Linksys Velop Mesh Home WiFi System, 4,500 Sq. ft Coverage, 30+ Devices, Speeds up to (AC1300) 1.3Gbps - WHW0103

I’ve been using this system for about a month now and it’s been running very well (aside from some modifying my setup – luckily for most people noting too technical). My speeds have gone up from when I had a 4 year old LinkSys Wi-Fi router (middle of the road, $200-$250 model at the time) from about 15-18MbpS to about 30-35MbpS (we’re paying for 50MbpS – fastest available in my neck of the woods). The largest plus is that you only have to wire one unit (your primary) to your modem. The others just need a Wi-Fi signal and act as good signal boosters. Installation is easy, too. Install the app and log in, connect the primary to your modem, plug it in and turn it on then follow the prompts in the app – this process takes about 30 minutes. Adding additional nodes is very easy, plug it in, turn it on, then add the device in the app, this takes about 10-15 minutes (most of the time is waiting for it to boot up and self-configure). Each node also has 2 RJ-45 ports to wire a device (your primary will only have one available, though). Plan ahead with any devices that may need a wired connection. I think my home is larger than the average home and we will be good with 4 (and it’s a little oddly set up). I think the average home will need 2-3 – but my suggestion below will help you see how many you’ll need). I do have some suggestions, though: First, plan ahead. Get an app that measures Wi-Fi signals (I use Netgear’s Wi-Fi Analytics – but that’s only available for Android) and measure your signal around the house (maybe even draw a map and your measurements). I wouldn’t recommend putting a node anywhere you get a signal lower than -65 dBm (we’re dealing with negatives, so -80 is worse or weaker, -60 is better or stronger). If your initial measurements show an area (or more) that is less than -70 dBm then remeasure after putting your nodes in. Install your primary then take measurements to see where they should go, using your map as a guide for weak signals (don’t worry if areas show a weaker signal, this can be normal). Don’t be afraid to move the nodes, once they’re connected to your network you won’t need to re-add them. Second, allow them room to breathe. Don’t put then in an enclosed area, they can overheat and can result in loss of connectivity (I had this issue – one didn’t have ventilation and was losing its signal constantly, I moved it just a few feet to an open area and it’s been a lot better). Third, and this is just good networking practice, set any network printers to a static IP (or, preferably a reservation in the network). This will help with some stability in the long run. Fourth, run the firmware updates as soon as you have your network set up. This is another good practice. Their mobile app is good but missing some features that their old management software had (like usage by device). Hopefully LyynkSys will update it. (Note: I did not rate their tech support because I did not contact them).

I've got this setup only on my main level and the wifi signal reaches strongly everywhere in my basement. Strangely for this and my old Nighthawk(refused to connect to the satellites anymore no matter what I did) system it replaced neither can connect to their satellites through the floor, but these provide a much stronger signal for wifi down there than the Nighthawk system ever did. I'm not a fan of the app on these devices(in general, not specifically Linksys) and prefer the web interface which thankfully this still lets you use it. I do like that it notifies me through the app though if a node goes down (so far only caused by my daughter turning off the surge protector).

Update; 8/4/2020 Still just as good as my 2 previous updates. However, for last few weeks I’ve been experiencing the WiFi goin out approx 2-3 x a day. I’m leaning more towards the cable modem is causing it. I’ve been on the phone with cust service both with Linksys as well as Optimum who is my provider. I believe they are goin fiber optic soon and have a bad feeling that I’m in for some really bad issues....I’ll keep ya posted. Update : 5/16/2020: Still kicks butt, by far BEST WIFI IVE HAD... My older Linksys WiFi Router, (and extender) which I’d say was approx 2-3 yrs old had just gotten progressively slower over the past few months, due to 5 iPhones in my house, 2 laptops, 2 Mac PC’s, wireless printer, Xbox 1, Xbox 360, Play Station 2, 3, 4, etc. I could no longer stand my kids screaming the Wi-Fi sucks. etc etc...lol. ANYWAY, I had had enough & spoke to a buddy of mine who’s really into this “stuff” so to say, and he has about the same amount of wireless devices at his home as well. He did all the research,..( hee hee hee, not me..) and he purchased the same router and told me to get “this one”. Like I said, it’s only been a week, but so far so good. All is well with the kids now..!!..lol...They are soooo happy that I finally got around to buying a new router. There gaming is working fine, as it’s supposed to, our iPads & phones are also working as they should. I will update this review in another few weeks (...IF SOMEONE COULD REMIND ME..!!..). I feel very confident that the review will stay positive. *** UPDATE 11/4/19 *** STILL the best WiFi I ever had. Works perfectly. Had to contact cust.service for a minor issue and the rep was extremely helpful & had the issue fixed in no time...!!....would DEF recommend...!!....AAA+++

