two furthest nodes would show as connected to the new mid point node, after a few hours they would go back to being connected to the master node. After some more investigation, I kept noticing that the network connection on my media server would every now and then (a few times an hour) show "Link Disconnected" and then a minute or so later "Link Connected" on the Ethernet connection. Thinking that maybe it was the ethernet cable, I switched it out for a brand new one with no difference. I then tried it connected to a gigabit managed switch, with no difference, I then swapped the satellite node with another one to see if maybe it was the node that was faulty, no difference. I also noticed that once I disconnected the Ethernet connection from the Xbox in the living room from the node in there and configured it to just use the WiFi, suddenly the intermittent lags and drop outs in online games disappeared. I spent about 5 hours on the phone with Linksys technical support and they could barely actually understand what the problem I was trying to convey was, let alone fix it. In the end I was forced to return this product and have now installed a 3 node Netgear Orbi RK50. The Orbi isn't as fast on the WiFi, but it was literally up and running in under 30 minutes and everything just works. *Update 23/03/19* After a friend of mine deploying a three node Velop system and swearing by it with the more recent firmware updates, when I moved recently I decide to give it another try. It now is superb. I've deployed a four node mesh in my new home and it's been working awesomely. Deployment was an ease, adding a repeater node out of range of the primary node worked without a hitch and the whole system flies.

Firstly, this is not intuitive to set up. It is imperative that you start with a full charge on your phone as the process of frequent checking and needing the screen on requires a lot of juice. The instructions provide loads of tips but nothing answers basic beginners’ questions, online, in the system manual or anywhere else. If you want to speak to someone who knows what they are talking about you may find you may have to wait some hours for a call back. Sadly, I didn’t call them until I’d spent a day re-configuring everything because it didn’t seem to work. I called them the following day, was told to wait 4 hours for a call back, at which time I gave it one last try, and hallelujah, it worked. The whole procedure is slow and tedious. It doesn’t seem to matter if your phone goes into standby or not during the procedure, you just cannot see what is happening. You could stop your phone going into standby at all, but this will use even move battery power and anyway, the process will work or it won’t work. It seems to be a lot about luck. I also found that the app touch sensitivity can be flaky (I don’t have this problem with any other apps on my phone). Sometimes it just responds to touch very slowly, but when you give up waiting and touch twice, it moves on 2 steps (the missed one may be crucial). It takes ages to locate a node from the app (which node, who knows, but presumably the new node you are adding). This is even when the phone is directly beside the new node. To see what is happening, you must check frequently, bringing your phone back out of standby each time. I have a four-bedroom house and am glad I purchased the three-node pack, reduced in the Prime sale on 11 June. Previously, over the last 7 years I have used Wi-Fi booster plug ins from TP Link and later from BT and Netgear when the TP Link ones proved to have a short life. I still use the wired versions for two TVs and my husband’s PC for a fast and reliable connection, rather than using the Wi-Fi unnecessarily. I would still recommend the latter for devices that are permanent fixtures. You do need the app to set up the system and add nodes, but you can also log in with the same username and password to the Linksys Smart Wi-Fi where there is much more information and, from a desktop PC, the system is much easier to administer. I have shown a couple of illustrations for this. Click any of the icons on the left to open the corresponding popup window, one of which is shown. Click the big left pointing chevron > to close the popup. In conclusion, this is expensive and, contrary to the blurb, is certainly not easy to set up. It takes patience and concentration, which gets tricky when you get bored stiff. Better documentation would be helpful. As a software technical author, I know I would do it differently. However, I can now walk around my house and watching the Wi-Fi indicator on my phone I can see it changing from node to node whichever provides the strongest signal unlike the Wi-Fi boosters I have used before that you need to select in relevant locations. I am glad I bought this system and if it lives a good long time, I will feel that I’ve had my money’s worth. I also don't have my husband moaning at me about having to select a different network when he's upstairs or in the den.

My Netgear R9000 finally gave up the ghost and going back to Virgin's Superhub 3 was not an option due to the extreme limited functionality of that router. I'd been quite excited about the idea of mesh WiFi coverage for some time and had read plenty of reviews of folks using different products. The Velop system came up as a deal with Amazon at the right time, so I decided to give it a try. Set up is a breeze, just download the app and follow the instructions therein. It's pretty foolproof and we were up and running and online in a matter of minutes. I would imagine that most folks would be very happy to use the app to control their network but further functionality can be had from accessing the router via WebUI. As consumer units go, the web interface is user friendly and easy to navigate although some glaring omissions seem to have been made by the vendor, namely the inability to backup configuration settings (this was available on earlier versions of the software, but was pulled on a recent update). This may be a deal breaker for folks with complex config requirements though! So far, so good. Then the problems began; WiFi started to drop for no reason, and this became more frequent as time went on. Then we had issues where the 3 of us couldn't be streaming videos at the same time (on paper, this should not have been a problem at all) and then we started having WAN connectivity issues, and we would go offline briefly with our ISP. All the above problems were fixed with reboots, but this needed to be done too frequently and our autistic son found the constant lack of connectivity very stressful. Amazon were very good and arranged a replacement unit after about 6 months of these problems (in this time, I had also had several conversations with Linksys tech support about my issues, but most of them weren't very helpful nor knowledgeable). The new unit brought more of the same and if anything, had worse performance than the first; during the heatwave in June ‘18 it would just stop working for tens of minutes at a time, this despite the temperature being nowhere near the 40° ceiling the manufacturers claimed. The second unit has now gone back to Amazon and I've been running a single Unifi access point with a PFSense router since. Unifi’s stated WiFi speeds are somewhat slower than both Linksys and Netgear manufactures claims, but in reality is much faster and has a much greater range. The best part is that in the 3 weeks since installing this system, it hasn't gone down once and I've not had to endure a screaming, angry child because he can't watch his latest YouTube video 5-10 times a day! Happy days :-)

