Linksys - Velop Pro 7 BE11000 Tri-Band Mesh Wi-Fi 7 System - White

Pros: Easy setup Decent range Nice look Cons: Wildly inconsitent speeds Devices default to 2.4GHz far too often Mobile phones and tablets swapping nodes can be slow and annoying App isn't very good! Limited administration My gaming desktop on my old Nighthawk RAX200 got a consistent 1000-1200 Mbps on 5GHz. But on this Linksys Velop WiFi 7 router, it got anywhere from 50 Mbps... yes 50, all the way up to nearly 1400 Mbps. Yes 1387 was my highest! I pay Comcast/XFINITY for 1200 Mbps so somehow it's doing better than what I pay for, but it's not consistent, not even close! Let me explain! I originally set it up using the wizard from the app and it automatically set it up to do a "Smart Connect" where it had one SSID and my endpoints would just get assigned 2.4GHz, or 5GHz. My desktop would randomly get 2.4GHz or 5 depending on some unknown criteria and it drove me bonkers. IPCONFIG /RELEASE /RENEW and I was back to 5, and it'd be a mystery if I would get 1300 Mbps or not. Sometimes I'd get 700, or 500 connected to the EXACT same router that gave me 1300 Mbps. It was very strange. I still don't know why, but it was enough to make me try setting it up to where 2.4GHz and 5GHz had seperate SSIDs. This was fine and dandy, but I was never able to get above 800 Mbps this way. I have no idea why! I ultimately ended up doing a factory reset and the problems remained the same. I don't like how inconsitent this is. I will likely return it to get something else. I was plesantly surprised by the range but I don't think it's a 3000 sq ft system when your house is multi-level! I have three floors and each hop is about 30 feet from each other and I definitely don't think I'm getting the advertised range... well I am just not full blast in every corner of my house the marketing claims. Biggest gripe is the inconsistent speeds.

Linksys Velop Pro 7 is a tri-band mesh WI-Fi system that uses the latest WI-FI 7 technology to deliver speed, coverage and most importantly for me a stable connection between devices. Even though I do not have a device that is compatible with WI-FI 7, I noticed a huge difference in speed alone on my WI-FI 6 and 6E devices. So, lets go over the some of the features, Pros and Cons of the Linksys Velop Pro 7. Setup and Installation: One of the mentioned features of this router was the simple and easy setup and that proved to be true. The setup process was simple. The Linksys application guides you through the whole process and even tells you when you plug in your satellites. The whole process took me about 15 minutes and everything was up and running. Performance: I can’t begin to tell you how impressed I am by the performance of this system. This router offers amazing speeds that are significantly faster than older WI-FI 5 and WI-FI 6 systems. In my tests, I was able to achieve 1.4 Gbps within 20 feet of my router and over 500 Mbps in other areas of my house. That means the speeds have nearly doubled compared to my old WI-FI 6 system. The router is also able to handle multiple devices extremely well with no noticeable slowdowns while streaming, downloading, and even playing online games. Each node on this system can connect up to 200 devices each, so with the 3 pack you are able to connect a whopping 600 devices. At any given time, I have about 60 devices and the mesh system has been performing admirably. The reason I mention is because for some odd reason that I could not figure out my previous mesh system would drop a few stationary devices every now and then and would reconnect them automatically. I have had this system up for a few days and I have not noticed any dropped devices. Multi-Link Operation (Beta)- So, this mode allows devices to use multiple band and frequency channels simultaneously. Even though this option is still in Beta mode, I have noticed a significant difference in stability and speeds on my mobile devices. I have noticed my phone switching between 6 and 6E depending on how far I am from the router, so I can tell that my phone has been using both bands. Another feature offered by this mesh system is called Dynamic Frequency Selection. This is designed to prevent interference by avoiding co-channel operations. Safe Browsing (Beta) – The Velop 7 Pro offers safe browsing to your connected devices by using DNS security. It allows you to block adult content and pre-defined adult content, along with your normal parental controls. Node Steering – Lets your node connect to the strongest signal. If one of your nodes goes offline, the nodes will self-heal and connect to the one that is still operational. Client Steering- The system will automatically connect you to the node that provides the strongest connection. One thing I will mention is that distance is not your friend when it comes to WI-FI and that still stands true with this mesh system, but the range is far better than my older system. PROS: • AMAZING SPEEDS • RELIABLE AND STABLE CONNECTION • EASY SETUP • GOOD COVERAGE CONS: • ONLY ONE MULTI-GIG (2.5) PORT FOR INTERNET – So, this was an issue that I had with my previous mesh system and continues to be an issue with this unit as well. Linksys provides one multi-gig port and 4 (1 gig) ports on each node. It would be nice to offer at least a couple of multi-gig LAN ports to be able to connect a wired device. Overall, I am really impressed with how well this system has performed. I honestly had doubts about how well this mesh system would work, being that WI-FI 7 is very new and there are not many devices out there that are even compatible. But, based on how well it performed with the current devices that are out in the market, the performance, reliability, and coverage and being future proof, I am impressed and would definitely recommend.

Linksys introduces the latest WiFi 7 protocol with their new VELOP Pro 7 Tri Mesh system. Not only does it have a sleek design, but its set-up process is also impressively straightforward. Given the advanced features, I anticipated a lengthy setup, but the automated steps ensured a smooth transition. In no time, I had replaced my old mesh network and reconnected every device in my home. The package is user-friendly. The Linksys app provides a step-by-step guide, complete with illustrations and lucid instructions. All essential information, including hardware IDs and passwords, are printed on the unit's base (Note: This information was airbrushed from the review photos). The device also sports an on/off toggle switch, reset, and WPS buttons. While some steps in the setup can take a few minutes, there's virtually no guesswork. The process is largely automated, demanding minimal intervention. Just remember that the setup requires creating a Linksys account, so have a notepad ready for credentials. However, I found the customization and control options in the browser client GUI to be limited. While the automatic setup efficiently manages channels for different GHz radios and allows guest account set-ups, both the phone app and the browser interface leave much to be desired in terms of administrative control. They're sparse, almost to a surprising degree. Additionally, generating a device list via the interface often results in failure, though the phone app proves more reliable. But for all its GUI shortcomings, the system's performance is outstanding. Automatic node switching, a challenge with my previous network, is now nearly seamless. Speeds have surged, and my WiFi range now extends halfway down the street, whereas before I couldn’t even get a signal in my garage. Rating this product depends heavily on user perspective. If you seek professional-level configuration options, this might disappoint, considering the current interface. But if you want a hassle-free setup that automatically optimizes performance and offers the newest WiFi protocol, this is your best bet. From a professional standpoint: 3 stars. For everyday users: 5 stars. But either way, it gets my recommendation.