When I reviewed the Linksys Velop just a week or two ago, one of the main things I didn’t like was the lack of a browser-based interface to change settings. Sure, having a mobile app is great and user friendly, but for those who want to configure things manually, it’s just not quite up to scratch. Why might you want to do this? There’s a range of things that the app doesn’t let you configure (and which, now, the browser based interface does):
- DHCP server access for automatically assigning IP addresses to devices that come onto the network. This provides easy connectivity for mobile devices that often leave the network and return later.
- DNS configuration for linking host names, such as a web address to a specific IP address.
- Troubleshooting: device table, router report, ping/trace route, logs. These features provide additional insights into network performance.
- Security: firewall, VPN passthrough, DMZ settings. Users can access these settings to manage their network security.
The feature was widely asked for, says Linksys’ product manager Dan Albertson:
“As the most awarded mesh solution on the market by media and reviewers for its strong performance, simple setup and elegant design, there was one feature that certain reviewers wished Velop had was a browser-based interface. Customers wanted a browser-based interface to access advanced features not found on the app or make changes to their network from their computers rather than their phones or tablets. So Linksys got to work and we are excited to deliver this feature to customers today.”
The web based interface will be familiar to anyone who has configured a Linksys router in recent times, with options specially designed for Velop’s mesh networking features. Better yet, the new firmware should already have been installed on your Velop devices, provided you’ve left automatic updates turned on. If Automatic Firmware Updates is disabed, the new firmware can be downloaded and installed manually. Please check the Linksys support page for more details. Users can visit the Linksys support site to learn more about Automatic Firmware updates.
Our review units are still installed, and we’ve confirmed the browser-based interface is now much easier to access. Instead of the previous splash screen (shown above), users are now greated with this:
Let us know if this change sways your opinion of Linksys’ Velop system, and whether you’ve bought one yet. We’re still enjoying ours and hoping not to have to give it back too quickly!
