swemoney's stats
- Review count300
- Helpfulness votes194
- First reviewMay 14, 2016
- Last reviewAugust 3, 2026
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4
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- Answer count12
- Helpfulness votes10
- First answerJune 10, 2016
- Last answerApril 18, 2021
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- Best answers2
The PowerShot V10 is a vlog and still camera in a new highly portable form factor with components from the popular G-Series line that lets you create impressive videos on-the-go. With stereo sound capture, a built-in stand, and easy live streaming, this cam is ready to go when you are. Don~t let its size fool you, this is a vlogging studio in a compact package that can be operated with one hand to let you express your story!
Customer Rating
4
Quick and convenient over features and quality
on November 18, 2023
Posted by: swemoney
My review title isn't meant to disparage this camera. It's a tradeoff. It's not the highest quality or most versatile image around, but everything about the camera is designed to be quick and easy to use. It doesn't take long to get used to the interface and the included kickstand along with the single button located on the front just makes everything pretty simple for taking face cam imagines and videos.
Setup is easy enough. The camera doesn't come with a micro SD card so that's up to you to provide if you don't have an extra one laying around. A small 32 GB card would have been nice to included for getting up and running without any hitches. Some of the initial setup just wouldn't complete (like saving wifi information) without an SD card installed so it seems like a pretty big oversight to not included ANY card at all. Even if it was tiny. Otherwise, it's just a matter of following on screen instructions for setting up the camera. Doesn't take long.
Settings are fairly basic and don't really overwhelm you. It's most everything you find on standard digital cameras. Shooting mode are limited enough as well to not overwhelm you and I don't think it needs more. I'm not a professional photographer or anything so I don't need most of the tiny details. The screen is also touch screen so you can adjust some settings without pressing any buttons on the camera. This is important when you have the screen flipped towards the front.
Usage is dead simple. After you have the settings you like, just hit the red button on front. The kickstand is fantastic for setting the phone up on a flat surface without needing to worry about lugging around a tripod. The screen flips up over the top to face forward which I really like. Gives you a really nice preview really close to the lens so you always know if you're shooting the right thing. Battery life could definitely be better even for such a small and light device. And especially for a device that's made for mobile shooting. It feels like the battery should have been more of a concern. Just keep a charging brick available so you can charge it if you're going to be out for more than a couple hours.
One of the reasons I was looking forward to this was the ability to use it as a straight up webcam via USB-C. It "just works" great. Plug it in and it's ready to use in OBS or whatever other software that can take advantage of a webcam. You're also able to connect to the micro HDMI port to show things off to your TV (or connect to an HDMI capture on your computer). The wide angle lens is really nice but I'm a little sad there's no optical zoom available.
Picture quality is pretty good. I wouldn't notice tiny things that might be against the picture quality and I don't notice anything really wrong with the picture at all. Well lit is your friend but if you're a content creator already, you're probably already aware of how much proper lighting helps. No complaints on the picture.
Overall, for a content creation camera, this is a really good product. I'm sad that any sort of digital zoom or stabilization is going to eat into your resolution but it's not something that really affects my content at all. A starter SD card would have been nice but it's not a deal breaker, just a little odd. Picture quality is good and everything is made to be quick and convenient to use just without all the bells and whistles. The USB webcam feature is going to get a ton of use in live streams. I can recommend this camera if you're looking for something for content creation and it's in your price range.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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The IdeaPad 1 raises the bar on every affordable laptop with a super-efficient Intel Celeron N4020 processor in a thin and compact 17.9 mm chassis that makes multitasking a breeze while boosting energy efficiency with up-to-11 hours of battery life and rapid charge. Get more value with four-sided narrow bezels for maximum screen, Dolby Audio speakers and Flip to Start for instant boot up. Optimize your video call experience with a 720p camera that comes with a privacy shutter to keep out prying eyes and Smart Noise Cancelling to cut out background noise.
