Synology RT6600ax Router Review, Part I – Unboxing & Design

Last updated on 10 May 2022 📧 Subscribe
Contents hide
1 Synology RT6600ax Router Review – Premium Networking?
1.1 Hardware Highlights of the Synology RT6600ax Router
2 Synology RT6600ax Router Review – Presentation
3 Synology RT6600ax Router Review – Design
4 Need Advice on Data Storage from an Expert?

Synology RT6600ax Router Review – Premium Networking?

Reviewing the new RT6600ax router was always going to be quite a tall order. Routers, unlike the NAS drives I so often talk about, are far more common in every home or office in the world. Then there is the fact that they are available practically for free with most internet service providers and therefore are always something of a tough pill for some users to swallow when it comes to handing over cold, hard cash for. Yet, the premium router market continues to grow and into it, Synology released the latest addition to their growing router portfolio, the RT6600ax WiFi 6 and 2.5GbE fully-featured router. Remember when Synology was the brand you only knew about because of NAS? That does seem like a long time ago and in the last 5-6 years, we have seen this brand transform into quite the behemoth that is providing a wide range of network hardware and software solutions to practically every tier of the buyers market. So, therefore, their expansion into routers for home and business users makes a great deal of sense (cough when are the cameras and switches coming though!) and although WiFi 6 (aka 802.11ax or WiFi AX) and 2.5GbE has now been around a while, Synology has only now entered this market with their new router. This has also been accompanied by the release of their new SRM (Synology Router Manager) software up to version 1.3, which is improving an already remarkably intuitive yet highly customizable and flexible security platform. So, let’s review the Synology RT6600ax router, discuss what we like, what we don’t and ultimately help you decide whether now is the time to ditch your freebie ISP router and move to Synology’s solution.

Synology RT6600ax Router Review Chapters

Synology RT6600AX Review, ALL Parts - HERE
Synology RT6600AX Review, Part 2, Connections & Internal Hardware - HERE
Synology RT6600AX Review, Part 3, Software, 5.9Ghz & Verdict - HERE

Hardware Highlights of the Synology RT6600ax Router

  • Arrives with Synology Router Manager 1.3 with new features and services included
  • Quad-core 1.8 GHz Qualcomm Processor
  • DDR3 1 GB Memory (2x 512MB on-board)
  • Tri-Band WiFi 6 Support 6600Mbs Bandwidth Potential:
  • 2.4 GHz: Up to 600 Mbps
  • 5 GHz-1: Up to 4800 Mbps
  • 5 GHz-2: Up to 1200 Mbps
  • 6 x High gain adjustable antennae (4×4 MIMO antennas)
  • 5.9Ghz / 160MHz channel Support
  • Four 1GbE (Gigabit Ethernet ports) (1x WAN 3x LAN)
  • 1x 2.5GbE LAN/WAN Port
  • Multi-Network creation in SRM 1.3 later in 2022
  • Improved DS Router Mobile Application and Browser GUI in SRM 1.3 in 2022
  • Mesh Support with future AX devices, as well as MR2200ac over 5Ghz Backhaul
  • USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type A 5Gb/s) Port supporting several SRM applications

Note – This is not the first Synology router I have ever reviewed, it is in fact the 4th. That said, this review might well be read by someone who is completely unaware of Synology’s routers, SRM and the way their routers work vs other brands out there. So, I decided to write this review to cover practically everything, So, if you are already aware of Synology’s router solutions (perhaps already own one and looking to upgrade), some of the SRM stuff you will already know is available to older gen Synology routers. I present it in full here to ensure that new users to the brand’s routers get the full picture.

Synology RT6600ax Router Review – Presentation

The retail box of the Synology RT6600ax router is largely the same as a number of the brand’s NAS solutions. A Brown box, with a product detail sticker on the front that denotes a number of the key specifications. However, unlike brands that tend to slap a different label on the same brown box, Synology always adds a bunch of very product-specific details to the carton that shows more of that brand awareness they regularly exude.

Details on the retail packaging highlight what sets this apart from other premium routers (as well as others in their portfolio) such as the use of the 5.9Ghz frequency support and certified 160Mhz channel support, which make this WiFi 6 router more future proof than many in the market right now, even in spite of WiFi 6E appearing on peoples radar.

