Linksys - Velop AX4200 WiFi 6 Mesh System

The Linksys Velop AX4200 Wifi 6 Whole Home Mesh System is an outstanding product offering blazing fast speeds, great coverage, and a friendly user interface. Pros: * Wifi 6 technology - It is great to see Linksys embracing the newest technology as more and more electronics switch to supporting Wifi 6. The TLDR for what makes Wifi 6 different is that is allows devices to use part of a channel instead of waiting in line to transmit data. It also allows multiple devices to take advantage of higher speeds on the network. This results in better capacity to handle multiple devices. * Easy set-up/functional app - The Linksys app is very user friendly and walks you through the set-up. Simply download the app to your iOS or android phone and follow the directions on your screen. This system took a little longer than the other Linksys routers I have owned simply because there are multiple nodes that need to be connected. It took around 15-20 minutes to get all 3 nodes up and running. The app has a nice user interface and is easy to navigate. * Large coverage area - The box claims it will cover up to 8100 sq ft. I placed the master node (connected via Ethernet from my modem) on the 1st floor with the remaining two nodes on the 2nd and 3rd floors respectively. If you house is wired for Ethernet on each floor the nodes can be directly connected for improved performance; however, this is not necessary to have a great Wifi experience. I have a strong signal throughout my house and am able to stay connected half way down my street. It is quite impressive. I have been able to get near the full advertised speed of my internet (891 Mbps down, 910 Mbps up). * Multi-device support - I have anywhere from 20-30 devices connected to the network (both hardwired and wireless) depending on the day which is demanding on any network. This Velop mesh system has no problem handling all of these devices while maintaining a stable and fast connection. * Great warranty and support - Linksys offers a 3 year warranty on this product. Indeterminate: * Number of LAN ports - each node has a total of 3 additional ports on the back. I ended up having to buy an unmanaged switch to have enough ports for all of my hardwired devices. While this will likely not affect a lot of users, it would be nice to see more at this price point. Cons: * None Overall, Linksys developed a very nice Velop Mesh System featuring Wifi 6 technology. It offers great coverage, fast speeds, and network stability.

We live in a 3-Level house, and now working and studying from home, we can be at four different video meetings at the same time. We also took advantage of a promotional price to upgrade our FIOS to 'Gigabit' Speeds (which translates to 900+ Mbps both upstream and downstream). This setup replaces or 1st generation Velop mesh network, which served us well, but it was showing some limitations with Gigabit ethernet. The initial installation is best done from a mobile phone or tablet (Not desktop), using the Linksys app. This is because the app uses Bluetooth Smart to discover the nodes. The initial install went well. I chose to install one node at a time: Disconnected all the older routers, connected the new node to the connection from out internet provider (Note that we never had a Fios router, we ordered the service with a direct connection from the ONT). Within a minute or so, the Linksys app discovered the node and was able to enter the initial config like network name and password. Then it found a firmware upgrade and went on fairly quickly. After that, added the two additional nodes, one at a time. It went surprisingly smooth and was up and running in about 30 minutes. Used the same Wi-Fi name and password and all the devices in the house rejoined. The Linksys app got better over the years and it's the same for any newer Linksys router. Once it's running it shows a list of all the devices connected, showing their name and some other OS information where available. It does a somewhat decent job of discovering what is connected. It also shows which node is talking to, the Wi-Fi band and signal strength. For mode advanced information, I end using the web management. Changed DNS servers, IP address range, reservations and some NAT mappings. It went well but keep in mind it might restart the main node for seemingly minor changes. Parental controls are very basic, like blocking devices temporarily or per schedule, and blocking individual sites. The nodes can also be used in bridged mode (with a separate router, bridge mode just provides Wi-Fi, not other network services), like when using the router given by the internet provider. Wi-Fi is where these shine. Each node has 3 radios: 2x 5 Ghz and 1x 2.4 Ghz. When in mesh mode, the nodes negotiate which radio to use to talk to each other and use the other radios to serve Wi-Fi clients, so in theory the auxiliary nodes provide the same speeds as the main node. Because we already had some ethernet cables in the house, we connected the nodes via ethernet (with a simple switch in between). What Linksys calls 'Intelligent Mesh' is that the nodes negotiate with each client steering to the node with better reception. My iPhone 11 seems to be able to hop from one node to another without missing a beat. Also noticed on Smart TVs that are able to receive MPEG2 signals via Wi-Fi without interruptions. With our older AC Wi-Fi it was a hit or miss. So far it's been flawless with the new nodes. Maximum individual speed: I could not reach over 500 Mbps using OKLA Speedtest on iPhone 11s, while measuring speed from a laptop connected to Ethernet, was able to go over 800 Mbps., even when standing with the phone right next to the node. Hardware: These nodes are really big. They're massive compared to the original VELOPs: 4 in x 4 in x 9 1/2 inches. Each node has 3 LAN Gigabit ports and 1 WAN gigabit port, also each node has 1 USB 3 port (5 Gb/s) that support network shares (which I did not try), connecting a hard drive. They're discoverable as SMB shares. Note that Linksys also has a different Wi-Fi 6 VELOP model AX5300. The differences are: - Faster radios - Better CPU - One extra LAN port Overall I'm very satisfied with these. They're very simple to install and have been reliable (1+ week using them constantly). Not once had disconnects so far, which is something I could not say about the older models. What I don't like is that I could not get closer to gigabit speeds on a single device, and the network services as a router are limited, with parental controls being very basic. Other than that, these are a VAST improvement from previous Mesh networks and anything that is not Wi-Fi 6. However keep in mind that only some new phones and laptops support Wi-Fi 6. Anything slightly older will likewise run at normal AC speeds. However these routers should provide a much more stable connection regardless.

