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I had originally been holding out hope for that as I had been using Apple networking stuff for years. At this point, I doubt we would see them revisit these products, but who am I to predict what direction Apple might go.
Then you need to try eero. amzn.to/3fmzHS9 The founders of eero were developers of Apple AirPort until the AirPort program was shut down. Eero routers have all but a few features of AirPort routers. (No USB ports or Time Capsule)
Great video! I use a Ubiquity Amplifi mesh system for my smart home. Easy setup and gives lots of control. One thing that really helped was setting up new HomeKit devices that need 2.4 ghz, if the device couldn’t “see” the 2.4 then I could toggle my 5ghz off so smart devices connect the turn 5ghz back on with no interruptions! The mesh extenders have a signal strength on them and the antenna is adjustable so you can get good signal. The base unit looks like small alarm clock so if it’s sitting in your living room it doesn’t look like a router 😁
Thanks for checking out the video! Glad to hear you are happy with the Amplifi system! That was another one I looked at a while back. I would imagine anything by Ubiquity would be top notch. Thanks for the tip on setting up HomeKit devices on the 2.4 band. That’s good for people to know. It’s nice if your router gives you the option to easily turn off the separate bands. I guess I’ve been lucky. I don’t think I’ve ever really had an issue with that when setting up new devices. But I have heard of others who have, so that’s good to know!
I’m still using an Apple TimeCapsule 3TB and an AirPort Extreme as a range extender. I have never had to touch these since the day I bought them. They work flawlessly. I wish Apple was still making these.
Then you need to try eero. amzn.to/3fmzHS9 The founders of eero were developers of Apple AirPort until the AirPort program was shut down. Eero routers have all but a few features of AirPort routers. (No USB ports or Time Capsule)
it would be good to also note that even though you don't pay for gigabit speeds from your ISP, if your router and devices support wifi 6, you will see those fast speeds in data transfer between devices. For example streaming movies from a home PC to your TV, or transferring files between two computers over wifi. That's where you'll take full advantage of your routers high speed capabilities.
Note about Modem/Router combos - if you are on Fiber, such as AT&T you don't generally have an option to replace the combo as the unit is doing the translation from fiber. For these you can either disable the router or use an IP Passthrough setup. Check your service for details. Personally I use Eero on AT&T and I just had to setup my AT&T box to IP Passthrough.
We were torn between the Velop and the Ubiqiti Networks options when we moved to our new house. We opted to go with the Unifi stuff because we wanted the in-depth app and configuration ability. I will say this came with a multiple access point HomeKit broadcast issue that just seemed to get solved with the latest firmware that just came out two weeks ago. We have also struggled with getting the Meross Garage door opener to work, but I think we solved it and we have that setup/review coming in a video next week. I'm was glad to hear your experience with the Velop so far. At the end of the day, the Power of Ethernet setup really sold us on Unifi. Great work!
Using the USG or the Dream Machine series? I am on Googles ecosystem and slowly switching over, and I know the Google speakers can’t pair in stereo or groups on a secured IoT network because the DreamMachine doesn’t allow MDNS repeating.
I originally used UniFi to replace my AirPorts. I stopped using UniFi since it didn’t have anti-interference (until the $1,500 WiFi BaseStation XG came out last year). If I need to use enterprise level Wi-Fi, I use Ruckus Unleashed which is much more robust than UniFi. For homes, I began using Linksys Velop. It works great, but it didn’t have all I wanted or work the way I desired. I switched to eero for homes because eero released their HomeKit compatible routers months before Linksys, and I really wanted AirPorts anyway. The founders of eero were developers of Apple AirPort until the AirPort program was shut down. Eero routers have all but a few features of AirPort routers. (No USB ports or Time Capsule). amzn.to/3fmzHS9
Hey, do I need to have a HomeKit supported router to better utilized the apple HomeKit and have my Logitech circle doorbell work properly? My Eero 6+ doesn’t allow me to connect to HomeKit and I’m tempted to return it for something else. I was love in a smaller 1,500 single story house and wasn’t sure if getting a mesh eero pro two pack is overkill since wireless backhaul seems to get slower speeds vs the main connected hub. Was considering eero pro 6 but wasn’t sure what to get or which way to go 😮😮
I recently purchased a Ubiquiti Alien mesh Router. I wanted to future-proof my purchase, gave me the option to expand to a mesh network later on if I need to, and it cost half as much as Netgear and Linksys Routers that had the same stats. Bonus points because it doesn’t look like a robotic spider. 😍 Australian ISPs only offer 100mbps max to consumers (which I have via fibre to my home). Using my new router I was able to clock 104mbps *over wifi* (not wired). This router also allowed me to name/identify each device that connects to my router (eg. each light in each room) as I add them, so that I can see what’s connected and what’s not connected via the router’s app. Also means that if I had kids, I could turn off their specific devices if I needed to. Hopefully Ubiquiti add in HomeKit support at some point. But it’s not a deal breaker for me at this stage. 🤞
