An average 4-person household can have between 50-100 connected devices operating on a Wi-Fi network at any given time. In the age of tablets, laptops, smart homes, and streaming this takes its toll on network performance. The folks at Linksys want to help alleviate some of the strain with their brilliant new Wi-Fi 6 enabled mesh system that promises to meet all of your connectivity needs and then some.
For over two decades, Linksys has been bringing consumers products that can help keep them connected with a focus on a single ideology – that their products must enhance the technology that connects us to the people, activities, and experiences we love and make wireless connectivity mainstream around the globe. Linksys, over the past 5 years, has made it even easier with their Velop system, a system based on their intelligent mesh technology that makes getting online easier than ever, and now with Wi-Fi 6, their system has gotten even better!
Powering these minimalist Monolithic nodes is a powerful 1.4GHz Quad-Core Processor combined with 512MB of flash memory that works in harmony to provide up to 5400 square feet of network coverage and work with most ISP provided modems. Each unit also features high-powered antennas with amplifiers providing simultaneous Tri-band connectivity with two 5ghz bands, one with an impressive top speed of 2400Mbps, another at 1200Mbps, and one 2.4Ghz band of speeds up to 600 Mbps. It is also worth mentioning that each node also has four Gigabit Ethernet ports (3 LAN, 1 WAN) and a USB 3.0 port. Finally, this unique mesh system features dynamic wireless backhaul as well as wired backhaul, uses the latest 802.11ax (Wi-Fi6) technologies including WPA3 encryption, 1024 QAM, Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) data transmissions.
For the unaccustomed, the new Wi-Fi 6 protocol means your system can now send and receive multiple streams of data simultaneously, providing up to 4x more Wi-Fi capacity to better handle mobile, streaming, gaming, and smart home devices. It also notably extends the signal range, better covering every corner of your home than ever before. No more dead zones!
Software-wise, the Velop system also brings some welcome connectivity features such as powerful 4×4 MU-MIMO technology as well as Beamforming that brings per device signal optimization on the 2.4 GHz and 5GHz bands and even Seamless Roaming Technology that selects the clearest channel for your connected devices and will self-optimize connections between nodes to better meet the layout of your home. Best of all, the self-healing nature of this mesh setup means that if one node becomes disconnected, it will automatically re-route connections between the two existing nodes, so you never lose connectivity.
Lastly, we have always been a big fan when it comes to ease of setup and use with Linksys home networking. Their Linksys app is super easy to use and guides users step by step through the process. It also offers granular control over your system providing features such as parental controls, guest access, and speed tests. Lastly, it also works with Amazon’s own Alexa smart assistant further enabling voice-activated control over who and when the network is in use.
So how well does it work? Mesh systems are always our go-to recommendation for the average user who cares about getting the best connectivity throughout the home or small office. This Velop system delivers on two things we consider to be very important – consistency and speed. We did not have any dropped connections or noticeable speed variability when testing this unit in our offices. Wi-Fi 6 is a game-changer providing more than enough signal strength and speed to game, browse and stream without any loading time or lag. Put plainly, if you have been waiting for mesh networking to advance to a point where it can replace a high-end router, we are there now. Go for it!
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