Synology constructed a Wi-Fi router for the hooked up house, and I find it irresistible

In terms of Wi-Fi routers, there are two sorts of customers: those that keep on with their ISP-provided software and those that need one thing with slightly extra. That 2d staff most often seems to be for extra pace, reliability, and further safety. So, it isn’t a surprise that the maker of one of the crucial very best Community-Hooked up-Garage gadgets, Synology, has precisely the ones 3 verticals in its sight with its 2d foray into routers.

The Synology RT6600AX builds at the legacy of the corporate’s NAS gadgets and brings a lot of that finding out to the wi-fi networking house. I spent a month trying out out the Synology RT6600AX router as a substitute of my overkill business-grade Wi-Fi solution simply to look if spiffy instrument and an additional band can trounce my not too long ago finished community overhaul. The effects had been fascinating, to mention the least.

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It’s a median however no longer so lean gadget

Unboxing the RT6600AX generally is a little bit of a surprise and aww enjoy. Not like the corporate’s sleek-looking community drives, Synology isn’t seeking to conceal away the RT6600AX below a shiny facade. The router is large and chunky and the polar reverse of what you’ve come to be expecting in an age of tech designed to suit into trendy minimalist decor. I set it up in my house workplace proper above my community rack, or even then, the dimensions of the router used to be beautiful daunting. Nonetheless, I don’t suppose it’ll be a large factor for the supposed target market.

In spite of the sheer measurement of the gadget, Synology’s router doesn’t precisely punch above its weight relating to port variety. You’ll to find 4 LAN ports — together with one who’s 2.5Gbps-capable — plus a unmarried 1Gbps WAN port and a USB 3.0 connector to amplify the onboard garage. The two.5Gbps port can double up as a WAN port with the router set to dual-WAN mode, however since there’s no hyperlink aggregation toughen, you’ll’t run stressed information superhighway sooner than 1Gbps around the different ports. Moreover, should you’ve were given sooner than gigabit speeds, the high-speed LAN port can be utilized as a WAN port, however the default WAN port does no longer fall again to LAAN mode. General, the router method and appears industry, however needless to say the six antennas aren’t detachable.

The prosumer or industry leanings of the Synology RT6600AX come down to 2 tentpole options — instrument and toughen for a brand new radio band that brings some very tangible enhancements.

Instrument that delights

I’ve been the usage of Synology NAS bins since 2010 and am in detail acquainted with the corporate’s Linux-based Diskstation instrument. It brings a desktop-like interface for your internet browser, entire with complete window control.

5 digital networks

Synology Router Supervisor at the RT6600AX is largely the similar instrument with the NAS bits swapped out for extra networking chops. It additionally brings alongside some very cool options for customers who need higher regulate over their sensible house and safety. Leader among those is the power to create as much as 5 other SSIDs that function as digital networks.

Coming over from remoted VLANs on my Ubiquiti setup, I discovered the method of accomplishing a equivalent degree of community isolation remarkably more uncomplicated on Synology’s running device. That is sensible. Ubiquiti objectives for a prosumer target market with some networking {hardware} enjoy. By contrast, Synology goals consumers who need to do extra with their routers with out getting a community management level first.

So why precisely is that this vital? Should you, like me, have dozens of smart home units, you’ll know that many of those repeatedly telephone again house with telemetry knowledge. I’ve controlled to finagle offline regulate over lots of them by means of Home Assistant, however there are a couple of that also require cloud get admission to. The ones servers are ceaselessly situated in international locations with doubtful knowledge privateness insurance policies or even worse safety trying out. Keeping apart those gadgets to a separate community implies that whilst I would possibly no longer be capable to get them utterly offline, I will be able to stay them from amassing knowledge on the remainder of the gadgets on my community and save you any internet-based intrusion try. The Synology RT6600AX isn’t the primary router to supply this selection, however the ease of setup is a large win in my e-book. The router additionally ships with intensive parental controls for rules-based get admission to.

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Extra apps for additonal capability

Any other characteristic that stuck my eye used to be the full-blown app retailer at the router. Synology has well stored most of the router’s complex options non-compulsory. As an alternative, you’ll use the App Retailer to obtain those apps according to your necessities. That is hugely awesome to maximum routers which are locked into the apps that send with them and that, by way of extension, have slower updates. Additionally, it lets in Synology to replace particular person apps in case of a safety loophole or for brand new options. Do observe that you just’ll want to connect a USB pressure as exterior garage at the router to obtain and use any further apps.

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I discovered the App Retailer slightly barren in comparison to what I’m used to seeing on Synology’s NAS drives, however what’s there will have to quilt the necessities for lots of customers. You’ll discover a obtain consumer, a media server to show your router into an offline media playback gadget, a complicated danger control resolution, and a VPN server that permits you to securely tunnel again into your own home’s information superhighway connection whilst out at the street.

Very good fundamental apps too

The Synology RT6600AX could be geared toward a prosumer target market, however the corporate has executed a very good activity at making sure that it’s smooth to get began for the common purchaser too. The app retailer is one facet, however there also are the incorporated apps. The DS Router app guides you via all of the preliminary setup procedure and can be utilized to regulate maximum frequently accessed purposes, together with protected get admission to and rules-based get admission to.