The Linksys Velop AX4200 mesh system comes with 3 AX4200 nodes, 3 power bricks, and 1 Cat6 ethernet cable. Setup was pretty quick and took ~4 minutes per node on the LinkSys app to set up to my existing Velop mesh (i currently have 2 AX5300 nodes). Total setup time for all three AX4200 nodes took ~20 minutes which includes wiring the nodes to setup a wired backhaul. The LinkSys app makes setup pretty straightforward. One thing to note is that when your nodes are all setup, in the LinkSys app you can go to the Wi-Fi Settings > Advanced Wi-Fi Settings > then select the Channel Finder to optimize the channels your nodes are on for better Wi-Fi coverage (this particular option is not available in the web interface for the router settings). Additionally, if you're house has ethernet ports in each room, you will most definitely want to connect an ethernet (ideally Cat6 ethernet cable) directly into the "Internet" port of your satellite node. Doing so will allow your satellite nodes to be connected via the wired backhaul and frees up the third band on the node to handle more devices, otherwise the third band will be dedicated to communicating with the master node/router which will be slower. To ensure you've properly setup a wired backhaul, you can go to 192.168.1.1/sysinfo.cgi in your browser (or your default-gateway-ip-address/sysinfo.cgi) then log in with your username/pw, username is "admin" and password is what you chose during setup on LinkSys app. Let the page load (as it typically takes anywhere up to a minute to load) then press "Ctrl + F" to open up the finder in the browser, then type in "bh_report" and you can view your satellite node configuration. Under the "Chan." column (short for channel), if your node is listed as "wired" then you have a wired backhaul! Onto performance, i have to say i am very impressed. At this price point, these AX4200 nodes pretty much perform on par to my AX5300 nodes. Speed tests on my Wifi 6 devices have me anywhere between 350-750Mbps up and down (depending on where i am at in relation to the node). The highest i have seen on speed tests with these AX4200 nodes are around 820Mbps down and 752Mbps up. The other most noticeable difference between this AX4200 node vs the AX5300 node is that the AX4200 node only has 4 gigabit ports vs 5 on the AX5300 (not a big deal for me since i switches to throughout my house to physically hardwire where i can). The radius for coverage is very impressive as i can get WiFi coverage up to 25 feet of outside my house. Overall, i would totally recommend this system to anyone that is looking for a WiFi 6 mesh router setup. At this price point, what you are getting is actually a very good mesh setup!

Installing and setting up the Linksys Velop MX12600 mesh system was the simplest network hardware install I have ever done. I downloaded the Linksys app to my smartphone, connected the first node to my modem, and within 30 minutes I had the other two nodes connected and seamless WiFi coverage blanketing my entire home from the far corners of the basement to the attic. And the speed? I might as well have a wired connection! It’s that good. I walked across the street to talk to the neighbor in his front yard and I still had good signal strength. Then I headed into the back yard where our WiFi has historically been nonexistent, and there’s booming signal to the ends of the property. I’m blown away. If you’re simply looking for easy to use mesh WiFi coverage, look no further. This couldn’t be simpler to implement, and the wireless coverage and speed are outstanding. Upon opening the box containing the Linksys MX12600, I was immediately struck by how monolithic the three nodes are. No antennae bristling around the perimeter. Just a simple white rectangle with a single recessed light in a corner on top. The box also contains three power cords, a short ethernet cable and a card labeled Setup Guide. The Setup Guide directs you to download the app, it contains a legend indicating what the different colors/flashing states of the node’s single light tells you, and it has Customer Service contact information. Simple! I appreciate that each node has three available ethernet ports. It makes short work of accommodating my wired network devices. Setup was a breeze. Plug in your node and connect your modem to its Internet port. Start the app (I used my smartphone) and follow the directions. It’s honestly that simple. We have a crowded network with multiple computers, tablets, smartphones, smart TVs, media streaming devices, game consoles, etc., all vying for bandwidth. The Linksys Velop effortlessly provides connection to all devices and does an admirable job of prioritizing traffic. I’ve noticed no slowdowns. HD streaming to the family room television while pulling a multi-gigabyte download in the basement and playing COD upstairs? No problem. Our home has AT&T internet, and for three years I have been working with the residential gateway (their non-optional modem/router combo) in an effort to boost coverage. I have purchased their ineffective range extenders, repurposed my old routers as access points, unsuccessfully trying any combination of equipment I can think of to get consistent, high-speed wireless coverage throughout the home. This system solved my problem in under half an hour! If you are looking for continuous coverage at maximum speed, I wholeheartedly recommend the Linksys Velop MX12600.