Great video, Shane. One thing you might want to mention is the reason why companies are using the 2.4 GHz bandwidth for their IoT devices. The longer wavelengths don't have as much issue going though objects and the range is longer without using as much energy to produce said wavelengths. I currently have a combo router/modem from Spectrum as I am using Apple Extreme Base Stations in Bridge mode to create a pseudo-mesh network. I also run a home business out of my home and one of my bedrooms has been converted to an office where the Spectrum Internet access comes into my house. I have a network rack already in my office that had some rack mounted computers on it. I have decided to replace my Spectrum Router/Modem combo with just a modem and install an Ubiquity Dream Machine Pro in my rack along with a 24 port Cat6 patch panel and Ubiquity UniFi Switch Pro 24 PoE and then put in a couple of their PoE access points, including one for outside. Then later I plan on adding their UniFi Protect with external cameras. I may even switch over to their VoIP phone system instead of using Spectrum VoIP phone system. I just need to make sure I can keep my land line phone number that I already have as it is my business line. I have decided to go with the UniFi system as it allows me to create multiple VPN's and assign different devices to each and to create Firewall rules for each VPN. It also has a bunch of security features and gives me a much better view of what is exactly going on with my network.designedoptimize surveillance, VoIP phone systems, door access control systems, along with networking control. The good thing for me is that the vast majority of IoT devices I have are Aqara and Lutron Caseta. Once I have the Aqara hubs (1 main and 4 camera hubs) and the Lutron hub attached back to my network, that will be about 95% of my IoT devices back up and working. I have a couple of BlueTooth devices and just 7 more WiFi devices to add back along with an Apple TV 4K and a HomePod Mini.
Thanks for sharing Frederick. Yea, many people are very happy with the Unifi products. Also a great option, especially if you are looking for those more advance configuration options.
Thanks Shane! Alway a pleasure to watch you informative videos I got a good tip to speed up your connection. I was not getting the speeds I was paying for....Place your modem/router from your ISP in bridge mode. (Mostly only one connection is allowed then) I got a 25-30% speed increase!
Decided to ditch more consumer based router and went with UniFi. One Dream Machine and my whole home is covered, if I decide to want better network outside I can add an AP. The downside is they’re not as user friendly since they’re not made for consumers. Luckily for me I’m a system admin and know how to configure firewalls and networking, but they’re not for everyone. Lastly.. my new house is fiber and I have a 400/400 speed for about $50. It’s crazy. Love it.
I use a Synology RT6600 wifi 6 Tri-band Mesh system and it is really HomeKit friendly and does time machine backups as well... Absolutely love this router! Synology also make NAS storage devices
Great video, thanks Shane. It used to be simple to swap out Wi-Fi Routers by keeping the same SSID and password but no more. It became a problem for the same reason people sometimes have trouble connecting a 2.4GHz device to a network with the same SSID on 2.4 and 5GHz networks. IoT devices often use and store the MAC address passed to them by, for example, your iPhone and not the SSID to identify your network. That means if your iPhone is connected to 5GHz, it’ll pass the 5GHz MAC address and the IoT device can’t connect to 5GHz! And when you swap out your router, you’ll be changing MAC addresses, so even if you use the same SSID some devices won’t connect automatically. PITA.
What Wi-Fi are you using that uses Layer 2 networking to connect via MAC addresses instead of using protocols like DHCP on Layer 3 networking with IP addresses? What you may have run into is that the old network was using static IP addresses while the new network used DHCP to automatically assign IP addresses. If your devices were still set to static IPs, it conflicted with the DHCP on the new network.
I'm still running on Apple's Airport router system. I've been overwhelmed and hesitant for some time about upgrading to a new system. This video helped a ton. Thanks for the research and testing.
Then you need to try eero. amzn.to/3fmzHS9 The founders of eero were developers of Apple AirPort until the AirPort program was shut down. Eero routers have all but a few features of AirPort routers. (No USB ports or Time Capsule)
I’ve got VM 100 MB using eero mesh, perfect, I’ve only got a small house but the router never used to reach all the rooms, sorted now, full speed every corner of the house 😁👍
I’ve heard that issue a lot with the Linksys router and didn’t choose it because of that. I went with eero pro 6 and didn’t have any issues, it worked flawlessly.
Linksys has worked well for my homekit setup for a while now. I've heard some people having issues as of lately with Eero and thread over HomeKit products. Hope the Eero continues to work well for your setup.