Customer Rating
2
I understand its cheap but performance is bad
on November 13, 2023
Posted by: swemoney
I've set up and reviewed a lot of computers and laptops. Be it my own systems (I've been building computers for at least 3 decades now) or helping friends set up their computers. I understand that this system is meant to be about as entry level as it gets but oh man, my patience was tested. I was hoping to use this for my kids so they have something to watch some videos on and MAYBE play a really simple game. It might still be OK for videos but I'm not even sure yet.
Setup was a nightmare. Even the transitions between screens during the setup questions were laggy and jerky. Running Windows Update after setup was a full night en-devour. I didn't want to judge the overall performance of the PC based on initial setup but I can't think of having a worse experience with performance ever before. Nearly everything feels like a click and wait activity. I don't think CPU usage fell below 100% the entire time (which isn't hard for it to get there so I guess that's not much of a feat).
After setup was done, I didn't find that performance was getting much better. CPU was still pegged at 100% almost all the time. Finally loading up Edge so I could download Firefox took literal minutes. I wish I timed it, but I sat staring at a blank tab with a loading throbber for at least 5 minutes before the website finally loaded. Then downloading Firefox led me to my next snag because I've never heard of or experienced "Windows S Mode" before. So googling that (on another machine because I was not about to open another tab on this one) got me the instructions I needed to turn it off and install Firefox.
With Firefox finally installed and WIndows S Mode deactivated I finally felt like the machine was running at under 100% CPU for the first time. Things were still slow but it almost felt usable. I say this because I don't think I'll be installing anything else. Aside from the small storage space, I can't imagine using this machine for anything other than some really light web browsing and video watching and maybe some word processing.
I loaded up YouTube and Netflix and was able to watch videos alright. The resolution on this machine is just over 720p and playing a YouTube video at 720p works well. If you bump it up to 1080p, I started to see some dropped frames but nothing really noticeable (it just showed in Stats For Nerds). Netflix logged in and played just fine as well. I think this is predominantly what you'll be using this machine for. Watching some videos and checking your email.
Build quality is pretty OK. The keyboard doesn't feel bad. The system is light and plastic but it feels solid enough. I'm not sure how badly my kids will damage it but it feels, at initial usage, that it'll withstand a little bit of abuse at least. The screen quality isn't too great. Things appear a bit washed out and too bright and the resolution is pretty low. Some text is hard to read. Ports aren't too bad. It's got a 2 USB 2.0 ports, a USB-C port and an HDMI port. Also has a flash card reader slot and headphone jack. I'm a little confused and surprised that such a low end machine didn't opt for USB-C power, this thing somehow has a smallish 45W power brick for power.
Bottom line on this system is just not really great. I know it's cheap but I'm not sure the performance you get out of this is even worth how cheap it is or maybe even half of that. If this was packed with ChromeOS or another light weight Linux distro, it might be a bit more functional than the bloated Windows 11. I just don't think the hardware can keep up and this machine won't improve over the years so you're probably better off looking some something else. As much as I wanted to love this as a low cost, single purpose machine, I was just so frustrated with all of the waiting it made me do that I can't really recommend this to anyone.
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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ASUS ExpertCenter D5 TEC features powerful, dependable and expandable performance, created especially for the unique needs of small business. Its ultracompact, flexible and sleek small form factor allows business users to enjoy flexible and neat workspace. Also, with help of our simplified small-business support services, you can enjoy reduced downtime and lower total cost of ownership.
Customer Rating
4
Decent for what it it's meant for
on November 4, 2023
Posted by: swemoney
If you're looking for a PC to game on, look elsewhere. If you're looking for something moderately quick at basic tasks like browsing the web and watching some YouTube or Netflix, this could be a pretty good for you.
