Linksys Velop Whole Home Mesh Wi-fi System Review

The latest mesh Wi-Fi system from Linksys, the Velop AX4200, is a tri-ring model based on Wi-Fi six (802.11ax) engineering that'southward designed to bring wireless connectivity to all corners of your dwelling house. Information technology'due south a bit more affordable than its more powerful sibling, the AX MX10, which we reviewed earlier this year, but at $499.99 for a three-piece system, it'due south nevertheless plenty expensive. In testing, the AX4200 was like shooting fish in a barrel to install and delivered solid throughput scores, equally well as a very large coverage area, only information technology couldn't go on stride with our Editors' Choice winner, the Asus ZenWiFi AX XT8, and it doesn't offer as many features.

Velop AX4200 Blueprint and Features

We reviewed the MX12600 system, which consists of three identical nodes that cover a full of 8,100 square feet, merely you can purchase a unmarried-node MX4200 ($249.99) if you but need to cover up to 2,700 square anxiety.

This system uses the same big white enclosures equally the Velop MX10. They stand 9.6 inches tall and are 4.5 inches in width and depth. Linksys puts all that bulk to good employ: Each node has four Gigabit Ethernet ports (iii LAN, 1 WAN) and a USB 3.0 port. Other Wi-Fi systems such as the TP-Link X60 AX3000 and the TrendNet TEW-830MDR2K are equipped with only two LAN ports. The tiptop of each Velop node has an LED condition indicator that turns blue when connected, red when it loses its net connection, yellow when it's out of range of another node, and purple during setup. An On/Off switch, a reset button, and a WPS push are located on the base of each node.

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The Velop AX4200 is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-cadre processor, 512MB of RAM, and 512MB of flash memory. It's a tri-ring Wi-Fi six organization that can reach data rates of up to 600Mbps on the 2.4GHz ring, ane,200Mbps on i of the 5GHz bands, and 2,400Mbps on the 2d 5GHz band. The system supports dynamic wireless backhaul as well as wired backhaul, and uses the latest 802.11ax technologies including WPA3 encryption, 1024 QAM, Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) data transmissions, MU-MIMO simultaneous data streaming, and direct-to-client point beamforming, only it doesn't support 160MHz aqueduct bandwidth.

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You tin manage your Velop network using a spider web portal or with the Linksys mobile app for Android and iOS devices. When you launch the mobile app, the dwelling screen volition display the name of your network, its condition (online/offline), and tabs for connected devices and nodes. Tap the devices tab to meet a listing of clients, and tap any client to assign bandwidth priority, view IP and MAC address data, and enable parental controls for that specific client.

Beneath the device and node tabs are Cyberspace Speed, Connections, Parental controls, and Guest Network tabs. The Internet Speed tab displays the latest results of the Speedtest utility, which you can run by tapping the panel. The Connections tab displays the name of the last five clients to connect to the network and shows which node they're continued to. The Parental Controls tab takes yous to a screen where you tin assign controls to any client, and the Guest Network tab allows y'all to configure and enable and disable guest networking.

Parental controls are basic: You can pause internet access with the touch of a button, schedule pauses, and block specific websites, merely yous don't get the granular age-based filters that you become with the TP-Link X60 AX3000 and the Asus ZenWi-Fi AX XT8 systems. Moreover, the Velop AX4200 lacks the anti-malware tools that you get with the higher up-mentioned models.

Tap the iii-bar icon in the upper left corner to access the settings menu. Here you can view the condition of all client devices, admission Parental Controls, enable guest networking, and configure notifications such as when a node goes offline. Use the Wi-Fi settings to configure security (WPA2/WPA3 mixed and personal) and to edit your Wi-Fi countersign. There'southward also a Aqueduct Finder utility that will run a scan to discover the optimal channels for your environment. Network Assistants settings permit you lot to update firmware, change your fourth dimension zone, view IP details, and submit error reports to Linksys. Advanced Settings include DHCP and IPv6 settings, Port Forwarding and Port Triggering settings, Wi-Fi MAC filtering, and DNS settings.

Installing the Velop AX4200

As is the case with most mesh Wi-Fi systems, the Velop AX4200 is easy to install. I downloaded the mobile app and tapped Set up a New Wi-Fi Network at the lesser of the welcome screen. I selected Velop from the listing of network types, and so selected Split Modem and Router equally my previous net source (the other option is if you have a combination modem/router).

Following the on-screen instructions, I unplugged my existing router, plugged in a node, and continued it to my modem. I then waited several seconds for the Velop node to begin blinking purple, tapped Side by side, and created an account. The app was linked to my business relationship, and I was prompted to name my Wi-Fi network and give information technology a password. I gave the node a location and tapped Next to add together the 2d node. I plugged the node into an outlet in my living room, tapped Next, and when the LED began blinking purple, tapped Yes, It's Blinking Majestic. After four minutes the app informed me that the node placement was just right. I gave the node a location, repeated the process for the third node, and the installation was complete.

Velop AX4200 Performance

The Velop AX4200 is a skillful performer, but not the best nosotros've tested. The main router notched a score of 712Mbps on the close-proximity (aforementioned room) throughput exam, coming in behind the TP-Link AX60 and the Asus ZenWi-Fi AX XT8. It also trailed its more expensive sibling, the Velop AX MX10, which is configured with a faster CPU and more memory. The AX4200's score of 299Mbps on the 30-foot examination was a fleck faster than the TP-Link AX60, but not quite as fast equally the Velop AX MX10 or the ZenWi-Fi AX XT8.

The Velop AX4200 satellite node's score of 558Mbps on the close-proximity exam crush the TP-Link AX60, only was more than than 100Mbps slower than the Velop AX MX10 and the ZenWi-Fi AX XT8. On the thirty-foot test, the AX4200 node managed 413Mbps, chirapsia the TP-Link AX60 past 27Mbps, but placing a distant 3rd to the ZenWi-Fi AX XT8 and the Velop AX MX10.

We utilize an Ekahau Sidekick Wi-Fi diagnostic device and Ekahau's Survey mobile app to measure out signal strength. (Note: Ekahau is owned by j2 Global, the parent company of Ziff Media Grouping, the publisher of PCMag.com) The software generates heat maps that display wireless coverage throughout our test dwelling. On the map, darker green areas indicate the strongest signal measurements, and lighter greenish and yellow areas bear witness a weaker signal. The circles stand for the location of the router and the satellite node. Equally illustrated above, the Velop AX4200 router and node provided potent signals throughout the entire house, with only one small expanse of the garage receiving a slightly weaker signal.

Lots of Coverage, only Not the Overall Leader

The Linksys Velop AX4200 delivered good overall throughput performance in testing and had no trouble broadcasting a strong signal throughout our test house. Numerous LAN ports, good range, and like shooting fish in a barrel installation are additional reasons to consider it if you're in the market for a whole-home mesh Wi-Fi system. That said, the AX4200 doesn't support 160MHz channel bandwidth, and it lacks malware protection. While it doesn't provide quite every bit much coverage (five,500 foursquare feet for $450), the Asus ZenWiFi AX XT8 gives you both, along with ameliorate performance, stronger parental controls, and a multi-gig LAN port. Every bit such, it remains our Editors' Choice for mesh Wi-Fi systems.

Linksys Velop AX4200 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 6 System (MX12600)

The Bottom Line

The Linksys Velop AX4200 is a 3-piece tri-band mesh Wi-Fi system that uses the latest 802.11ax technology to blanket large areas in Wi-Fi. It'due south a solid performer, but it's non quite as fast as competing systems.

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Source: https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/linksys-velop-ax4200-tri-band-mesh-wi-fi-6-system-mx12600

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