All that said, there will always be some conventions in the packaging of routers that are consistent (and in some cases, baffling) that the RT600ax router does not avoid. To date, routers are still the only mainstream device you can buy that is still packaged in this oddly shaped corrugated cardboard packaging. Whether it is ‘freemium’ ISP routers or paid-up top tier routers, they always arrive this way. If you have any idea why that is, let me know in the comments.

Despite the router’s large scale, the system arrives with all of the antennae pre-attached (no small feat, given that there are 6 of them) and the system arrives with pretty much the base level of accessories and components that you would expect:

These include the RT6600ax itself, setup instructions, an RJ45 ethernet cable and details on the included 2 years warranty. All fairly standard stuff and in spite of this being a 5x (1 WAN 4 LAN) router, I can appreciate for reasons of wastage that Synology wouldn’t provide more. Additionally and somewhat predictably, the RT6600x arrives with an external 42W PSU, but it’s quite the chunky number (with a changeable regional plug clip).

Overall this is all fairly safe and competent packaging and you cannot even really fault the inclusion of Cat 5e, given the single 2.5GbE and no 10GbE/Cat7 consideration to factor in. Let’s get to grips with the RT6600ax router itself and discuss the design.

Synology RT6600ax Router Review – Design

The Synology RT6600ax router is quite a decent sized router at 175 mm x 320 mm x 200 mm (with antennae up) and is covered in ventilation on practically all sides.  The Synology logo embossed in the centre is fairly standard for the brand’s slick image and despite there being quite a few 6 antennae prosumer routers on the market in 2022, there is something distinctly ‘Synology’ throughout the design.

The vents across the entire surface of the RT6600ax are there because the system relies heavily on passive airflow in conjunction with a very large internal heatsink and no active internal fans. Few routers feature active cooling internally but given the three separate internal Qualcomm processors internally (two for those three bands and one for managing the system with SRM 3.1 onboard), this would have been a suitable candidate. Still, despite the system no doubt running a little hot at peak times, it definitely worked perfectly in testing.

The top of the system features seven LEDs that denote the internet/WAN connection, the status of the Wi-Fi connection, one for each of the four LAN/RJ45 ports and a final one to denote system status. All fairly standard stuff.

Focusing more on the six antennas, these are completely adjustable and are quite rigidly attached (something that is often not the case with budget routers), supporting three active and simultaneous bands of coverage (2.4Ghz and two 5.Ghz bands), which can be used independently to support multiple SSIDs (upto 15x) or can be used intelligently with systems like Smart Connect that will juggle a connected user to the more suitable band as their distance from the router(s) changes. The coverage of these antennae, as well as their being movable by hand means that you are going to have quite an impressive range of coverage available with this router.

In total, the RT6600ax’s tri-band coverage means that you have upto 600Mb/s bandwidth available on 2.4Ghz, 1200Mb/s available on the 2nd 5Ghz band and a crazy 4800Mb/s available on the other 5Ghz band, thanks to Wifi6 and that 5.9Ghz band being opened up here. This allows connectivity over 802.11 a/n/ac/ax over the three bands, with support of numerous encryption and wireless protection protocols supported on the RT6600ax, such as WPA/WPA2-Personal, WPA/WPA2-Enterprise, WPA2/WPA3-Personal, WPA3- Personal/Enterprise, Wi-Fi Enhanced Open (OWE) and use of Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) 2.0.

5.9 GHz spectrum support enables additional high-speed 80 and 160 MHz channels to be utilized. Given how much WiFi 6 has utilized the 5Ghz band in recent years and router solutions, as well as WiFi 6E hitting the 6Ghz band, the relatively lesser used 5.9Ghz band that was long restricted to government assigned to transportation communication has been sitting there, massively underused. Till now! The Synology RT6600ax is one of the very few routers right now that’s commercially available that can take advantage of 5.9Ghz and take advantage of the additional frequency/bandwidth potential. Before we go through the how’s and why’s, let’s discuss the physical ports and connections available.