I've been building computers for probably close to 30 years now, but I'll occasionally work with a prebuilt either out of curiosity or it's someone else's. Overall, I'm not disappointed in this machine as far as parts and build quality goes. It's fairly bare bones in it's feature set but it's not meant to be a hugely expensive gaming rig so I can understand that. The biggest limiter I can see is the 8GB of RAM but that's a fairly easy upgrade if you're finding it to be an issue (and a pretty inexpensive one). But for what this is made to do, I think it's spec'd well enough. You'll be able to browse the web and watch some YouTube or Netflix just fine. Doing school work or office type work should be great as well. And if you really want to game a little bit, you always have cloud gaming options. The integrated Intel graphics should be able to support some older games at lower settings as well.
Setup was pretty simple. Same as usual for Windows 11. Enter some information and it'll do the rest. ASUS jumps in and prompts for some registration information but it's skippable if you'd rather not. The machine is pretty clean of bloat-ware. ASUS includes their basic MyASUS app that does things like tweaking some performance things as well as transferring information from another ASUS machine. Pretty basic stuff. There's also a business manager app included that does things like customize a logo for the machine and turn on some security related encryption things. If you're buying a bunch of these for the office, it'll probably come in handy. There's a bunch of ASUS processes running but they all appear to be fairly light weight. You can probably safely disable most of them too. That's about it for bloatware. Everything else is included with Windows 11 and most of it is still uninstallable pretty easily. I did notice an issue with the HDMI output which may stump some people who only have an HDMI monitor. I couldn't get it to output via HDMI at all. Luckily, my monitor also supports DisplayPort so I just used that but if you don't have that luxury, you may need an adapter to get a display at all.
Performance works good for a lower spec'd machine. I didn't notice much in the way of sluggishness doing things like web browsing, video/movie watching and office/school work stuff. I even tried out a game on xcloud and it worked as well as I'd expect xcloud to work. The CPU in this machine is very capable of video decoding so it didn't have many troubles.
Build quality seems fine. There's no window on this machine so there's no need for the parts inside to be pretty. It's just the basic green stuff. There's not much going on inside so it's fairly clean looking. One weird choice I found was the small strip of plastic protection over a really small line of glossy plastic that was tucked under the one faceplate in front. I had to take the whole front panel off to get that piece of plastic out without tearing it. It's a really small thing and one of those plastics that could probably have stayed on there for years without some people noticing, but I just found it odd that it was pretty much impossible to remove without tearing it or removing the front panel entirely.
I would have loved to see a couple of USB-C inputs on here in this day and age. There's plenty of USB for most things. 2 USB 2.x's and 2 USB 3.x's on the back and then the same up front. Just would have been nice to have some USB-C in the mix. There's even old-school PS2 inputs for a keyboard and mouse if you happen to have one of those dinosaurs lying around somewhere. I assume that's for compatibility with business stuff since this is more focused on business usage. Just doesn't feel super new.
Aside from the low amount of RAM, the questionable plastic cover placement, and my inability to get an image over HDMI even after fiddling with the BIOS, this machine is alright. None of those are dealbreakers for me and everything else works great. If those things sound like dealbreakers for you, you might want to keep browsing otherwise you could do worse than this machine.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Welcome to the beautifully imperfect world of Polaroid photography with the Polaroid Now Generation 2 camera. The classic, iconic analog instant camera comes with autofocus, a self-timer, and double exposure. All in a classic design, and now made with 40% recycled materials. Includes a Polaroid Color i-Type Film Double Pack for 16 color instant photographs with white frames. Compatible with Polaroid i-Type & 600 film in the original Polaroid instant film format.
Posted by: swemoney
I'm not a huge analog guy. I was born in the early 80's and have always been a bit of a nerd so when camera technology got to the digital age, I was all in. Haven't looked back at a film camera in probably 2 decades. Would I want to use this Polaroid to capture the most important moments while my children grow up? Definitely not. But the casual pictures I did take of them would go great in a scrap book or any other more stylized collection and I can appreciate that.
