Home CasaVerdeSmart ,,,,,Linksys Velop is basically a Wi-Fi router designed (above all) for the home and / or small office, capable of creating and extending a Wi-Fi network starting from a physical connection with any operator, in a simple and modular way.
Before detailing the strengths and weaknesses of this product, however, let's take a step back and try to understand why this solution is very interesting from a technical and commercial point of view.
Airport Velop, the Review
A little history
To fully understand what the Linksys Velop solution is and why it matters to the user, especially the Mac, we need to go back to the days when Apple introduced the first Airport in 1999.
In addition to the design, the real novelty of Airport was the configuration software, for the first time also suitable for those who were not technicians.
Over time, the features of Airport have been maintained, but the current model, dated 2014, is no longer in production and it is normal that Mac users are looking around (we have prepared a special guide).
In addition, in recent years Mesh technology has spread, which optimizes wireless networks without loss (as we will see later). This was probably one of the reasons for Apple abandoning Airport, considering that a product without Mesh is not competitive today.
Linksys Velop enters this market with an interesting proposal, which puts Mesh technology at the center on the one hand, and on the other offers very good software designed specifically for those who are not an expert in networks and configuration.
We are happy to see that the legacy of Airport continues, at the same time we once again certify Apple that, almost twenty years ago, it understood what was the right path for this type of technology.
Form and substance
The Linksys Velop packaging is simple, but neat: out of the box (the version we tested is the two-node one) we find the two turrets, the power cables, a small instruction manual and an Ethernet cable for connecting to the modem .
Installation is very simple: just place the two towers, one connected to a network and the other far enough away to enlarge it, turn them on, open the App for iPhone and Android and basically follow the configuration instructions, in which you will need to give a name for the network (at will) and choose a password (two if we create a network for guests).
The installation phase really lasts a few minutes, in which the App guides us step by step, effectively creating a subnet of the main one we have with the internet connection.
The turrets are made of white plastic and can be positioned anywhere, in sight or not: the design is accurate and the right attention has also been paid to the cables, whose exit is positioned below with a side inlet.
Just below there is also the hardware power button, the two Ethernet sockets and the hardware reset button.
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Mesh
The entire Linksys Velop system relies on Mesh technology, which we hear a lot about in recent years and which will substantially slowly supplant the current extender techniques, certainly cheaper but typically full of contraindications.
Until now, a Range extender was often used to extend the range of a signal, a hardware device that simply received the wireless signal and repeated it, extending the range but introducing a signal much dirtier than interference and with more or more power. less than half.
With Mesh technology, on the other hand, each node (in which case a tower) acts in turn as a small router, communicating with the others and creating a structure similar to the internet, even if in a small circle.
The advantages are many: firstly the signal remains clean and with the same power, secondly the network itself is elastic and can be easily expanded by simply adding new nodes, identical to the first ones. The only requirement is that each node must operate in an area where it can find the signal of the others, in order to be able to repeat it (or be reachable via cable).
As a final treat, the Linksys Velop turrets update themselves through the internet, without asking for anything.
A diagram of the functioning of Mesh technology: each node covers an area and to extend everything just add a new node
Linksys, the App for everyone
The Linksys App, as mentioned, is built to be managed by non-professionals: everything is designed in pages with clear buttons and terminology suitable even for those who have never dealt with networks.
But the potential of the App is not limited to the simple configuration, but to the complete and constant control of all functions. First of all, the App has the great advantage of working even outside the Wi-Fi network, which allows you to check and change the parameters of your home Wi-Fi even from the office (goodbye children forgotten at home in front of the XBox ).
Secondly, total control over all devices: you can prioritize one device over another (for example, the working Mac has priority over the use of the internet over the console), you can manage guest access. , set alerts, apply a family filter that decides who, when and where can browse (setting timetables or creating a black list of sites, all very useful functions for those with brats or for those in the office who want to block access to social-network).
Finally, a convenient tool also allows you to carry out speed tests on the network, very convenient in case of problems or doubts before contacting the operator's technical assistance.
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Considerations
Linksys Velop is now a fast, reliable system that does not have excessive demands on configuration.
The design is interesting and discreet, it looks as good in the living room as in the office, the App is extremely efficient and offers many customizable functions.
Finally, the cost seems to us in line with the competition and suitable for the potential of the product (even if we opt for the purchase of the package with at least two nodes).
All that glitters gold? Probably yes, here it is difficult to find a fault in a system designed to operate in total autonomy that does what it promises, a task as simple as it is delicate. To find the fleas, we could say that Linksys Velop is suitable for the home and small office, but that it is difficult to integrate into a complex network system, because it does not have the right elasticity for the professional market.
Linksys Velop is distributed in Italy by Attiva, and readers can find it in all Apple Premium Resellers in the peninsula, as well as in the best home appliance and computer stores, but they are also available online.
Pro
• Elegant and functional • Automatic system, easy configuration • The App is very well done
Against
• It is a product designed for Basic use, it does not offer the elasticity of professional competitors.
Price
199.99 Euros (single-node version), 299.99 Euros (two-node version) and 429.99 Euros (three-node version)
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