Linksys Velop Pro 7 1-Pack

The first thing you notice is that the box it arrives in is of mediocre quality. That was an issue, because the postman had dropped the Coolblue box in my garden in the rain. No matter how carefully you open the box, it always tears. Difficult if you want to return the product. In several places it is explicitly indicated that you really need to download the app first. Of course I did that. The app then gives you the option to create a new network or manage a network. Managing the network is the preferred option and that is annoying. It takes a while before creating a new network is accepted. Fortunately, the photo that appears in the app when installing is crystal clear. It can't be missed, we are going to set up a mesh network. Of course, Linksys' terms and conditions and privacy policy must be accepted. I had a quick look through them and they are quite acceptable. Not comparable to, for example, SONOS. Then it gets exciting, because Linksys asks you to disconnect the old system with which you arranged WiFi. I have an alternative access to the internet, so it's not a problem for me, but if you don't have that alternative access, then this installation becomes (unnecessarily) exciting. It is assumed that you know the difference between a router and a modem. The QR code on the back of the Linksys appears to be nothing more than the serial number. It's a shame that this is not reported, because you can't do anything with it. The drawing of the internet cable connection is downright bad. No problem for people with experience, but for inexperienced people who are using this type of WiFi amplifier for the first time, it will certainly lead to confusion. Then the Cloud is unavailable. I'm glad about that, because I've come to hate all that hardware that insists on you making Cloud connections. The disadvantage, however, is that the instructions on how to turn on the WiFi are very unclear. You will be asked to both supply power to the router and the node (the auxiliary point). But because they are both visible with the same name (!) it is not clear which one is the router and which is the support point. That new Linksys router needs a name and a password. An annoying interference from the app is that I am not allowed to use two of the same characters in succession when choosing the password. After endless attempts, I finally contacted the helpdesk. This is possible 24/7, but only in English. If you select 'Netherlands' on the website during the weekend, Linksys will be closed in all areas during the weekend. However, the suggestion is made that you are supported 24/7 in all languages. The chat ultimately helped me, but I was not impressed with the quality of the live employee. Linksys advertises their award-winning customer service, but I am curious which award that is. It takes a really long time before the router communicates correctly with the modem, but after 10 minutes (!) the time had come. The router worked and 'connecting' the support point was a piece of cake via the app. Then it's the app itself. You can set this in Dutch, and the Dutch you see is good, clear and understandable Dutch. In my opinion, you can do too much rather than too little with this app. The most important function on my end is setting up the guest network which I completed in literally 12 seconds. So that went really well and very smoothly. And now the most important thing; the connection quality. I didn't do anything with the advanced options, and just tested 'out of the box' and those tests were more than sufficient. The number of bars you get on your mobile can be very misleading, you should really test with speedometers. The speed control built into the Linksys app did not work for me. Possibly because I couldn't activate a Linksys Cloud login? So that's a downside. Another minus: if I want to share access to my WiFi, this is done very old-fashioned by showing the password and not by generating a QR code. There are also advantages: + family time (just disconnect the 'internet' while eating) is easy to configure and works well + the guest network can be set up quickly. + expanding the system is made really easy with the app. And now my conclusion: For the amount of money Linksys charges for this 'showpiece', there are too many frayed edges. The app has some really hard glitches here and there, the feedback from the devices to the app and back really needs improvement and the hassle with the 24/7 support (something I am happy to pay for) could use less.

The Velop Pro 7 arrived in a 3-pack box. Nice, neat packaging and the routers look stylish, very different from a traditional router. Installing the router(s) is quick and easy in combination with the LinkSys app. If you have multiple Velop Pro 7 routers, you designate one router as the main router and the rest takes care of itself. My WiFi setup before was a bit patchy. My internet access router was looped to 4 routers in bridge mode all broadcasting the same SSID. After installing the Velop Pro 7 routers, I deleted my old setup. You notice that the range of the Velop Pro 7 router is large. Only we live in a new house with reinforced concrete. Even the Velop Pro can't compete with that. What helps is to connect the Velop Pro 7 routers to Ethernet. In the end I didn't have good reception on the 2nd floor. I solved that by connecting an old repeater that I still had to the network. So we actually needed a fourth Velop Pro 7 router. The parental features are easily accessible in the app. You can turn off the internet per device or schedule no internet. We will definitely use this at some point. What is also useful is that you have one SSID for 3 frequency bands. The router chooses the correct frequency for the device.

We were very happy that we could test this. Once inside, I immediately got to work. What a hassle! It could not be installed via the iPad. Ultimately done via computer. That worked, but only after a lot of annoyance. I have good range and fast internet, but it is not always stable. I also think that for this price I really expected more.