@@ShaneCreates I feel like it’s been hard to know how well thread is actually working with either setup. Can the linksys allow you to view thread? Eero doesn’t you can only turn it on or off. Eve app does not work either.
G'day Shane! I've been meaning to say a massive HELLO and THANK YOU to you mate! What an awesome, insightful and well-crafted channel. Love your work! I've recently gone down the HomeKit route for my home. - A mixture of --- x16 LIFX - Bulbs ( I love the luminance on them ) --- x6 NanoLeaf Essential - Bulbs --- x7 Phillips Hue - Sensors --- x6 Phillips Hue - Dimmer Switches --- x2 Eve - Aqua Switches --- x1 Eve - Weather --- x1 Eve - Room --- x3 Eufy Security 2k Indoor Pan & Tilt Camera --- Router - Netgear Orbi RBR50 (AC3000 - Triband Router) - 1 Main + 1 Satellite --- x1 Apple TV - 4D HDR --- x4 Apple HomePods OG --- x2 Apple HomePod Minis ----- WHEW! As you can see, I've gone all-in. My wife particularly loves the sensor and light in the pantry - Such a simple solution but she LOVES it :-) Now to my question. As with my MANY other people. I'm intermittently getting the 'No Response' error - super frustrating. Every day, I'm power cycling either the switches or the router. There seems to be no pattern to the 'no response'. Additionally, I've utilising a wi-fi analyser and picked the least busy 1, 6, 11 on the 2.4ghz network. Your video I was hoping, would offer a suggestion as to what 'might???' work from a router perspective, hahaha! My router is coming up to 4 years old. I look with interest at the new routers and wonder if a new mesh network will help fix my 'no response' issues. Sorry for the ramble, my friend! If you have any ideas, that would be awesome. Keep that awesome content coming. Take care!
Hey Benjamin, thanks so much for the support. Sounds like you have a pretty awesome HomeKit setup underway! The thing about "no response" is that it really could be a number of things. If it's only certain accessories (as opposed to all) it seems like it may be a network issue. And if it's always the same accessories, then it could be the smart devices themselves...not all are created equal and some are more reliable than others. BUT, with decent products, and you seem to have pretty decent products, you shouldn't have many issues if you have good wifi. And of course the size of your house could be a factor. I assume you've checked the speeds at different parts of your house to make sure you have good coverage. If it's different devices going unresponsive all the time, then a new router may help. Resetting HomeKit hubs is always one of my first steps of troubleshooting, but this doesn't really sound like an iCloud or a HomeKit Hub issue. Hope this helps. Good luck my friend!
@@ShaneCreates Good Morning mate! Wow - Thanks for the fast reply! :-) You're a good man! Yes, the 'smart home' is coming along really REALLY nicely. When it works, it's brilliant! :-) I think you're right Shane in that the issue is most likely network-related. Thankfully, my local retailer has a 30-day change-of-mind guarantee for products - So I've really got nothing to lose by trying a new network router out. My home is just a normal single story - 4 bedroom home (here in Darwin, Northern Territory Australia - welcome to the tropics! hahaha ) - Using a wifi analyser - I've definitely got some issues down the back of house on the 2.4ghz range - but I don't have any homekit products down there. The problem is definitely intermittent. However, the 'no response' error happens across ALL the products (which in many ways is actually a good thing - because it shows that it's not specifically hue, nanoleaf or lifx) - it screams network issues! hahaha. Thanks again for your kind words Shane. I'll let you know how I go! Take care mate, I look forward to your next home kit video! - My wife enjoyed getting home the other day when the homepod said "Welcome Home Lisa!" - She laughed and said. "You are such a geek Benjamin!" - I blamed you mate! hehehe - ;-)
Hey Shane! An UPDATE for you :-) I know you're not a fan of the Eero routers due to the Amazon association, but I thought ( having read other people's positive experiences), plus it was on special! hahaha - I'd give it a go. Went and purchased the Eero - 3 pack Wifi 6 pack - What can I say except EVERYTHING has changed. Rock-solid performance. Zero 'No Response' errors now. Plus clicking the Philips Hue Sensors, the lights are coming on instantaneously. I seriously can't believe the difference. This is the experience that I was after. So there you go, the problem was 100% the network! In exciting news, my Eve door and window sensors arrived yesterday as well. Have a great weekend Shane and thanks again for your channel content! You're a good man!
Great video. One note on Eero. Their new Eero 6 routers don’t support HomeKit just yet. They’ve been ongoing HomeKit certification since they came out in November’20 with no ETA yet.
Thanks Adrian. You are correct. Looks like Eero and Linksys are in the same boat...both supporting homekit on their wifi 5 models and still waiting on support for their wifi 6 models.
