Linksys Velop - Anyone else having trouble with it? (2023)

I have the Velop three knot knit pack and it has been spongy since I installed it, but the sponginess has gotten a lot worse in the last month.

A node keeps disappearing, out of nowhere. I can't connect and I go to the Velop app and it shows the entire network offline or one or two of the nodes offline. I spent 5 hours in a tech support chat last night trying to log and fix the latest outage. And the Velop app was recently updated, and in the old app, all passwords were somehow stored in the app (they weren't in the "Passwords" section of the settings) and "forgotten" after the update, which difficult to overcome this latest incident.

Linksys seems to have a dodgy product, some decent support people, and a dodgy website to back it all up.

Why the hell did Apple decide to force its customers to use Linksys (and other) pistols? I donated the Apple Airport Extremes we had because they were "dead", unsupported, and I wish I had them last night. Velop seems to be a joke.

One laugh was that their app was still showing the bad boy knot as connected and it was in my hand totally/completely disconnected. You could even tap on that node in the app and supposedly get information from that node. This kind of programming stupidity is awesome. HA HA!!! Your brain dead app isSHOW THREE MORE US!!!More than 10 hours have passed since this node went offline. Impressive is not the right word...

And all this has been taken to the extreme by Webex. The Velop mesh is so full of holes that Webex is virtually unusable. Velop is crap...

Is there a better brand of network hardware? Do I try to get our ends back? WHY APPLE, WHY!!! 😢

So just me?

So yesterday I received the new Velop knot and indeed it was brand new in its retail packaging, still sealed.

So I tried to add it to the mesh but couldn't. It was in "new" mode and I could see the ssid "_velopsetupxxx" but couldn't add it. Beautiful...

Since I have nothing better to do, I reset the entire network. The manual says that I only need to reset the 'main' node. So I did that and tried to add the existing child node to the new one I was using as the parent node (thought it was probably newer) and it wouldn't add. So I restarted this node and after some "try again" it joined. The old father was a bear to become a child. I rebooted four times! There seems to be an error in the instructions. It says to release the reset button after it flashes red, but the first one didn't work until I released the button after it turned blue. I called tech support and they disconnected me (won't call me back) and the last thing they wanted to say was if it's still blue, release the button. Apparently, I was lucky with the first one. grrr...

So it's working again. Getting it back took a long time. Likewise, their support took a lot of my life, around 5 hours in a tech support chat, but the replacement came pretty quickly. But adding to the existing grid didn't work, so a '-5' for the style.

Would I recommend Velop? No, but assuming there's something better out there. My confidence in the tech industry to produce something better is not very high. I am very disappointed that Apple has stopped providing network equipment to its customers. I attended a Cisco talk and they explained a few times that their vision of how they work is to be a "single source" for their customers who already have their systems. Like buying a router, getting your phone system, getting your firewall... Apple *should* have its own WiFi and servers, and maybe even its own network equipment (little SOHO switches). It's sad to push people away from them into the arms of a non-musical market. *shrugs* At least I used their wifi equipment. I had three Extremes and several Express's and recommended them to many clients at the time.

Sorry for the rant, but today I feel like a bitch...

I haven't used Velop so I have no opinion. In general, Linksys devices have performed well in the past, as have most other consumer networking devices. But not great.

I have no idea if there is a solution, although I usually look for firmware updates (or older versions) to fix it. If they are configured as true wireless/mesh APs, keep in mind that if they are too far apart, performance will suffer and they may become disconnected at the edge of coverage. Noise or interference can also be a problem with a weak signal between access points.

If you want something better than OK, consider something non-consumer grade if you're looking to switch up. There are several brands to choose from.

I use and recommend Ubiquiti APs. My twoAC Liteit's aMalla ACIt's been rock solid WiFi for years. Never need reboots, don't even look at them for months. Base model access points are hardwired so they never go offline. As far as I know, Ubiquiti was founded by a former Apple engineer and this is reflected in many of their products. They're pretty much the same as what you're describing for network equipment: complete purchases for entry-level equipment at large enterprises. It beats Cisco in the cost/benefit equation.

There's no reason to suffer with mediocre "consumer" quality network equipment anymore.

You have the same problem as me. A problematic node, regular crashes, and the need to reboot everything regularly. Today I was looking at the signal strength and connection speed...right next to the bad node...jumping from zero to 800mbps. So I'm tired of tech support, rebooting the node, turning it on and off, etc. Now it's permanently off and I'll try to run only two nodes for a while...

and... today I ordered an ASUS Zenwifi AX Two Node Mesh System to test. Being in lockdown mode, impossible to do my work and homework and chat with family with rubbish, unstable wifi. Very sad, my AirPort Extreme failed last year...

Update to my previous post. One of my UBNT access points started misbehaving... after 10+ years of 24/7 use.

So I changed the two internal APs for the newer oneslightweight UP6Model. I am happy to report that after about 6 months they are as solid as what they replaced. They are the same size but a bit heavier...or more steel or a bigger board I guess.

Other than that, not much has changed, a bit better range I think, but nothing measurable to point to. Oh, and the controls and software features only get better with time, which is a nice bonus on most devices.