CES 2017: Linksys Reveals 'Velop' Router System With Lag-Free Wi-Fi Mesh Network

Linksys today announced a modular Wi-Fi system called "Velop," which boosts internet coverage throughout any style of home thanks to its multi-unit set-up, similar to products like Google Wi-Fi and Eero (via The Verge). Linksys said that Velop can be set up in just minutes and delivers some of the fastest and most reliable Wi-Fi in the multi-unit router market.

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Like similar products, Velop's advantage lies in its ability to be placed situationally around a home to create a steady blanket of internet coverage with no dead spots, even in oddly shaped houses. The company said that Velop "outperforms traditional routers and range extenders" because it doesn't degrade as users move farther away from the router.

Velop is also a tri-band system, meaning that one of its three Wi-Fi radios is constantly dedicated to communication between each router to ensure there's no speed drop off at any point in the connection. The "100% Wi-Fi mesh network signal" means that users get constant, seamless Wi-Fi with no buffering or lag.

A Velop modular Wi‑Fi mesh system outperforms traditional routers and range extenders giving you 100% seamless Wi‑Fi without lag or buffering. With other Wi‑Fi, the signal degrades as you move farther away from the router, leaving you susceptible to dropped connections. Velop gives you full-strength Wi‑Fi everywhere.

Feel free to video stream while the kids are gaming online. Velop’s Tri-Band technology dynamically changes to ensure and deliver blazing fast, seamless Wi‑Fi to all devices for the ultimate in Wi‑Fi freedom.

A connected Linksys app also makes it easy for users to manage their Wi-Fi from afar, including parental control settings, device prioritization to ensure extra-solid internet for streaming to an Apple TV for example, speed tests, and various other settings. Velop works with Amazon Alexa as well, so users can interact with the router system with their voice.

Velop goes on sale today at a steeper price in comparison to other multi-unit routers: it runs for $499.99 for a 3-pack, $349.99 for a 2-pack, and $199.99 for one Velop router.

Tags: CES 2017, Mesh Routers

Top Rated Comments

doelcm82

128 months ago

Wifi router market has been dying for some time. After people initially bought one, there's little reason to buy a new one for years.

Now to revive sales, router makers are coming up with these new setups and pushing them as must-haves.

The reality is that a standard 802.11n router is more than fast enough for almost all users. Very very few will see any benefit from these new routers. But that won't stop them from making you believe that you'll see huge benefits from dropping $500 on a new setup.

This is for people with large houses. I have friends who can't get a wi fi signal in parts of their house, so they have multiple wifi networks. A system like this would allow them to run a single network. A single network would also make it easier to set up home automation.

Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Corrode

128 months ago

Apple needs to step up and release a mesh network system.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

SpamJunkie

128 months ago

The reality is that a standard 802.11n router is more than fast enough for almost all users. Very very few will see any benefit from these new routers. But that won't stop them from making you believe that you'll see huge benefits from dropping $500 on a new setup.

I don't think so. Many people complain about bad wifi at home: dead spots, slow speeds, etc. It depends on your home; for a lot of people mesh will make a big improvement. Not only that, lots of people will see a difference between an old 802.11n router and a modern 802.11ac one. The differences may not be as big as they were in the past, and it's not for _everyone_, but these aren't esoteric, contrived technologies.

Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)

jerry16

128 months ago

I like how everyone else is coming out with these cool routers (Linksys, Google, and some others) while Apple is allegedly exiting the business. Bummer.

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Lixivial

128 months ago

The reality is that a standard 802.11n router is more than fast enough for almost all users. Very very few will see any benefit from these new routers. But that won't stop them from making you believe that you'll see huge benefits from dropping $500 on a new setup.

Not really about speed, but about accessibility. These mesh networks are meant to replace scenarios under which a repeater would've previously been used. As illustrated in the article, when using a repeater, the network speed is halved with every hop you take. My house is an old house with lathe and plaster walls and 2 floors + a basement -- getting a signal from one corner of the second floor to the main floor is next to impossible without severe degradation. Even in mid-sized apartments, dead spots and slower wifi can occur regardless of beam-forming.

Aside from dead spot management, I really love having wired network segments talking to each other over wifi. It means i can let the network device handle wifi communication and let older legacy devices like, say, video game consoles, work over the wire. The benefit there is that I don't need to broadcast a separate 802.11g network or bring down the speed of my ac network and I don't need to wire the house to get a reasonably decent network connection.

Regardless of whether "many, many users" or "very, very few users" will see benefits, these systems scale outward. So all you have to do is pay for the base unit up front and can add nodes to the network as budgets allow or network segments grow.

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

dannys1

128 months ago

The reality is that a standard 802.11n router is more than fast enough for almost all users.

Nonsense, when you're moving files around a network a lot, Wireless AC makes a HUGE difference to transfer times. With a strong signal it can saturate gigabit ethernet connected computers. Ditto for using AirDrop to move to iOS devices and back too.

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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