Thank you for this video (and basically all of your videos). I had so many questions on this topic and you answered most of them. One tiny suggestion... I think you should add this video to the Homekit 101 playlist because I think it's a foundational thing to know.
Thanks Shane....complex subject with no easy..”buy this and you’ll be future proof” answer. I have been using google nest wifi....good mesh system, but not the latest and I agree about not buying Google or Amazon Wifi in the future...for me at least. People need understand there is no “buy once, cry once” answer and the technology is constantly advancing.....which can be intimidating and frustrating...but it’s also exciting for consumers. I had a friend that called me and asked if he needed to change his mesh wifi to the latest version....I asked if what he had was not working properly and he said it was working fine....I told him to relax and buy only if/when he was having issues....and not to over think it. I have ATT Fiber optic....it works 👍🏻....sorry to ramble...Thanks again
Thanks Rod! Great perspective and I agree completely. Sometimes it’s hard not to get distracted by all the flashy marketing terms of the latest and greatest tech. But I’m with you, especially when it comes to routers and ISP speeds... “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Thanks for the very informative video. I would recommend to wire as many devices as possible, including wireless access points. Ubiquity AP and switches have been very reliable for my smart home with 100+ connected devices.
Very helpful. I’ve got 500 down/500 up fiber service with these speeds verifiable using Ethernet connection to the ONT, yet I am experiencing extremely slow speeds to my Apple TV 4K and major stuttering (buffering) of audio to my OG HomePods stereo pair when set up as default audio for the ATV. I’ve been working with my ISP to figure this out for weeks (they see significant interference) and have even removed all of my Hue lights (approx 25 of them) and tried three different routers-the AirTies I had been using for years, the router built into the ONT, and now anEero router with no satellites-all to no avail. The Eero is giving really lousy throughput. If adding a satellite to the Eero system doesn’t help, I’ll definitely be getting a new router from a third party, since I will have exhausted the options available through my ISP. This video will be invaluable in selecting a new router.
Hey Marian, thanks for watching and I’m glad it was helpful. Sorry to hear about your issues...I know how frustrating that can be! You should definitely be having a better experience with great speeds using fiber. I’m a bit surprised the Eero system didn’t help. Hopefully you’ll have better luck with a different router. Good luck!
For about 6 months I suffered through using Xfinity’s X1 Gateway modem/router device. It really should have been a nice piece of hardware, but it ended up being a piece of [something else]. Bottom Line: We experienced frequent router connection hard resets. For streaming and surfing, it wasn’t really an issue, but it completely and utterly disconnected us from Zoom and Teams meetings. We had to reconnect to the meetings from scratch to recover. And during the 18th support call, the tech said I needed upgrade to faster Internet. I balked, returned the X1 Gateway, bought an Orbi mesh, and been smoothly sailing ever since.
Oh wow. Nothing is more frustrating than having serious router/wifi issues. Glad to hear the Netgear Orbi has been a good solution for you! Which one did you get?
We future-proofed and bit the bullet with the RBR750 system. It was on sale at Costco, but it was still pretty steep. But it has been performing like a beast. Streaming, gaming, and about a hundred IoT devices, and the Orbis never flinch.
Okay! This was interesting, as I thought. The modem/router combo is going. For sure. As a beginner, future-proofing is important for me, I think. That way I am set. And the new system will have to have HomeKit. So: not a wide variety of choices then... 😅
Yea, still not many options for routers that support homekit secure networking. Over a year since it was originally announced and we still only have two manufactures that offer it. Hopefully more adopt it in the future. I'm sure Eero and Linksys will eventually update their wifi 6 models to support it. Just not sure when...hopefully not too long.
Good stuff Shane. I seriously wish my experience with ‘WiFi Upgrade’ was as smooth as yours was. 2nd WiFi 6 Mesh system…and 7-weeks of inconsistent performance later…still having random problems. * Also. Just an FYI. Your claims of Linksys Tech Support being good sounds amazing. My experience with both TP-link and Asus Support has been FAR less than ideal. Keep the videos coming.
Thanks Brad! I appreciate the support. I sure hope you get everything smoothed out soon. I know how frustrating it can be when things don’t work as you expect.
Well, I just pulled the plug on a Linksys wifi5 unit. I cannot trust Linksys ever again. This thing would drop all the settings if the power failed. Clients would time out, I even had problems with the admin account just not working; Lots of hit and miss as to whether or not it work. I went to Best Buy today and after reading and watching reviews, I decided to give the eero Pro 6. But there I could only find 2 systems that were "works with HomeKit" eero and Linksys.
We use the Eero and it really runs good. But we are sitting here on an old 6MBit line … a small smart home in the forrest … at least they say we are getting an upgrade later this year to 30 Mbit.
