Review on Linksys Velop AC1200 Dual-Band Whole Home WiFi Intelligent Mesh System, 3-Pack Black (Discontinued by Manufacturer) - Find Limited Stock Now! by Eric Grayson

I live in a two story house and use my phones, tablets, computers and many other connected devices in an area of 3,400 square feet. I have an Xfinity modem/router upstairs in my media room. When we moved in, the wi-fi signal from the modem/router would often drop from my office laptop downstairs, making things difficult. I've tried several different Wi-Fi extenders, but none of them have been consistently good. And when I was in the backyard trying to get my phone to drive my Sonos speakers, it only worked about 50% of the time. Disappointment! When mesh WiFi systems became popular last year, I did my homework and ended up buying a Google Wifi mesh system. It was easy to install and has always been great. I had to call google support several times but they provide a good and strong signal throughout the house. I had the opportunity to try out the new Linksys Velop AC3600 mesh system and ran some raw speed and signal strength tests on the Google system. My Verdict: The Linksys system is pretty damn good - with one exception, it's almost on par with my Google Grid system overall. In one room it sent out a slightly stronger signal. Here's what I found: SETUP: The setup is pretty simple. Connect a module to your existing modem or modem/router and install the app from the App Store or Play Store. I used the Android app to set it up. However, the first module did not connect to the internet. I called Linksys Technical Support for help. Remember, a few years ago I contacted Linksys tech support for help setting up a wireless router and had a terrible experience. poor English skills (hers, not mine!) prevented me from completing the task and resulted in a return and refund. It was much better this time! Steven spoke perfect English, found out that the module I was having trouble with needed to be reset and everything ran smoothly from that point on. The first module was set up and the app helped me set up the next two. With the second module, I had trouble connecting to the internet on the first try, but found a connection on the second try. The third module was connected normally on the first try. Even accounting for the time of the support service call, I was up and running in about 25 minutes. APPEARANCE: This is a beautiful system. The modules are about 5.5 inches tall, taper slightly from bottom to top, and feature the LINKSYS logo on the front. There is a reset button and an on/off button on the bottom. On the back there is a power connector and two Ethernet ports. I haven't tested them, but I suspect you could have at least one ethernet connection for a printer or computer for your remote controls. For the module closest to your modem, use the included Ethernet cable to connect it to the incoming Internet signal. WIFI RESULTS: As mentioned, I have an existing Google Wifi mesh system that I'm happy with. I tested the Linksys system in the same rooms as the Google system with mixed results. Media Room: (where both Google and Linksys systems connect directly to the modem/router). Signal strength measured with Network Cell Info. Lite (available in the Google Play Store) provided almost identical data for both systems. Speedtest measurements (by Ookla) also matched download speeds, giving Linksys a slight edge in download speeds in that space. RESULT: LOWFamily room: (farthest from the modem) signal strength preferred Google system with a range of -40 to -44 dB versus -60 to -64 dB. The speed test was very close, with little advantage over the Linksys system. RESULT: TIEOffice: This confuses me. The office is on the ground floor about 40 feet from the modem/router but there are a couple of walls in between. Google's system delivers a slightly weaker signal at -40 to -44 dB, but a much faster stream of up to 97 Mbit/s. Linksys struggled. With a signal level of -30 to -36 dB, three attempts never exceeded 28 Mbit/s. RESULT: ADVANTAGE Google. RECOMMENDATION: Linksys has fixed several issues that previous versions of this Velop mesh system had with other Revain reviewers. I've never had to spend a long time typing serial numbers into a system setup app, and once set up, the system offers fast, reliable Wi-Fi throughout the home. If I didn't already have a Google Mesh system, I would be thrilled that it connects my home appliances, security cameras, tablets, phones, and TVs to the outside world. While installation wasn't easy, it wasn't the nightmare that others have described. Support when I needed it was kind, thorough and helpful. Looks are nice but not as cool as my google pucks. So unless you want a tech company logo in your living room, don't buy the Linksys. But overall, this is a vastly improved mesh system from a home networking company.