Linksys Velop

“Setup and configuration is done via an app that guides you through each step of the process and it’s so straightforward that even less technical LINKSYS.COM/AU A mesh networking kit that focuses on ease-of-setup.

We’ve tested a batch of mesh networking kits in APC this year — a new take on how to solve the old problem of wireless dead spots. With its Velop range, Linksys has prioritised simplicity. Setup and configuration is done via an app for iOS or Android that guides you through each step of the process and it’s so straightforward that even less technical users will be able to get up and running.

Instead of being a package of a router and wireless extenders, each Velop unit is a router that can operate independently. These Velop ‘nodes’ are tall and white, favouring minimalism, with holes in the side to act as heat exhausts. The lean array of ports — just two Gigabit Ethernet ports per node, with no extras like USB ports — are hidden from view in the base of the unit, with a small gap in the side to feed cables through.

When you first turn on one of the nodes, the app uses Bluetooth to configure basic settings, creating and securing a wireless network before additional nodes connect to it.

Set up the next node and the app advises you on its positioning; press a button, give it a name and it’s connected to your mesh network automatically. If a node goes offline, the app’ll also tell you which one is down — and the rest of the network will stay up.

Other features, too, are easy to set up and manage. Parental controls are all managed from within the same app, without needing to log in to a web interface. However, delve a bit more under the hood and Velop doesn’t offer the same vast feature set of other routers.

It only supports dualstream 802.11ac to a max of 867Mbps per client device, for example, since the third stream is dynamically allocated to providing a connection to other Velop nodes. You can also forget about the kind of fineconfigurability you find in DD-WRT, or things like VPN support.

In testing, the wireless performance was sufficient, but nothing special. We used a simple test from speedtest. net to get an idea of how well our 200Mbps broadband connection was being utilised, first at short range with just one node, then 15m further away, then again with a second node added to the mesh.

Speeds of over 117Mbit/s were achieved at close range, but this dropped off heavily when we moved the laptop further away, to just 7Mbit/s. With a second node switched on, at the same far distance, we got better speeds of 74 Mbit/s. That’s roughly what you might expect from a high-quality wireless extender. In general, the fastest possible performance is not Velop’s strong point.

But it’s important to remember that Velop is not a networking product aimed at the type of user who wants to spend time configuring and controlling every last parameter in the product’s software. Linksys already sells a number of other routers that allow for that, such as its advanced WRT series.

Instead, Velop is a product you could place in the hands of technically illiterate friends or family and be confident they can get it up and running without using you as free technical support. Few other products truly offer this, so Velop is exploiting a big gap in the market. But its simplicity carries a significant price tag — even compared to most of the other mesh wireless kits available.