Great breakdown, Shane! I'll definitely be coming back to this one since my Airport Extreme / Express network is starting to show its age. Great for Airplay 2, though.
Thanks for checking out the video Dustin! Yea the Airport Extremes have been great but I’ve heard of others having to upgrade also for the same reason.
Dustin, I still have Airports running too. (Gotta love 'em) I set up 3 of them with a wired backbone years ago before mesh routers were hot and although I'm not seeing any lag, I am concerned about the security. I'm about to jump into Logitech too.
Some good information here for sure but I feel you introduced a concept that is far more complicated than you let on. If you add another router to your ISP's provided router you must bridge one of them or you'll create the Double NAT which can create all sorts of issues. Some ISP's won't let you bridge their router so you have to bridge your new third party router which can limit effectiveness. Sometimes you can ask your ISP (Or maybe do it yourself) to remove it's unit's router capability, thus turning your modem/router into just a modem. Might be worth a further explanation or link to a video you think would explain this well.
Thanks for the feedback Toby. Maybe I wasn't clear on that. I wasn't suggesting that people should "add" on to their ISP's provided router... but rather replace it. And yes, often they can just turn off the router capability of the combo unit if the ISP still wants you to use that combo unit as the modem only. That's what mine did. A simple phone call and they just turned off the router capability.
Great video and topic, Shane! So, I mayyyy be using my ISP provided modem/router 😐. I use Bell FIbe (Fibe is amazing, hope you get it soon) and it's been pretty fast and reliable so far but I may look into upgrading now. Sometimes I have issues with personal requests on my HomePod because it's on 5GHz and my iPhone is on 2.4, which I think a better router could solve for!
Yet another excellent informative video "Professor Shane"! Thank you for all your hard work and research on each video. Y'all keep up the great work for the community. (now grab a beer) LOL
Hi Shane! As usual, great content!! Currently have FiOS Gigabit internet that came with their modem/router combo. Will need to research how to use my own router like one of the examples you provided with FiOS ONT. Like you, I live in Apple’s ecosystem so while I want to future proof, a router w/HomeKit support is highly desirable. New to FiOS, love the fiber and speed, but with the ONT I need to figure out how to incorporate my own router. FiOS extenders are less than ideal. Thanks again Shane for the great content! v/r - Don
Thanks Don! I’m jealous of your fiber! Can’t wait till that’s available in my area. I definitely understand wanting that HomeKit secure networking support, especially if you’ve got great speeds already.
Fios generally doesn’t use a modem/router combo, it is a little box that is plugged into the wall and then an Ethernet cable comes out of that and into the router that they provide for you. I just took that cable and plugged it into my Linksys MX10 and away it went. Only problem I had was getting frontier to not charge me $10 for their router even though I wasn’t using it. They said it was a mandatory charge.
You should be able to log into your combo box to turn of Wi-Fi while leaving the switch operating. This will allow you to plug in a third-party router of your choice.
Why go this route vs UniFi? I have UniFi in my home and it’s future proof, cheaper too. If I have a dead area, I can add an AP. I have 3 APs outside and 2 inside and no slowness inside or outside. Full gig speed.
So if I got one of the new 6 or 6E routers, but have the odd older devices or home automation products, would they still work with the new router??? Fair enough they may not be able to take full advantage of the capabilities of the 6 or 6E, but would they at least still work??? Great vid with heaps of info to consider. Thanks 🙏.
Thanks Lawrence, glad the video was helpful. Yes, older devices will still work. For example, most smart home wifi connected devices still require a 2.4 GHz wifi band to connect and I've had no problems with that using my Linksys Velop wifi 6 routers.
I have a modem/router combo from my ISP. We have fibre optic in my neighbourhood and I pay for the best internet im afforded by the ISP. Would bothering to change the combo system really matter? When would I know that changing should be considered? Slow response on my devices? Other factors? Thanks in advance. Keep up the great videos as they’ve convinced me to change eco systems.
Hey, thanks for the support! I think a lot really depends on your provider. If you are having great speeds and have no issues connecting all your smart home devices to your combo modem/router... then you are probably fine to keep using that. Many of the combo units that I've used have separate SSIDs for the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. I like to have them combined under the same SSID, personally. And usually you'll have more control over the configuration, devices connected, etc. when using your own router.
You can still keep the combo box. You should be able to log into it and turn off the Wi-Fi router while leaving the switch running on the back. That will allow you to plug in a third-party router of your choice.
You keep mentioning speed of your ISP. That is the WAN side. Would it be possible that you address the significant benefits of wifi 6 on a LAN? That would make your great video even more useful. I mean well. ✅👍
Another great video Shane! Could you answer a question regarding the mesh network please? On the extenders, do they have an ethernet port on them to link them together or do they link up via wifi only? I'm running Cat6a in my house and would love to use that as the backbone instead of wifi.