Setup was easy enough. The instructions are fairly clear about how to install the film so it's hard to screw it up. After that, it's just point (by looking through a view finder!) and shoot. You might need to charge the camera up before using it. Mine had enough battery to use right away, though.
The biggest weirdness for me was actually taking the picture by looking through a physical hole in the camera again and then the shutter button being on the front of the camera. Just felt weird. Took me a minute to feel comfortable with my finger in the right spot to take a picture. Other than that, it was a fun experience for me. It tickles that nostalgia spot in my brain. The picture came out, and after reading through the quick start guide, I opted to listen to their big bold instructions which were "DO NOT SHAKE THE PICTURE!". Placing the film face down on a flat surface was plenty and in 5 minutes or so, I had some really old looking pictures of my kids.
I was most blown away by how little the technology has improved since I remember using these cameras. The pictures are not super great and I can't imagine anyone who didn't grow up with these cameras (or just find the novelty in old tech) really liking the result. To me, it was like seeing my small children but through an 80's lens. I liked the picture, but like I said, I would only use this to take casual images for a more artistic display somewhere. Consideration how old the pictures look, you could probably reproduce the effect with any digital pictures pretty easily by shrinking the resolution and using a bunch of filters. There's still something to having the thick polaroid film though.
Overall, I can recommend this camera to anyone who grew up in a time when this was normal and just wants to take some new pictures that look really old. The image quality isn't great. The flash doesn't go very far. You can't delete the picture and try again if you don't like it. There's something nifty about all of that, but this definitely won't replace your phone or anything for capturing actual important events. Pure nostalgia and not much else here.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Defined in ambition. Built through rigor. M75 AIR was made for a single purpose ~ to help you win. The symmetrical mouse shape has been expertly crafted to let nothing come between you and top-tier play. The speed and control you gain from M75 AIR is simply unrivaled, and at just 60g, M75 AIR is unbelievably light, enabling you to make the most agile movements, sweeps, and recenters. The 26K DPI CORSAIR MARKSMAN optical sensor detects those moves with pro grade precision, and your shots register instantly on optical switches guaranteed for 100 million clicks. When you grasp M75 AIR, you~re holding a mouse that~s sculpted by victory.
Customer Rating
4
No frills, lightweight, performant mouse
on November 1, 2023
Posted by: swemoney
I've used my fair share of mouses over a span of decades but I've never really tried a one that specifically tries to be light weight. Usually, if the mouse has extra weight to add to it, I add a few grams before taking any out. So I wanted to check out something that's made specifically to be light weight and see how I liked it.
Setup is as easy as any other mouse you've ever used. Plug in the dongle and start using it straight away. You can also connect this one via bluetooth if that's your preferred method or if you have multiple devices and want to use the mouse on both of them. The toggle for the different modes is actually a push button on the bottom of the mouse and it also includes power. I found it difficult to tell which mode was active (or if the mouse was shutting down) since the only indicator light is a single tiny led on the top of the mouse. It's not a deal breaker, but every other mouse I've used with multiple modes has a 3 way switch that makes it very easy to tell what mode is active. I can only assume that the push button is used to save weight.
You don't need to install any software to just use the mouse but if you want to customize things like the DPI steps and update the firmware, you'll need Corsair's iCue software. As far as peripheral software goes, it's one of the better ones that doesn't feel super bloated or slow. There's no RGB lighting to customize on this mouse (again, I assume it saves weight) so your customization is limited but you still get firmware updates and profiles so you can change how the mouse acts depending on what you're doing.
The feel of this mouse is actually pretty nice for the shape. I've usually found this shape of mouse less comfortable to use but it feels like there's a bit more height on the mouse to support my palm which I like. The weight doesn't feel as bad as I was expecting. I'm not sure I see it as a huge benefit for me specifically, but I'm not playing hardcore FPS games competitively or anything which I have to assume is the target audience. It doesn't feel bad to use, but it also doesn't feel better than any heavier mouse I've used.. to me.