The obtain consumer and media server are similarly fascinating too. The options aren’t precisely new — I’ve used a obtain consumer on my Asus router since 2011. However, as is most often the case, the implementation issues. No longer best is the router consumer very useful, however you’ll mix it with the spouse DS Router app to toss up downloads even whilst you’re out and about.

Synology’s Fast Attach carrier will also be discovered right here. It establishes an oblique connection for your router and allows you to get admission to it remotely the usage of an easy-to-remember cope with. I’ve discovered it to be a handy manner to connect with my NAS remotely, and that remains to be the case with the RT6600AX as smartly.

Networking excellence

K, so the instrument is very good. However maximum customers will hardly dive into it as soon as the device is totally arrange and in a position to move. It’s all in regards to the {hardware} that assists in keeping your networking ticking easily as you move about your day-to-day regimen. The Synology RT6600AX has a different trick up its sleeve: It’s the primary router on the planet to toughen the 5.9GHz band.

A deep dive into the 5.9Ghz band can be out of the scope of this selection, however the not too long ago licensed spectrum method you’ll in any case hit the candy spot of pace and fluctuate. You spot, the upper you move up the frequency spectrum, the extra you lose out at the Wi-Fi fluctuate. Wi-Fi 6e operates at the 6GHz spectrum, giving it a large spice up in pace and a pointy fall in fluctuate. The usage of the 160Mhz spectrum, the RT6600AX means that you can make the most of speeds that may theoretically contact 4804Mbps whilst conserving the variety benefit of 5GHz networks. At the turn facet, you’ll want consumer {hardware} that may hook up with the router over the 160MHz channel, and that’s an excessively brief checklist this present day.

The RT6600AX proclaims over 3 other Wi-Fi bands: one 2.4GHz and two separate 5GHz. The higher channel 5GHz-1 band is the one one who helps 5.9GHz transmission for max speeds. Maximum customers can be smartly served by way of the usage of the onboard Good Attach characteristic that binds the two.4 and 5Ghz bands and auto switches between them. Even though that locks you out of the 5.9GHz band — it’s all slightly difficult — it shouldn’t make a lot of a distinction this present day since maximum gadgets can’t hook up with it. (It’s price conserving in thoughts that not one of the gadgets I’ve readily available with 160MHz toughen may negotiate an IP cope with with the router.)

I examined out the router with a spread of telephones, together with a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, an iPhone 13 Pro, and a MacBook Professional. To gauge the native community efficiency and information superhighway speeds, I ran a sequence of checks each when in the similar room and at a distance of 20 ft.

The router’s efficiency is strictly what I anticipated and is going smartly and past what I’ve come to be expecting from mid-range mesh routers. Working an area community pace take a look at, I clocked obtain speeds simply wanting 800Mbps whilst in the similar room. This dropped right down to 167Mbps at a 20-foot distance and two concrete partitions. That’s nonetheless very first rate and displays some great benefits of having a couple of uncovered antennas to spice up the variety. The actual magic, alternatively, occurs in mesh mode.

Identical to Asus’ DIY AI-mesh resolution, the RT6600AX additionally helps the advent of an ad-hoc mesh configuration when paired up with a 2d unit. Presently, you’ll best use every other RT6600X as a satellite tv for pc, however later this yr, you’ll additionally be capable to pair up older Synology RT2600AC devices should you’ve were given the ones readily available.

Synology despatched over a 2d RT6600AX unit to check how smartly this works. The quick solution: unusually smartly. The mesh configuration is the place you in reality get started seeing the benefit of 5.9GHz toughen for the reason that router makes use of the 5GHz-1 channel to create a devoted high-speed wi-fi backhaul between the 2 nodes. At a 20-foot distance, I may nonetheless get native obtain speeds to the music of 439Mbps. I may additionally totally saturate my 300Mbps information superhighway line.

Those speeds are specifically astonishing as a result of wi-fi backhaul simply doesn’t do as smartly in international locations like India, the place thick concrete and rebar partitions are the norm. I’ve in the past wanted 3 get admission to issues when operating a wi-fi mesh setup. The Synology RT6600AX, in its twin node configuration, opponents my hard-wired Ubiquiti setup with 3 get admission to issues.

The high-end router for many

It’s no longer all that ceaselessly that you just come throughout a product this is firing on all cylinders proper out of the field. The Synology RT6600AX is one such product. It’s no longer the flashiest searching gadget, however should you’re out there for probably the most quickest routers round, with out happening the rabbit hollow of Ubiquiti or Meraki, then Synology’s resolution does the trick. The added flexibility of having the ability to amplify the community with further nodes as and whilst you please makes it much more flexible.

Priced at an MSRP of $299, the Synology RT6600AX would possibly lack the flash of competing gadgets just like the TP-Link Archer AX6000, but it surely makes up for it with implausible speeds and dependable instrument that makes it smooth for even beginner customers to stand up and operating.

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