This Motion-Sensing Mesh Wifi Router Is A Peak Into The Future Of Smart Home Devices

Back in 2013, MIT’s researchers gave a demonstration of how the wifi signals that give you high-speed Internet connection wherever you are in the home can also double as a tool to sense a pet's and human motions. This year, Linksys has brought that technology to reality, which comes in the form of a tri-band mesh router. The technology is still barely developed but it gives us the first look at what the future holds for smart home devices.

The mesh router is called Linksys Aware and it comes to users through the Velop tri-band AC2200 routers’ software and hardware updates. The one featured in this review is the Velop AC6600 mesh wi-fi system with three nodes.

Linksys Velop products have the kind of design that will surely attract little attention, a needed feature for anything that is supposed to work in the background. The mesh variety has an edge over other routers as it does not have a clunky size and antennas pointing to all directions.

The LED lights for status are also minimized. The dot on the top can tell you a lot about the problem the router gets if you take your time learning what the flashing patterns and colors mean. The setup process for Linksys mesh wifi routers is a bit easier for users as all of the nodes are of the same kind of hardware so you do not have to remember which one should be placed where.

While the router is a tri-band system that features one 2.4GHz band and two 5GHz bands, the wireless backhaul channel for the nodes to communicate is absent. The router will decide which band to use based on the traffic situation. However, if the channel is important to you, it can be created with ethernet cables.

As the majority of wireless mesh routers are nowadays are set up using apps, the one Linksys offers make the whole process much easier. The most time-consuming situations are when you have to wait for some tasks to finish, which may take a few minutes.

The biggest disadvantage is the distance between each node is relatively limited.

You might have to try a few times before you can find an ideal spot to place the nodes, along the way, you will have to run tests to make sure that the connection is strong enough.

Linksys Velop mesh wifi system offers just about anything an average consumer may need, such as the guest network-making ability, the in-app tests, and the parental control. One of the best features is the ability to prioritize three devices to make sure that they have enough bandwidth to operate. This feature will be of great help when you need to stream content or play games on certain devices in the house.

Now, it is time for the motion-sensing function we have talked about earlier, the Linksys Aware. The feature means that there are radio waves sending between these nodes. The function can only work if a minimum of two nodes is involved. Over time, the nodes can sense the change in intensity of the waves if there are obstacles moving in the coverage area of the router.

You, the user, can see all of what the nodes detect by a scrolling graph in the app. The router can identify walking but when you stay still, it can still detect subtle movements. When there is no one else in the room, the graph will stay relatively flat.

Since the technology is still at its infant stage, there are still some caveats you have to put up with. The notification can be turned on to send you alerts anytime the wifi router detects movement, but if you want to take advantage of that for home security, you will want to schedule it to send the alerts only when you and your family has left the house.

The level of sensitivity can be adjusted to detect movements of large subjects like human or smaller ones like a mouse or a pet. However, a much-needed feature that the mesh router does not have is the information on where exactly the motion is detected. Since the waves can be transmitted through walls, if your next-door neighbor can see the signal, it is possible that the router will detect movements of your neighbors too.

However, overall, the technology is fascinating, given the fact that the first demonstration happened only six years ago. Linksys Aware might be the first step to revolutionize the whole concept of smart home systems. It may enhance the performance of any wireless network, home security, and render motion sensors useless. If you are on the market for a mesh wifi router, Linksys’s is an ideal option as the company will definitely roll out more upgrades through software updates.

However, if you have already had a mesh wifi network functioning properly, there is no reason to switch. For home security, invest in a proper system is advisable as it can do much more than what the Linksys’s router can do right now, at least you will know exactly where the suspicious movement is detected. The setup process is a little bit more complicated but you can still handle it.

Those who have already had the Linksys Velop hardware can update more easily but the price of $25 (Rs. 1,776) per year and $3 (Rs. 213) a month is worth it to have the motion-sensing feature. Since more updates will come in the future, it is best to wait until the router can offer something truly revolutionary.