Build quality feels really good. There's not a ton going on with this mouse but it feels well built. There's just 2 side button, 2 top buttons and a scroll wheel (that also clicks, of course). It all feels well put together. There's no extras like a dpi button under the scroll wheel. There's no way to turn the stepped scroll wheel into a free spinning scroll wheel. I, again, assume all of these extras are left off to save as much weight as possible so if you're looking for a light weight mouse, you're probably used to these kind of concessions already.
All in all, this is a nice mouse for a niche audience. If you're looking for something really light weight but built nicely with very little in the way of extras, this one could be for you. If you're not concerned about weight, you'll probably want to look at other options that offer more bang for your buck.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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The Insignia USB-C to Ethernet Adapter provides high-speed internet access to USB-C devices such as computers, smartphones, tablets and more. It supports up to 1 Gbps, granting high-speed data transfer and fast connectivity, which improves your gaming or web browsing experience. Plug-and-play technology ensures a simple connection and LED indicators tell you the adapter is connected and ready to go.
Customer Rating
4
It's an ethernet adapter. It does that.
on October 25, 2023
Posted by: swemoney
What's there really to say about a USB-C to Ethernet adapter aside from, it works? This one does indeed work.
Setup was a breeze on my old 2016 model MacBook Pro. Plug it into an available USB-C port and plug your ethernet cable into the adapter and you're off to the races. Just to make sure there was no shady business, I disabled wifi while testing so I knew I was always using the wired connection. The Mac immediately detected the adapter and the new network and configured it. I didn't have to do anything else. I would assume the interaction is similar in Windows now a days since few devices really need drivers and extra steps for configuring.
Speeds were what I would expect from a wired internet connection. I usually have this MacBook Pro on WiFi so I was happy to have a little bump in performance in that regard. Not much else to say here.
If you have a laptop that has a faulty ethernet port or more likely no ethernet port at all and you'd like to use it on a more stable wired connection, this is a dead simple gadget you probably can't go wrong with.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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For those who crave greater customization and immersion, satisfy your enthusiast needs with the Razer BlackWidow V4 75%~a compact, hot-swappable mechanical keyboard powered by Razer Chroma RGB. From installing new switches to creating unique lighting effects, shape it to way you love to play.
Customer Rating
4
Really nice build and feel quality
on October 19, 2023
Posted by: swemoney
I've been trying out some new styles of keyboard lately and the only downside I can find to this one is the lack of a numpad but if you're going for a small form factor that's well made and feels good to type on, this one does a lot of things right.
Setup is a breeze as it usually is with keyboards. Plug it in and it's ready to go. If you install the Razer Synapse software, you can tweak things like key binds and lighting. Razer Synapse is not my favorite peripheral software out there but it works well enough. The lighting is easy enough to figure out so you can customize each key exactly the way you like it. The coolest lighting feature is the ambient spread lighting that can spread the light and colors from your monitor across multiple devices. I also have a Razer mouse so I was able to specify a zone where my mouse sits under my monitor and then specify another zone where my keyboard was sitting and the colors from my monitor could spread onto my mouse and keyboard. Very cool and doesn't appear to exist on Corsair's software.
The construction of this keyboard is really nice. It's got a nice heavy feel. The detachable cable is really nice and doesn't appear to be included in many other keyboards. The magnetic wrist rest is also built well and feels nice to type with. Just overall, the keyboard is built really well.
The switches are going to be subjective, of course. I'm coming from using a lot of linear switches (my main keyboard has been linear "speed" silver switches that have almost no travel before activation). I did not hate the tactile orange switches. I thought it would take some getting used to but not at all. They felt very natural and sounded good. No notes.