Got this as an upgrade to my existing AC2200 system which wasn’t giving me consistent signal and speeds at one end of my house. Setup was very easy as the app had options for adding new Child nodes and to replace the existing parent node. I just followed the prompts and a short time later my entire system was upgraded. The first two things that stood out even before installation is 1) the nodes are significantly larger than the older AC2200 system and 2) for some reason Linksys decided to change the orientation of the power plugs so that they stick out further from the wall. It’s a small detail but can make a difference in the install. With the old system I had to reset the furthest node several times a week to maintain a decent signal on the back porch, probably due to interference from plumbing etc between nodes, but after a week with the new system this has not been an issue and I now have a good signal in all corners of my backyard, not just on the porch. WiFi Speed tests on the old system at the back of the house consistently fluctuated and were usually 10-15% below the 100Mbps we get at the front of the house. Speed tests are now pretty consistent regardless of where you take the reading. The app makes it easy to provide a guest network to those visiting and you can edit the names of the devices on your network to make it easy to identify everything connected. You can also prioritize up to 3 devices on the network. With the number of smart devices many homes now have it would be nice if that could be increased to 5 or more. Mine are currently the main streaming device, my work computer and an iPad, but that keeps me from being able to add my two outdoor security cameras. Overall I’m impressed with the upgraded system. It was simple to install, provides a strong signal and consistently fast connection. Only suggestions are to go back to the lower profile wall wart/power plug and look at increasing the number of devices you can prioritize.

Worth every pricey penny. I had been planning for months to buy the Velop AC2200 when I went on Best Buy to make the purchase I saw this new one with extended range. We have a 1.25 acre property with the main house and then two guest houses. One about 100 feet from the modem/router. The other about 150 feet from the modem/router. I like how it would tell you if the child (secondary/third) nodes were placed in a good spot to receive a signal. I thought I could daisy chain the Velops but each one connects to the parent (main) node, but this didn’t even matter because each child node placed 100 feet away and 150 feet away still said “placed correctly” and is working amazing. Easiest set up ever, the app walked through each step one by one. In the photos show my original mediacom issued modem/router speed 46 mbps and the second picture is the velop speed 630 mbps not sure what sort of magic is in three towers but if you need better internet this is 100% worth the money. So happy .

I bought this item for our 2-store house and it distributes the internet excellent all over . We placed one attached to the modem , in the main floor, and the other two remaining, in the second floor, in opposite rooms and there , the checked wifi speed is always over 700 Mbps ( our plan is 1000 Mbps). Any device directly connected will reach the maximum of our plan. I’m extremely satisfied with this product , that’s why it’s highly recommended .

The Linksys Velop AX4200 Wifi 6 System is like no other! I will forever live by this system since experiencing the best WIFI ever. I have fiber-optic speed internet but with the Linksys Velop Wifi 6 System, I'm finally getting to utilize the speed. Not only did it make my internet faster, but it made it more reliable. I no longer have to restart my WIFI settings on my phone or computer cause the internet froze or jammed. It also extended my signal all through-out my property and even to my neighbor's property which is awesome. I found that Linksys Velop AX4200 Wifi 6 System is also more reliable and just as fast as my 5G network. With all the features and added security, this is the best thing on the market. I can control everything from my app like creating a guest portal for offering wifi to guests and seeing who all is connected to the wifi. You can also prioritize which connection is more important. But the most important thing is speed! My computers are faster, my TVs don't take long to load in HD, my gaming experience has become smoother, and I finally get to utilize and connect my devices using the ethernet port using the boxes. Overall I recommend this product and there is nothing bad I can find with this product. I give the Linksys Velop AX4200 Wifi 6 System 5-Stars!