Synology RT6600ax Router Review Chapters

Synology RT6600AX Review, ALL Parts - HERE
Synology RT6600AX Review, Part 2, Connections & Internal Hardware - HERE
Synology RT6600AX Review, Part 3, Software, 5.9Ghz & Verdict - HERE

Alternatively, you can watch the FULL review of the Synology RT6600ax over on YouTube below:

 

 

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      97 thoughts on “Synology RT6600ax Router Review, Part I – Unboxing & Design”

      3. Seems like Synology missed a big opportunity to link the storage on the router to a NAS with some sort of one click easy setup but providing redundant storage. Connect the USB port to a NAS, and it sets up a volume for the router so you have resilient storage for threat protection etc.
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      5. Mbps is not equivalent to MB/s (mega bits vs mega bytes). To convert you simply have to divide by 8, and you get 600Mbps -> 75MB/s, 4800Mbps -> 600MB/s, and 1200Mbps -> 150MB/s
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      9. hi, i hvae the 2600ac, don’t need wifi 6, but i really do need NAS, does 2600ac do NAS functions same as 6600 ? and also if i need NAS could i do so, if this 2600 is 2nd router, i guess an AP, after my cable router, connected LAN to LAN, thanks
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      12. I realize it would probably reduce performance on both fronts, but would any sort of USB hub / splitter be compatible, allowing you to use both a USB drive and mobile tethering or two USB drives?
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      14. Bought this off your recommendation and am a bit disappointed.. not being able to granularly set times for websites makes this unsatisfactory. This device is clearly capable of so much more…
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      15. Hello… I have a concern about making ipv6 work on this router… I mention that the ISP assigned me a native address (the connection is made via PPPoE)…. I tried all the options to make it work and I didn’t succeed, but I still succeeded with 6to4, which doesn’t delight me. Is there any option to go in Native mode or is it a system problem? Thank you in advance.
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      16. So … I just got one for our small business.

        Long story: Our existing WiFi access point went out three years ago and it was situation critical to replace it. So I picked up the only cheap consumer AP they had at BestBuy and set it up. It worked. We used it the past 3 years. But lately I had difficulty adding clients as the AP was tapped out. So … I decided to give the RT6600ax a try based on my satisfaction with other Synology products.

        Short story: We love it. It was easy to set up and provides a lot of both security and control.
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      19. Trying to decide between this synolovy vs the ax86u/gt – ax6000…. Any comments? I can get the 86 for a 100 euros cheaper. I am rooting for the synolgogy given I have two syno NAS home with whome I been quite happy. I can get the 6000 for the same price as the synology.
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      25. Very helpful! Do I understand you correctly that I can create multiple wireless networks (say 1 private and 1 for guests) and then assign Schedule and Content filtering to only one of those wireless networks? I assume devices connected to one network cannot see the devices connected to the other? I’m trying to find basically that exact feature to have a guest network for foster children in the home. Could I even assign a separate DNS server to those networks to implement parental controls with something like OpenDNS?
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      26. Dude this is all old and familiar features and ways to use their router. Most already know this. I thought this was going to be a video to point out the differences of the 6600 over the 2600. This video is mainly restating of stuff we already know
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      28. I think the MR2200’s connection issues are a 1.3 issue. Mine have been dropping off about once a week and I’m still on the 2600ac, not only that, but their light patterns have been behaving very strangely. Like they’re connected, but every now and then, the WiFi symbol will scroll the lights from bottom to top for 20min, and then go back to normal.
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      33. Hi Rob. Ive been a subscriber for many years, your videos have helped me
        to decide to buy many Synology nas units, my first being the ds212plus
        my latest the ds1821plus. Like you I`m from the uk so I`m hoping you
        can help me with a question I cant get my head around.

        My internet currently comes from Plusnet with an adsl connection/router
        that as you know comes down the standard phone line connector (via that splitter/filter).
        This router has a single Cat5e cable connected to my Q-Nap QSW-M408C, then around the house
        to all the pc`s nas etc with Cat5e or Cat6.

        Plusnet have just offered me FTTP so I`m hoping to upgrade in September. And after watching
        your video on the Synology RT6600ax with its Vlan feature I would love to buy this and setup
        two Vlans, one for all my devices and the second separate Vlan for my Kids stuff.
        (I do not want my Kids having access to my shared folders etc)

        What I do understand is that once FTTP is installed this new connection is just a standard
        Cat5 or Cat6 Cable that connects to the Wan socket on a router.

        But what i`m not clear on is this:

        Does the RT6600ax completely replace the Plusnet router?? and if your answer is yes, do I
        need to setup into the Synology RT6600ax settings some sort of the old Plusnet/Connection
        /account/username stuff like I had to with my Adsl router??

        I assume Plusnet will send me a pre configured FTTP router and my Best guess would be I do not use
        this Isp router at all. The Synology router will just connect to the internet in its place
        without the older Plusnet/Connection/account/username etc settings. And then just leave me to setup
        its DHCP, Lan, Vlan stuff myself?