The only downside here, for me, is that this is a 75% keyboard. It's not hiding that fact so I obviously won't hold it against it. It's a really nice keyboard and will be in use for a future PC build for my wife or daughters (it does have the "cute" factor, being white and small). For the time being, I'm using it as my old MacBook Pro's dedicated keyboard when it's docked to my desk. I just can't use a keyboard without a numpad as my daily driver right now otherwise this keyboard would be it.
Bottom line, this is a really nice keyboard. I'm a pretty strong Corsair loyalist but I can recognize when something is built nice and works well. If you're looking for a small, attractive keyboard and like the feel of orange switches, this could be the one for you.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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The CORSAIR K70 CORE gaming keyboard empowers your best play and makes gaming and typing amazing. With silky smooth CORSAIR Red linear mechanical switches and two layers of sound dampening foam for a superior typing sound and feel, this is premier CORSAIR performance at its core. Take control effortlessly with a multi-function rotary dial and programmable media button, configurable in iCUE. Use iCUE to also customize the K70 CORE~s dazzling per-key RGB lighting and make your desktop your own dynamic work of art, and then save your RGB settings and macros on up to five onboard profiles to always have at the ready. Your ambition starts with the K70 CORE.
Posted by: swemoney
I've used another Corsair keyboard for a long time now (K95) and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I wanted to check out some other switches, though, so I thought sticking with a linear switch (the K95 has silver speed switches) would be a good first step. I think I was right. I didn't have much trouble adjusting to these switches at all since the only huge difference is the activation point so they're quite a bit less sensitive that the silver speed switches.
Setup is as easy as it can be with a keyboard. Plug it in and it's mostly ready to go. You can install Corsair's iCUE software (which is recommended to at least update the firmware on your keyboard) and then you have a lot of options you can set up like lighting effects and what the dial does.
I still think Corsair's lighting creator in iCUE is one of the best. There are a lot of presets to start from and you can stack layers and specify the exact keys each layer affects so you can pretty much make any kind of effect you want. The only thing I found missing was a CPU monitor. There was a temperature sensor monitor so you can change some keys different colors based on CPU and GPU temperature, but I couldn't find a CPU/GPU load monitor to do the same thing. Not a huge thing. There's a lot you can do with lighting.
The control dial is the new fancy feature on this keyboard so I'll talk about that next. The setup for it in iCUE was a little confusing at first. You're able to assign multiple functions to the dial but I couldn't figure out right away how to know what function was going to be controlled at any time. After a bit of time, I discovered the F12 key had a tiny control dial icon on it so I was able to figure out that if you press Fn+F12, you'll change the mode. You can specify what color each mode is so you know which mode is active and whenever you turn or click the dial, the F12 key lights up with that color so you know which one is currently active. It's not the most intuitive setup if you want the dial to control a bunch of things but if you only want to use it for volume or only for controlling the lighting brightness or only for scrolling, it's pretty painless to do. Just need to train yourself to know which function is active if you want to use it for multiple functions.
The build of the keyboard is solid. It's pretty small. There's really no "extra" space around it. This was probably the most jarring part of coming from my old K95. The only extra keys the K95 had was a column of G-Keys on the left but, especially with the wrist rest (which, the K70 does NOT have), the keyboard just feels massive in comparison. You get full sized keys and a full size keyboard here but there's really no extra space added around the keys so it makes for a very compact design. I think I like it but I'm not sure if my wrists do yet. Definitely nice for aesthetics but I might need another wrist rest to make typing for prolonged periods more comfortable. Your mileage may obviously vary here. But the overall construction of the keyboard feels very sturdy and nice.
Overall, I'm happy with this keyboard. I've found that Corsair does a good job at keyboards in the past and that still seems to be the case. the iCUE software is some of the best software for customizing as well. If you're looking for a nice looking, small as can be, full size keyboard with plenty of lighting options and you're a fan of linear red switches, this could be the keyboard for you!