I bought the Velop 2-node system to replace my Virgin Media hub 2AC/3 due to poor WiFi coverage in my house. First point to note for those customers with Virgin Media, i recommend downgrading from the Hub 3.0 to the 2AC as the 3.0 is plagued with issues. Your next step will be to set the hub to modem mode (accessed through 192.168.0.1). My setup is as follows: Virgin Hub 2AC (Modem Mode) -----> 1st Node -----> 5 port Gigabit Switch (Virgin V6 box, TV, PS4 etc) | 2nd Node (connected via wireless) With my old setup I could get my full 200mb service in my living room, around 100mb in the master bedroom and roughly 1-8mb/s elsewhere in the house due to a number of thick walls. On the new system I get around 200-220mb/s in every corner of the house which is a marked improvement! The system automatically shifts my device from node to node as i move around the house to maintain 100% signal strength without my connection dropping. Due to the strong coverage, my wireless devices remain on the faster 5Ghz band at all times with the exception of smart home devices that only have 2.4Ghz capabilities. To manage the WiFi system the Linksys Smart WiFi app is required from the Play Store and quickly enables you to play around with all the settings you'd expect from a traditional router including parental controls and device prioritisation. If you have WiFi issues in your home, I recommend the Velop system as it is quick to set up, the coverage is great, the nodes are unobtrusive and the quick control by the app is great. Furthermore the system is future proofed in the sense that it is capable of dealing with speeds way beyond what is currently available from ISPs and if you were to move to a larger home, another node can simply be added on to provide that further coverage.

So, it's hard to review these and be fair. Once setup I'm very happy with the WIFI performance, and the ability to monitor on your phone etc. The problem was in the initial setup. Lucky I know enough to manually config the units and get them working. The first master unit was dead easy to configure and I had the setup and WIFI running in just a few minutes, but the issue comes with trying to connect an additional unit.You go through the process and it all seems to be going well but always fails on the check at the end of the process with some standard error. (Google setup issue, and this looks to be very common). I tried adding a 2nd unit directly wired to my lan, on WIFI, and directly connected to the master and had the same error in all cases. After much frustration I figured you can ignore this check at the end of the setup and leave the unit in that partly configured state - you can then log into the Master's web interface to tweak the rest of the setup. Took me 5 hours of messing around to get the 3 node network up and working (2 wired, 1 WIFI). Only problem now is that the WIFI connected unit gives a bit of a problem if you need to restart the master, as it never reconnects itself. Give it a power cycle and it connects right away. Hope that's something that might get fixed with a future FW update. btw I have raised this with Linksys support. So, in summary, I'm happy with the performance, but it took much longer to get everything running. I did not try calling Linksys support during the setup, so maybe they have some well documented method for initial setup - who knows.

We have a modern 4 bed house where the router is in a corner of the home in the living room. Not good for wifi and with regular drop outs occurring in video conferences and slow throughput for photo and video editing of our NAS drive based media collection - a solution was needed. So, having read the reviews I decided on this instead of the powerline systems we had before that worked well for 6 to 12 months then failed. We are on a 350MB fibre connection and our ISP tells us we use 25TB of data annually so the Velop system has work to do. Drop outs were occurring when the household was running three zoom meetings at same time while watching netflix concurrently, thanks to COVID-19. Also note, I have no networking know how at all. In a nutshell, this system was simplicity itself to set up, is reliable, our slowest speed in the house is now 220MB/s and same down the garden, and all the living room tech (Smart TV, TV box, games console and NAS) are connected to an ethernet switch which is plugged into the first node and it works great. Most importantly the connection is rock solid. It all works absolutely perfectly and management through the app is a breeze. Tips: 1. Put your router in Modem mode before you start. So easy, even I could do it! 2. Plan to put the second unit in the room next to the 1st, if you can, to get a fast back haul (our second node is in the room above the first node and there is then a jump across the house - we have solid walls downstairs and stud walls upstairs) 3. Do NOT plug a Sonos device into the ethernet on a satellite node to set it up - use the main router node, then move it unless you enjoy pulling your hair out. 4. I have covered the LED on a bedroom unit with two layers of white electrical tape to cut down light (you can't turn them off) and it looks fine and works well for me in cutting light at night. 5. I used a free wifi analyser app on my phone to measure what speed I could get in various places in the home when deciding on placement of satellites. The Linksys app tells you the placement is "great" when there is a good signal of say 200MB/s but a bit of searching meant the satellite nodes could be placed with 560MB/s connections in our house. Obstacles like solid walls, airing cupboards and random black spots make a big difference. Hope this helps.