Hi Shane. Another useful video. What about using HomeKit routers (as Eero) vs traditional routers in terms of security options that it offers to not HomeKit devices? Has it all the advanced features that traditional router have? I think for example to MAC address filter or creating more WiFi networks or to build firewall rules or to make said hidden (ok this is a controversial feature in terms of security) and so on. Thanks.
Thanks for watching Marco! The homekit functionality is basically a "bonus" feature. That feature is only good for HomeKit accessories, as you may know. It should still do everything else you'd expect a router to do in regards to non-HomeKit devices. So, as mentioned, some routers may have more advanced options available than other routers. They will vary and you'll just have to look into what's available for each one. You might want to look into Ubiquiti products (many seem to be happy with those) if you are looking for more advanced configurability options.
Hey man! I know this is a late comment but I’m moving into my new home tomorrow and looking to make it all HomeKit compatible. Which is the best mesh WiFi system I should get right now?
Actually I had the same problem with the device prioritisation... but I still have the issue that my Linksys router still appears as not responding/not ready in the HomeKit app... I’ll contact the support!
Great video! You talk about the pain of changing routers and the chore involved in reconnecting each device when you have a whole house of smart bulbs, outlets, sensors, etc. I have been unclear as to the best strategy to use when changing routers with this problem in mind. I do intend to use the same SSID and password, but if I have to still uninstall and re-connect all of these devices, would the use of a hub (such as Aqara) save me when reconnecting (up to 25 devices) so I don’t have to uninstall and reinstall each device to the new router?
Thanks for watching Joseph. Yes, using the same SSID and password can certainly help and might be enough. Devices should (in theory) reconnect to your network. You may need to restart devices (like unplugging and plug back in) to force them to reconnect to the new router. That works most of the time. Also, as you mentioned, this is where hub devices are nice. You are correct. WIth an Aqara hub for example, you only need to worry about reconnecting that one hub, and all child devices will automatically connect as they should still be connected to that hub.
@@ShaneCreates Thank you for the reply. I just went through a nightmare having to remove and reconnect all of my devices switching from Comcast to Verizon, even though I used the same SSID and password. I wouldn’t wish the nightmare I just went through on anyone. For potential future router upgrades, I would argue that it makes sense to use a hub for all devices when possible, and not connect directly to the router. Based on your response, this network strategy would save your audience untold amounts of time going forward, especially as the number of our home devices increase. (That may be a great topic to include as part of one of your videos. I can’t imagine that I’m alone with this issue.) Thanks again for your reply!
😂 😂 😂 the downside of having a lot of stuff in the homekit 🤣🤣. I also had to reconnect a few things after my new mesh but I don't have alot of stuff *yet 🤪
Haha yes, switching routers after you already have a big smart home setup can be rough. Not just removing and reconnecting, but you could potentially loose/mess up all your automations as well! 😫 😩
@@ShaneCreates oww shit that's why my lamps or not turning on in the morning anymore haha forgot that part 🤪. I just told the wife it wil be fixed in a new update 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Great information, if you have to stay with your provides combo box due to wifi cable boxes, will these still work if connected to the ethernet port of the provides combo box? Is it as easy as just connecting it by ethernet and setting up a new wifi network? Probably as simple question for some but some like myself, no idea if that would work? May make a good video?
Thanks Pete! Good question. It may depend on your internet service provider in regards to the hardware. For example, when I first decided to upgrade to my own router, I had to call my internet service provider and tell them I no longer wanted to use their router (combo unit which I was paying for monthly). For me, they did not have to change any hardware. They simply turned OFF the wifi router functionality on their end for the combo unit that I already had. So I still use the same device, provided by the ISP, except I am only using it as the modem. Then I just plugged in my new router to the modem (Ethernet) and set up my new router. Hope that helps and makes sense.
One problem I've found with your reasoning for having the faster 6 or 6E. You say that it only matters if you have fast enough internet, like gigabit, etc. That may be true, but only for people that think WiFi and Internet are synonymous. I do a ton of work within my house, transferring files between computers, not to mention playing very large 4k video files from my computer to my AppleTV 4k that requires the very wide bandwidth that older routers can't deal with and would require a wired connection. Otherwise, excellent video and I already have the Linksys setup and love it. Just thought I'd check out your vid to see your opinions and I've enjoyed many of your other vids. Thanks!