Goal: to eliminate all dead WiFi zones in my home. We have tried multiple routers and a WiFi repeater without success in obtaining 100% signal coverage. Summarized result: all dead zones within the 1600 square foot (ranch-style) home were eliminated. Some outdoor locations where I would like to also have a signal still have dead zones, pending additional tests over the coming days. House specs: 1,600 square feet, ranch-style, single story home, 4 bedrooms attached garage. House is long and narrow, adding to some signal challenges. 3 node setup. Primary node (node 1) is hard-wired via Cat 6 to home network in a guest bedroom that is in the center of the house. 2nd node (21 feet away, signal passes through one wall) is in the living room nearest to the garage wall. 3rd node (25 feet away, signal passes through 1 wall) is in 2nd bedroom for coverage to the master suite and that bedroom at far end of house. Wireless devices connected: 14. Initial Setup: I followed the 'quick guide' setup and was successful out of the gate with 2 of the 3 nodes setting up properly. I used a smart phone (iPhone) and the Linksys App to do the setup. The 3rd node struggled in the auto-configuration, resulting in a blinking red (no connection) issue and unable to be recognized by the iPhone. I did the recommended reset and the device came back online and configured properly. Be aware that there will be a step in the process where the device will go to a blinking red state when it finishes its final configuration and then come back online. I recommend setting up all 3 nodes in the same room to start so that they are configured, then moving the secondary nodes to the desired locations, observing signal strength. First test cycle scenario (5/16/18): router mode, running its own DNS server and connected to a Frontier FIOS router. Frontier's router is proprietary, so typically one has to use it, unless you decide to be creative or purchase an officially supported one. Yep, this means 2 routers on the network at present, but the IP address ranges are completely different to avoid collisions. The Linksys has faster processors than the FIOS router, so my expectation is that it will route traffic more effectively, although this is TBD. I chose this configuration as it will be common for many homes where one node serves as hard-wired, with the 2nd and 3rd nodes simply being plugged into the wall and obtaining their internet from the primary node wirelessly. Results of 5/16 test cycle: 1) Garage signal test. My first location of the 3rd node had a signal drop off that was unacceptable for use in the garage at my workbench where I am typing this review. I moved the node to a different location on the same wall and achieved an acceptable signal in the garage. My speculation is that the prior location faced the challenge of sending a signal through additional cabinetry and a garage wall where the main electrical panel for the home is located (electromagnetic interference). 2) Living room signal test. Performance acceptable. 3) Walking down the hall test. I had one brief moment (2 seconds) where the signal dropped when my iPhone switched between nodes, but it came back online. 4) All other rooms (bedrooms, bathrooms, front porch, back porch) receive an acceptable signal. 5) Unplug one of the nodes test. I unplugged a node while streaming video on a laptop and it automatically switched to the nearest node without dropping the connection. Overall, I am pleased thus far with performance.

Easy to set up & amazing. We live in a 2k sq ft house plus 1,800 sq ft garage and these are perfect for connecting our security cameras, and WiFi in all areas of the house. The speed and coverage since adding these has been 💯

It appears that the majority of people who set these up have success, but a sizeable minority never get them to work correctly. I, unfortunately, am in that minority of users. I first bought a 3-pack, and though they seemed to work fine, because of the odd layout of my house, I decided to buy another 2-pack bringing my total number of nodes to 5. The good part first: the setup was easy and intuitive. The Linksys phone app is pretty great and easy to use. The WIFI COVERAGE (as opposed to internet delivery) is perfect. In every corner of my 3,000 square foot house, and all of my exterior cameras, doorbells, etc., all show a perfect or near perfect wifi signal. Velop has wifi coverage absolutely NAILED. The bad: The system constantly dropped internet service to various devices. It was notably worse with devices running iOS (apple TV's, iPhones, iPads), but it happened on everything. To be clear, the wifi signal was solid, but when trying to load a webpage or other content, the browser would say "internet connection error." This would get maddening after awhile. I updated firmware, ran the channel finder, and did everything a fairly tech-competent person would do. I even had my ISP (Centurylink 86Mbs DSL) bring out a brand new DSL modem. And yet, the issues persisted. At this point I called Linksys' special Velop customer service. They are available 24/7, they make appointments with you, and you speak to someone who is generally highly competent. This part was great. The problem is that each called lasted over an hour, and each time they had me running intricate ping tests between nodes, etc. Each time they would tell me that the nodes were communicating fine (which I already knew -- because the coverage was great). Then they would try to blame it on the modem. SO then they would spend 30+ minutes running tests on my modem only to confirm that the problem had nothing to do with the ISP or the modem. Then they would "escalate" me to a higher level of customer service who would call me the next day and go through the same process again. Over and over. I burned up over 7 hours with customer service, and still no resolution. Linksys refused to simply replace the nodes under warranty (which would be a very simple and efficient way to determine if it was the nodes causing the issue). Instead, they expected me to waste countless more hours of my life running remote diagnostics. Now I am outside the return window and stuck with a very expensive system that is basically worthless. I finally gave up. My time and sanity are worth more than this garbage. I bought a Google Mesh system, and so far it works fine right out of the box. If you search the internet, you will find quite a few people posting about this issue and coming to the same conclusion -- customer service is nice and reliable, but they will waste hours of your time and run you around in circles with no resolution. Save the headaches. Buy a better system.

Purchased this in the early part of 2022 to replace a traditional wi-fi router as our access point is on the far side of our house. Product was fairly easy to set up following the direction in the app. Product worked well at first but since has started having connection issues. The router will indicate there is no internet connection however, the modem tells a different story. Its almost as if the system locks up temporarily. I've tried pinging the router through CMD during these episodes and will receive either packet delivery failure to no response even though my PC show is am connected to the system. It also seems to be very device dependent on what will work and what wont. In terms of the app, its ok. It does not allow you to manual adjust the channels and has locked out a few other features that would likely help solve the issue above. Almost as if Linksys has made it to user friendly. Providing an advanced options sections for manual adjustment would have been nice. Unfortunately, as I work from home on occasion, an unreliable internet source is not acceptable. Lock ups happen sporadically and take several minutes, if not longer, to resolve. I'll be replacing this with another product. I would return this if i was able.

These help with the WIFI dead spots in our home. My daughter had a hard time in her room with connections and this solved that problem. They were a little tricky to set up but I watched some YouTube and googled some answers and finally got it done