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Whether you~re calling loved ones, texting friends or ordering takeout food online, your phone is vital to your lifestyle. It~s important to keep it charged and ready to go at a moment~s notice. The Insignia NS-MC5CL7W24 7' USB-C to Lightning Charge-and-Sync Cable with Braided Jacket is more than up to the task. It~ll not only help charge your Lightning-enabled iPhone, iPad or iPod, but also let you transfer files and sync your device with a quick data transfer speed of up to 480 Mbps. Its 7 ft. length gives you flexible placement options so you can place your phone wherever you need it. A white color keeps the cable looking stylish while a braided jacket adds protection and durability. Trust this USB-C to Lightning cable to help keep you ready for the challenges of everyday life.
Customer Rating
4
It's a lighting cable.. Works as expected.
on October 10, 2023
Posted by: swemoney
I don't use many non-official lightning cables at all in my home. A lot of the ones we've had die pretty quickly while the official cables last for seemingly ever sometimes. I can't speak about the longevity of this cable since I've only used it for a short while but I will say that it feels better than most third party cables I've used.
It's a lightning cable. It works. My wife has been complaining about some charging issues with her phone and it seems like she just kept on using one of the few cables that just didn't work very well anymore. Plugged this bad boy in and everything was great. Tried it out on all of my lightning devices without an issue. AppleTV remote, charged. Older iPad, charged. iPhone 12 and 13 (Pro Maxes), charged. It's a charging cable. It does what it's supposed to.
The build quality on the cable seems really nice. It's braided which I usually like and both of the ends feel pretty strong. I imagine it won't last forever but it feels like I will last for quite a while without issues. The length is good for our needs. We're usually pretty close to a plug so 7' is plenty long. Possibly even too long.
All that said, I'll repeat one more time. This is a lightning cable. USB-C might be on one end but at the end of the day, it's a lightning cable. With the newest iPhones finally adopting USB-C on the device, these cables will eventually be e-waste. Definitely not tomorrow or anything but gradually, you'll stop needing lightning cables just like when Apple moved away from their old, bulky 30 pin connector. For now, though, this seems like a pretty good cable to get your through until all of your devices use the same USB-C connector.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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Linksys Velop Pro 7, powered by groundbreaking Wi-Fi 7 technology, delivers more than double the speed of Wi-Fi 6. That's not just an upgrade, it's a revolution.
Customer Rating
3
Good mesh network. Mediocre router feature set.
on October 2, 2023
Posted by: swemoney
My biggest issue with my older router was basically just coverage in a location with a lot of interference. The router can cover my home just fine but the interference makes some connections (specifically in the 2.4ghz band) hard to make or maintain. So a mesh network was my last hope to get the coverage I needed and try and overcome some of the interference. These routers worked for that for the most part.
Setup is one thing Linksys has nailed when it comes to people who have little to no knowledge of networking or setting up a router or what have you. I'm not one of those people and would probably be happy with a "Do you know what you're doing?" option to bypass a lot of the step by step hand holding. But I can look at the things they do for the inexperienced objectively and see a lot of value in how dumbed down the instructions they offer are. They go so far as talking you through a bunch of small steps to unplug and replug your modem/router, complete with a long timer you need to sit through in the app before you can continue. It might not be necessary, but it's better to cover all your bases so you don't need to redo things over and over to get them to work. So setup is basically as simple as downloading the Linksys app and following their instructions until everything is set up.
Using the app is what they've been pushing people towards for a long time now. It's, again, dumbed down and easier to use for people who don't have a ton of experience with networking or setting up their router. It only shows you important things up front and hides (or straight up doesn't allow you to tinker with) more advanced settings so it's hard to mess things up. It's also fairly straight forward to just reset the routers if you do mess up. There is still a web interface that, in my opinion, is showing it's age. Maybe just because I've seen it for a very long time. The web interface exposes all of the options and features available to your router so if you have the experience, you'll probably feel more at home there than in the app.