Hey Shane, Just changed ISP and got a new router and totally didn’t even think of all of my smart home stuff. I’ve plugged the Phillips Hue Hub into the new router and that seems to have come across but some other things haven’t. I’ve got SwitchBot Blind Tilts and Hub, Meross Outdoor Power Outlets, Aqara Cat Camera Hub and D100 Smart Door Lock, HomePod Mini and Apple TV. I am sure I’ve forgotten something. lol. Help me please 🙏 if you can offer any advice. In Australia too.
The only thing you really can do when getting a new router is to use the same Wifi name and password for the new network. Wifi devices should automatically connect (it may take a while for some). If they don't, usually a simple restart (unplug and plug back in) of the devices should force it to reconnect to the new network.
Best router? A little patience and UniFi haha. It is important to note that if you go with UniFi, please get the older USG routers and not the new DreamMachines. MDNS is missing an option needed to create an IoT (secure “HomeKit Device Network”) network, and even on the older USG you have to dig in and figure out how to manually modify files that are not in the main user interface.
In your example at the first - it’s actually 100 megaBIT not BYTE. If you see a lowercase b it’s bit, uppercase B is byte. 1 Gbps = 1 Gigabits Per Second and 1 GBps = 1 Gigabytes per second. There are 8 bits in a byte. So in your example, if it were in reality 100 Megabytes down, that would actually be 800 Megabits or approximately 0.8Gbps. Typically Network transmission speeds are measured in Bits Per Second. The volume or size of the data (e.g. file size) being transmitted is almost always measured in Bytes. Either Megabytes or Gigabytes.
Excellent video as always. I have been nervous about switching routers due to how many hubs, bridges and devices I have. I am scared to move the IKEA tradfari that does my smart blinds so much as an inch because it is so finicky. Have you thought about doing a video on all the 3rd party HomeKit apps mentioned at the end of this video? I have been curious if there is anything better than HomeKit for managing HomeKit.
Thanks for watching! I certainly understand being nervous about switching routers. It can be a process but hopefully everything goes smoothly. And yes, I’ve thought about doing a video on some of these other apps. I actually made one, probably about a year ago, on Home+ when that went through a major update. Maybe a future video.
The link in the description for the Linksys WiFi 6 router is actually for the HomePod, could you update this if possible? I’ve been looking for a mesh system that will allow me to separate the bands with two different SSIDs, when you said that particular system had that ability I was intriguedd and want to read more about it
Sorry about that, and thanks for bringing it to my attention. I have updated the link in the description. Also, as another resource, here is a little post that I had bookmarked regarding separating the bands on the Linksys: www.linksys.com/us/support-article?articleNum=247428
@@ShaneCreates right on man, thanks again for the videos and assistance. This is the only channel I found that is exclusive to HomeKit, you do a great job brother.
Hi Shane, Thank you for this (again) great video and thank you so much for all the previous one too ! I actually have the Orbi AX6000 (RBK852 : Router+Satellite) that has replace an Asus RT-AC88U (which didn’t meet my needs at all...) and it’s fantastic ! I bought NETGEAR Orbi because I knew you had Orbi too before (and because you seemed happy with it for your HomeKit setup). It seems that my Orbi and your Linksys have the same CPU, Flash and RAM... I guess they are very similar (beside specific brand functionality). What make you choose Linksys over Orbi ? And again, thanks for reading me... and until next time 😉. A French fan.
Hey Julien, thanks for watching! Yea that Orbi RBK 852 seems like a great router. Glad to hear you are happy with it! I think that is pretty much Netgear’s equivalent to this Linksys that I’m using. As mentioned, yes, I was happy with the lower-end Orbi that I used for a while. No complaints. I think the Orbi that you got would be a good decision for an upgrade and future proofing. Personally, the only real reason that I would choose the Linksys over the Orbi now is that Linksys has shown a commitment to providing support for HomeKit Secure Networking. They’ve already brought it to their wifi 5 mesh systems and they’ve claimed it will come to the wifi 6 models, which I believe since they’ve already followed through on the previous. And there aren’t any indications of Netgear bringing support for HomeKit, as far as I know.
Hey Shane, real quick I have enjoyed all your videos. I’m in the market for a new Router, I have a large house and I’m using the old Linksys WHW1001 x 3 I’m having issues with slow spots and it seems to struggle some days I have spectrum 1gb plan. I’m looking at Orbic Ax4200 or upgraded Linksys Velop? Any suggestions
Hi Shane. Great video ;) I would ask you if it could be possible to mix the velop router Wi-Fi 6 with other velop Wi-Fi 5...than my second question is about coverage of your Wi-Fi 6 router...do you see an improvement towards the orbi? Actually I own an AMPLIFI HD. I’m quite satisfied but it has not a such great coverage...seen that I’ve built a brand new building section and I’ve to purchase other “nodes” I need to understand if continuing with AMPLIFI or pass to linksys....please help me giving me an advice....Thank you 🙏
Thanks Guiliano. Yes, I'm pretty sure you can mix the different Velop models. Regarding coverage, as mentioned, I was already pretty happy with the coverage of my Orbi, so I can't really say the coverage is any better. I already had good coverage throughout the house and I haven't tested it beyond that. Using the Velop has been the same. However, before when I was using the modem/router combo from the ISP, I did have one or two dead spots in the house...so both were an improvement over that. I'd imagine Amplifi would be good, being made by Unifi. You could always try adding access points for more coverage, and if that doesn't help, return/sell it and try something different. Good luck!
