Andrew O'Hara
Linksys on Wednesday rolled out a firmware update to its affordable Wi-Fi 6 routers that delivers support for Apple's HomeKit smart home platform.
After a debut in October of 2020, the AX4200 — also known as the Linksys Atlas Pro 6 Tri-band — has gained support for HomeKit, which brings an additional layer of protection for smart home accessories.
With a HomeKit-enabled router, users can control what level of network access smart home accessories have. Users can limit them to local communications only, communications with approved servers for software updates and additional features, or full network access.
This prevents any nefarious accessories from errantly sending your private information to outside sources. While HomeKit accessories are very secure, many accessories also support Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, or other platforms and may be sharing more data than assumed.
Linksys is joining Amazon-owned Eero, which also recently adopted HomeKit support on its Wi-Fi 6 routers.
The AX4200 sells for $249 solo and $499 for a three-pack to provide fast whole-home coverage.
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9 Comments
I wasn't sure what use HomeKit support would have in a WiFi router.
Thank you for the explanation!
These are us. Setup took a few minutes, as I had to use their serial numbers to manually identify which of our three nodes was in which room, but it was easy and basically nothing to it. The Linksys app just asked if I wanted to integrate with HomeKit, then sent me to the Home app.
One thing I’m not sure about is parental controls over internet access for kids’ devices. I used to manage that from the Linksys app, and it looks like I still can, but I’m not sure if I’ve got additional options now, with regard to Screen Time and the like. If I learn anything interesting, I’ll post it here.
Good to know, home kit is a must have for me now, but will these also work with the new, universal smart home standard, M_____? (think it starts with an “M”)
Unfortunately this update doesn’t allow me to turn on the HomeKit integration. Not sure what the problem is. I see the toggle to turn on HomeKit integration. I do that. It tells me to restart the routers. I do that, it still won’t allow me to configure because it keeps saying I need to restart the routers. I’ve done that with app restart command as well as pulling the plug. Case filed with Linksys.