Linksys has announced today that it will soon start adding HomeKit support to its Velop line of routers. While specific information is unclear, the company says the software updates will begin to roll out “in the next several days.”
As first spotted by HomeKit News, once your Velop system updates, the Linksys application on iOS will prompt you to add your router to the Home app. Linksys explains that all of your Velop nodes must be trio-band in order to use HomeKit:
At WWDC last year, Apple announced that HomeKit would soon be supported by routers from Eero, Linksys, and Charter Spectrum. While support from Eero appears imminent, it now looks like Linksys might be the first manufacturer to follow through on their commitment.
The many benefits of HomeKit-enabled routers will be security-related, such as the ability to firewall off accessories, preventing them from accessing your entire network. Apple describes it as the ability to “enhance security by monitoring the network activity of your Home accessories and preventing unsafe connections.”
If you’re a Linksys Velop owner, let us know when you receive the update down in the comments.
Update 2/14: As it turns out, Linksys isn’t quite ready to launch the HomeKit support and the details found on its website about the launch happening in the coming days were posted by accident. Here’s what we heard from Linksys:
