Most homes nowadays have WiFi throughout the house to allow their devices to connect to the internet and work properly. One problem that many WiFi users have is that the connection gets weaker the further you are from the router. This is a problem for many homes, however, Linksys has a mesh to expand the WiFi in your home, but can it connect to an existing router?

No, a Linksys mesh can’t connect to an existing router. It’s advised to replace your existing router with the Linksys mesh system to have the same strength and speed throughout your home. It will also prevent your internet from slowing down due to some reasons.

The Linksys mesh, also known as the Velop, is a great, affordable way to expand the WiFi in your home. It is much better than getting multiple routers for different areas of your home, especially if you have devices that move around the house with you, like your smartphone or tablet.

What Does a Mesh WiFi Router Do?

Mesh WiFi routers were created to solve a problem that many households have– the further from the source of the WiFi they get, the weaker the WiFi signal is. If you have a weak WiFi signal, you will have a slower internet connection with more interruptions. Using a mesh WiFi router will expand the area that has WiFi throughout your home, eliminating dead zones.

There are different strengths for mesh routers and you can purchase them based on the size of your home or area you’re looking to cover for internet access. 

Not only will a mesh router extend the area covered with WiFi, but it will also prevent slowdown from having too many devices on one router. This is especially important for larger families where each person has several devices connected to the WiFi. It’s also a great way to ensure your smart devices throughout your home, such as the thermostat, stay connected.

The Linksys Velop Mesh WiFi system is a perfect way to expand the WiFi coverage in your home and prevent a slow connection and dead zones throughout your house. You can add an unlimited amount of nodes throughout your home to ensure optimal coverage.

How to Connect a Linksys Mesh WiFi

Connecting the Linksys Velop nodes to an existing router, technically you can’t use it to extend the signal of your existing router. You can do other things to make this work if you already have a router. You can connect the Linksys Velop node to the router by:

  • Connect the Velop node to the modem with an ethernet cable.Set the node in DHCP mode, also known as Bridge Mode.

When you set your Linksys Velop parent node into bridge mode, you are making sure that all of the other Linksys Velop nodes within your home can connect to the parent node. You will need the Linksys App downloaded on your smartphone to be able to control this feature and toggle it on and off as needed.

What if I Don’t Have a Router?

If you don’t have a router, don’t worry! The Linksys Velop system has a parent node to be the initial router for your home WiFi system. You can purchase child nodes or buy a whole system together.

What is also great about the Linksys Velop system is that it can also replace your existing router if you don’t want to continue using your current router. When you are using the parent node, it will connect to your modem, just as a router would. All child nodes will connect to this parent node, also known as the hub.

Setting up the Linksys Velop System

When you purchase a Linksys Velop System for your home WiFi, it isn’t a difficult task to set up. Consider the size of your home when purchasing the system to understand how many nodes you will need throughout your home for maximum efficiency. Depending on your smartphone, there are three ways to set up the Linksys Velop System through your home.

Android and iOS users will follow different instructions for setting up the Linksys Velop system in their homes. Here, you can find instructions to set up your Linksys Velop system with an Android or iOS system. You will have to have the Linksys app downloaded on your smartphone. 

You can also set up the Linksys Velop system through an online interface. You will still need to have the Linksys app downloaded on your smartphone to be able to control the WiFi.

Conclusion

The Linksys Velop Mesh WiFi system is a great way to ensure that you have fast and stable internet for dozens of devices throughout your home. The Linksys Velop system is designed to replace an existing router and allow WiFi to be stable throughout your smart home.