Performance is quite good. My biggest issue in my home has been a lot of smart home gadgets on HomeKit. There were specifically 2 WeMo items (a switch and a smart plug) in one corner of our home that just never worked with Home on my phone. Usually I could get the WeMo app to connect and control them but Home was basically to the point where I didn't even try anymore. The first thing I tested after getting the router and it's nodes set up (I gave it and the devices a little time to settle in) was those devices. Low and behold, for the first time in who knows how long, I was able to turn the light on from Home without needing to load up the WeMo app! Again, our home isn't super huge or anything. It is 2.5 floors so there isn't quite a clear path for the radio waves to travel in all the time but a single router would definitely cover the whole home if it wasn't for the interference from neighbors. With multiple access points working together to make sure all of my devices are attached to the best available signal, some of the zombie devices I've been having issues with have all started coming alive again. There's a "channel finder" function inside the Linksys app that searches for the best channels to put each of the wifi nodes on as well which I think helped so everything isn't stuck on the same crowded channel.
Speeds are also good. I've been running speed tests on my iPhone in various locations around my house and have been getting consistently good speeds around 400-600mbps (on a 1gbps network). I'm sure when more devices start connecting with native wifi 7, those speeds will increase quite a bit. Overall, I'm satisfied with the wifi at my home now. It's quick and seems to do a good job of dealing with the interference.
For those of you with a full router/gateway through your ISP, I can attest that there is a "Bridge Mode" on the Velop system that allows you to essentially disable most of the router functionality of the Velop and basically just use them as a mesh wireless access point. I tested this setup with my old router and it worked quite well. Not much more to report on this as you're basically just using the wifi mesh network alongside your existing network. It's a good thing to know if you don't own your own modem and rent/lease a gateway through your ISP, though.
It's not all sunshine and roses with these. My biggest complaint stems from a lot of Linksys routers and that's just a lack of more advanced features. I understand catering towards less experienced individuals but I also expect certain features out of a router at certain price points. I would totally understand hiding some more advanced features behind the web interface so less experienced users don't see too many things they don't understand. But I would love to see something like a VPN server/client on the router. Advanced logging so I can tell if/when things are being blocked by the firewall. SSH server for some low level tinkering. Not a huge thing but CPU/Memory/Bandwidth monitors would all be nice too. These are all features you can find elsewhere without breaking the bank but are all absent from the Velop. I haven't decided yet but I'm considering just leaving my old router for it's feature set and just using the Velop for it's wireless mesh network in bridge mode.
So, bottom line, this is a good mesh network. It's easy to set up and use. It covers a large area. It's great for wifi in general. Wifi 7, as more devices support it, will be ever better so you can future proof now. As a router, though, it falls short. Like most Linksys devices I've used, it just doesn't include a lot of the features I would expect to find in even a low end router. If you're looking for some advanced networking and don't already own a router with those features, this is probably not the choice for you. But if you're looking for a good mesh network to add on to your existing network, I could recommend these if they're in your budget.
I would recommend this to a friend!
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With no wires in the way, Bose SoundSport Wireless Sports Earbuds keep you moving with powerful audio. Perfect for exercise and running with a sweat and weather resistant design and StayHear+ tips designed for comfort and stability. The Tile app makes your headphones easy to find if they ever go missing.
Is it possible to remove that clip on the wire?
Clip is formed plastic around the wire, so not unless you break the clip. You can move it up and down the wire. I barely noticed it, myself.
10 years, 1 month ago
by
swemoney
With no wires in the way, Bose SoundSport Wireless Sports Earbuds keep you moving with powerful audio. Perfect for exercise and running with a sweat and weather resistant design and StayHear+ tips designed for comfort and stability. The Tile app makes your headphones easy to find if they ever go missing.
Is this earphone compatible with Andriod phone?
I didn't test them out on an Android device, but they're bluetooth headphones. So if your Android device supports Bluetooth audio, they should work fine.
10 years, 1 month ago
by
swemoney