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Linksys Velop home mesh gets full bridge mode

The firmware update also include a a parental control scheduler for the Velop and all Linksys app-enabled routers.

Dong Ngo SF Labs Manager, Editor / Reviews
CNET editor Dong Ngo has been involved with technology since 2000, starting with testing gadgets and writing code for CNET Labs' benchmarks. He now manages CNET San Francisco Labs, reviews 3D printers, networking/storage devices, and also writes about other topics from online security to new gadgets and how technology impacts the life of people around the world.
Dong Ngo
2 min read
Juan Garzón / CNET

Linksys announced today that it just released a firmware update that enables a full bridge mode to its Velop Wi-Fi system.

This is a significant update since it allows the system to work as part of an existing network, such as one powered by a router/modem combo gateway, instead of creating a separate network of its own -- a setup technically known as double-NAT.

What makes the Velop's bridge mode "full" is the fact that it still functions as a system -- when you have two or more units -- in this mode. Other Wi-Fi systems , such as the Google Wifi, only works in the bridge mode when you use just one hardware unit.

Naturally, in bridge mode, you won't get the full feature set of the Velop since the home network is managed by the original router. However, according to Belkin, the Velop continues to function as a dynamic tri-band system -- it automatically use any of its one 2.4 GHz and two 5 GHz bands to deliver the best connection to a client in real time. The support for Amazon Alexa and auto firmware updates remains functional in this mode, too.

When first available, the Velop proved to be a fast home mesh system that was also very expensive. Recently, however, its price as a three-unit system, has gone down and this update will make it even more competitive among Wi-Fi systems.

Other than that, this round of firmware updates also adds a parental control scheduler to the Velop and all Linksys App Enabled Routers (previously known as Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Routers), including all routers in Max-Stream and the new Lynksys WRT product lines.

The Velop and all of these routers have the auto-update setting turned on by default so chances are yours has already been updated. If not that might happen in a day or two, and you can also manually do that via the Linksys App or the router's web interface.