Linksys Velop Wireless Mesh System Review - Whole Home Wifi System vs. Google Wifi

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00:25 - Hardware overview
02:46 - Speed test: Close connection to main hub unit
03:28 - Speed test: Connecting through remote node
03:59 - Latency test on remote node
04:16 - Using ethernet to connect remote nodes
05:12 - Mobile app overview
06:28 - Parental controls
07:50 - Port forwarding, routing options
08:16 - Lack of remote node connection status info
09:31 - Channel searching issues
11:04 - Conclusion - is it better than Google Wifi?

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I have tested a number of different mesh systems, including Google Wifi and Unifi's Amplifi product. For the money I think you're much better off with the Google Wifi.

For $300 Google provides three nodes vs. two on the Linksys product currently listed for $50 more. The Google app is faster and more responsive and a little more intuitive as compared with the relatively spartan interface of the Linksys.

Performance on the Linksys system is better on remote nodes. I found my speeds to be around 200-300 megabits per second with an iPerf test back to the main node and onto a computer plugged in via ethernet. This is almost double the performance on the Google Wifi product through its remote node. The base unit itself performed about the same as the Google Wifi base module did.

The system was easy to set up and was consistent with other consumer mesh systems I've used. Linksys also allows the nodes to be connected to ethernet vs. wirelessly to get better speeds back to the base station. If you have ethernet jacks around the house I'd suggest connecting the nodes to those ports for the best performance. You can also use your cable television wiring as a "backhaul" with a set of MOCA adapters.

So why does it get three stars? Usability. Specifically:

1. The system doesn't break down which users are connected to which nodes. It makes it difficult for troubleshooting purposes.

2. There does not appear to be any way to monitor connection strength of remote nodes after the initial set up. This makes fine tuning the nodes difficult and time consuming as the set up procedure is the only way to get signal strength measured.

3. If a node goes down it does not appear to reconnect itself to the mesh automatically, action needs to be taken in the app to get it back online. Nothing complicated but it feels unnecessary.

4. My initial performance issues came from the fact that even after the "channel scan" feature was implemented Velop still put itself on a saturated Wifi channel. It should have chosen a different channel to run itself on. This could be an issue for people living in denser population environments.

5. The wall plugs are rather large and wider than most other consumer electronics devices.

I may update this review as I continue testing but I do think the Google Wifi system is the better value comparatively. And if you really want to save some money skip this mesh stuff and look at the Unifi AC Lite system. It's a little more enterprise oriented but doing a little extra configuration will save some money in the end.

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