@@ShaneCreates Thank you Shane for your message. I have understood what do you mean. But what I would understand better is, if you should have to buy one Wi-Fi 6 mesh router, should you have chosen the linksys mx?? I have an HomeKit based apartment with tons of accessories plus Sonos speakers across all the house...so give me an advice...which I should buy? I trust you and I need help to make a choice...I like the linksys for the future HomeKit integration, but I’m not complete sure it is actually the top of the line...
If I wanted to install a video doorbell so as to monitor deliveries and such, would such a system work only with Wi-fi 6? And, to benefit from such a system, would I need a mesh system?
Can they Linksys router you upgraded to would that work well with Verizon Fios ??an is that all I need ? Or do I need a modem with that. ?? Someone please help ?
No, the modem and the router are two separate devices. Your ISP usually provides the modem (often modem/router combos). You still typically need to use the modem provided by the ISP but you can get your own router in most cases.
Hey Richard. I'm not very familiar with that modem/router. Typically I'd say the modem/router combos are not as good as dedicated routers you can buy, but again, I'm not very familiar with what you have.
Hello, do you recommend the Linksys Velop 4200 or the Eero 6 pro for a 1,500 sq for home? The office is on one side of the house and is the only room with a hoax and ethernet ports. I was thinking of just getting one router since my current Eero 6+ two pack setup doesn’t support HomeKit. I also noticed the wireless backhaul Eero 6+ in the living room gives me slower Wi-Fi speeds of 270 mbps using wireless backhaul Eero 6+ in living room vs. 420 mbps using ethernet wired office Eero 6+ Wi-Fi speeds.?
Yes they do. Around 12:00 in the video I show the ports available. The parent router and the access point/node are actually the same device in this case, so they are identical.
I’m will have around 70 smart switches and other IoT devices on my network once I get done swapping out my light switches. What router should I get to handle at least 100 Devices? Most seem to be far short of that number.
Once you get over 100 you might want to start looking at the Ubiquity options. I know a lot of power users go that route. I'm not sure if the Linksys can handle over 100 or not.
Ok, I feel a bit dumb asking this, but gonna anyway. If a router doesn't support HomeKit how do you set up Apple Home? I have the Eero 5 system and thought I would upgrade to the 6 not realizing it didn't support HomeKit. My entire home set up tanked and I had to downgrade back to the 5. Eero didn't help me to figure out I still could set up Apple Home with their version 6 - I was unable to add doorbells or smart fans and more. Can someone clarify this for me?
"HomeKit support" on a router simply gives you more customized security settings for your HomeKit smart home. This is explained at 8:48. Technically it's called HomeKit Secure Networking. This is not required to setup a HomeKit smart home.
@@ShaneCreates Thanks for the reply. I gathered that from the video, but my experience told me otherwise. I guess I hit some other incompatibility issue and interpreted it as only HomeKit enabled routers allowed for setting up an Apple Home. Everything is working fine for now so I think I will keep it all as is. :)
I have two questions. One, if I get a router that is HomeKit compatible can I just use the home app to set it up, and two do you think in the future routers will have thread support?
No, you will probably need to use the manufacturer's app still. Some routers already have thread built in. Not sure exactly how that will play out in the future as it relates to homekit.
hi shane, and guys out there- i'm 77 yrs old i live in a 1000 sq feet, single story condo in florida. i dont do any games, dont care about hooking up home newtw. just use my iphone 13, 2020 apple tv, 4 yr old smart samsung tv, and 2 macs fr 2017; i have 150mbps from comcast for tv/internet. i have an apple time capsule since 05 and its doing still doing ok but would like to sample the new technology and get a new router; i do light music recording on imac, downloading music, moving music files; would love to see itunes not thinking so long when i play music from my ext dr if thats possible; i would love something i can walk into my bedroom and bathroom and not experiance slowness. i do like good phone suoort like linksys; any recommendations? 250-350 price range.
@@jeanpaulhart2196 it could be the devices themselves too. Not always but it’s possible. Not all smart devices are created equal and some definitely have a harder time maintaining a solid connection to HomeKit.
