Linksys MX5300 Velop AX Whole Home WiFi 6 System: Wireless Router and Extender, Gigabit Ethernet Ports, 5.3 Gbps, 3,000 sq ft, 50 devices (1-Pack)

So far, I am very happy with the performance of the Linksys Velop Wi-Fi 6 router.In the first part I’ll give some background and why I upgraded to this router. If you don’t want that info just scroll down to the bottom and I’ll get to the performance and satisfaction so far:I have a 2,200 square foot home and it’s two stories. My modem is located on the second floor in one of the far corners.I’ve always had varying levels of performance issues with all the routers I’ve ever had in this house.My previous router was a Linksys MU-MIMO dual band AC router that’s maybe 3 years old.It provided pretty good but not great Wi-Fi coverage for the whole house. I pay for 200Mbps download speeds from my ISP. If I were in the same room as that router I’d average around 180Mbps download speeds (tested on both phone and laptop). If I were on the far end of the house on the same floor I’d average about 110Mbps.On the first floor of the house things would obviously get worse. 70 to 80Mbps speeds would be typical and sometimes less. It was less stable than upstairs so it could vary by a lot.Anyways, I wanted to address my performance issues, and I wanted to upgrade to a router that would future-proof my home Wi-Fi for a while. I have an increasing number of smart devices, smart phones and tablets, personal and work laptops, whole home audio and home theater devices and TVs, etc.There are two of us who live here and in total there are (these include personal AND work devices) 3 smart phones, 5 laptops, 2 tablets, 2 printers, 3 TVs, a new home theater sound system that connects via Wi-Fi which I’ll be expanding to multiple rooms, 1 AppleTV, 1 Roku, 2 4K Chromecast sticks, 1 google home, a new refrigerator and stove which connect to WiFi, a SmartThings hub (which connects via a wired Ethernet connection to my router), and a few odd Wi-Fi switches and bulbs which don’t go thru my SmartThings home automation system and are just direct to Wi-Fi network connected and controlled thru their own apps. I’m sure I’m missing a few things that I can’t think of now.SO as you can see, I’m worried about network congestion, interference, and efficient/optimal juggling of all those devices, especially going into the future as more get inevitably added.Now on to my experience with this new router.(I haven’t tested file transfer speeds between devices on my local area network. My tests so far have all been internet download speed tests so keep that in mind. I’ll update this if I end up testing more and find the upper limit on my LAN.)I noticed an immediate jump in Wi-Fi speed compared to my last router.I tested near the router and on the other side of the house on the same floor and I have a perfect Wi-Fi signal and the download speeds, even on the far end of the house are consistently just over 200Mbps (which is what I’m paying for).I only start to notice a drop off in speed when I’m on the lower level and also on the far end of the house. There, depending on position it’s anywhere from 100 to 150Mbps.I’m on the fence about adding a second Velop for the first floor to make it a full coverage mesh network. Our office and one of the TV’s are in that area of the house so I’m probably going to.I’ll update this review after having the router a bit longer and I’ve had time to see if I have any reliability issues with the Wi-Fi signal in that far area. And also if I end up adding a second Velop I’ll review the mesh performance.Hope this review helps anyone who might be in a similar situation and sized house and you’ve been wondering about the performance of Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) over Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac).I’d say definitely go with a true Wi-Fi 6 tri-band mesh router network. It’s definitely a noticeable improvement so far.

About me: I love technology and I am often the first to engage myself with new software or hardware. By no means am I an expert but I rarely struggle with new equipment or software.I've set up maybe a dozen wireless networking systems to date. It comes easy to me. I've been a Linksys fan for years if not a decade by now (yet less so when Belkin bought it).That said, I started to set-up the new MX5 Wi-Fi 6 system and the LINKSYS APP wasn't ready for it and when I called Linksys support, neither were they. Hopefully they will update and upgrade and train their reps in Asia. I eventually solved the install by manually linking the Velop units to the modem.After a 35 minute wait to get to a Linksys Rep (outsourced to the Philippines of course), the agent that answered couldn't assist. She was very friendly and told me she would have a Senior Tech Rep call me back. They did not.It's pricey at $399 a node. Buy just 3 of them (large home) and that will cost you $1200.00 That dollar amount is worthy of a USA Call Center at least.The 'Nodes' themselves are large, bulky and only come in white (for now). They don't hide or blend well and of course you want them away from any appliance, TV, speaker, etc.IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure you turn on both cell Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for your install from your Linksys app on your phone.Keep in mind that the MX5, Wi-Fi 6 system will only offer you a vast benefit for devices that are Wi-Fi 6 friendly. Most are not yet. I ran SPEEDTEST many times and saw no gained benefit from the new MX5 system (I subscribe to 1GB from my ISP).There is massive promise to Wi-Fi 6 out there (AX). I'm just not yet seeing a benefit to justify the very high price tag. Most devices in ones home are not yet Wi-Fi 6 friendly.I updated this review after a full 2 months of use. My SPEEDTEST ratings are still passing 950 MBPS. The signal has never failed or dropped once. The units still remain big, bulky, very bright white and very unattractive. Oh well, performance is the best ever.