        The above might sound like a silly question but after spending a lifetime buying my own Dialup modems
        (first modem was 9600, 14,4 then 28.8k) and then plenty of Netgear adsl routers over the years the one constant
        headache was trying to get the correct login settings to work, since most normal people just used the
        pre configured hardware.

        I will appreciate any ideas yourself any anybody else has. Many Thanks F S
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      34. Been using Asus routers for about a decade. Ordered this Synology rooter tonight to upgrade from my Asus Ac2900 and after watching this video I think I made a good choice.
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      35. Thanks for the comprehensive review. All the infomation I needed. I’d buy one in a heartbeat but until they support my exisitng Synolgy mesh I’ll have to wait.
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      38. My new rt6600ax refuses to go above 100Mbps download, and suggests (via popup in SRM) it may be the cable. My older router (which this one is supposed to replace) is getting nearly 500Mbps download on my 16″ macbook pro m1 ultra, and my synology NAS is showing around 940Mbps on ethernet (again, on the older router). But on the new 6600, my NAS via ethernet is maxing at around 94Mbps 🙁 Any ideas? Very frustrating.
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      40. Hi there,
        Thanks a lot. So after your review i bought the RT6600ax. So now i need to upgrade my home network to manage and separate my iot network (home assistant, cam, aquara, shelly, etc.) from my home / work network. Can you help on guiding me to choose a switch (i guess it will be managed) and give so hints on configuration (both the router & the switch). Maybe i should add that today y network is build on the RT2600 plus 2 MR2200 because of concrete.
        Philippe
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      41. Does the dns package support local network dns entries? I currently use ddwrt and have local dns records configured for a few server IPs…that way my desktop and mobile clients can connect to files and emails using those fqdn names locally
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      44. The biggest flaw in synology product line – its not complete. No switches. No PoE. this router show again cheap plastic 4 port ethernet on the back. There is no way to build even small size home network with just router. They should add two 12/24 port switches, with/without PoE and SFP support running the same software. together with NAS they can have a good solution
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      48. Just ordered one of these from abroad as I couldn’t seem to find any in stock in the UK, does the box come with multiple region plug attachments, or would I need to get one ordered? I assume mine will turn up with the non-uk plug.

        Reply

      50. Ill agree to a Great rewiew, and you have mentioned a lot of things which are really helpfull (not for me) but for other sure.
        What i want to comment on, is your surprise that the RT6600ax comes with the SRM 1.3 and the older devices are still SRM 1.2, well this is what synology was presenting from the “Day One” when the RT6600 was presented by end of 2021 so no surprise for me here, the SRM 1.3 for the RT2600 and MR2200 will be or according to synology should be in June so we need to wait for this one as well.
        What im glad and really glad that the support for the MR2200 and the mesh is there, and also with another RT6600, which you cannot do with a RT2600 so a huge step forward i like, AAAANND well if you do a MESH then you will have TWO USB ???? Ports, the question is if the can be used but i think this is an alternative for those who will be having a MESH network.
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      51. Synology does produce nice devices but it’s all fine when you have warranty. When it’s over and your device will stop working, synology won’t repair it even if you could just pair for the repair. They just dont give a f**k. Think twice before you buy an synology router.
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      52. This looks like an unboxing, not an actual review. You’re holding a device that is capable of sophisticated beam-forming, but we don’t have any speed tests / comparisons / ping results for a typical wood-frame house for example. I like the new features, but I was really into that I’d just set up a pfSense box, or a UDM pro. Why would I buy this thing instead of a cheaper WiFi6 AP/router? Why would I buy it instead of a UDM pro + AP? I had an ac2200 before and I returned it, because SRM is a far cry from DSM, and here they are cramming features into a device with just 1GB of RAM. If you’re saying that it strikes the perfect balance, I’d like to see come figures proving that. Otherwise the video should be titled either “unboxing” or “first impressions”.
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      54. Is it possible to create “Web Filter” on a schedule? For example from 4PM to 8PM can be a “homework” time slot where only allowed whitelisted websites are available?
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      55. That’s for a great review. Worth watching it all. Look forward to future videos on this router.

        Three questions; Do you think Synology will release a WiFi 6 upgrade to the MR2200ac? Maybe an MR6600ax?

        Also, can devices be assigned a frequency? Orbi takes control of that an many times connects 5GHz devices (like FireTV) to 2.4GHz when only in the next room. ????????‍♂️

        Lastly, I’m sure the answer is yes, but I didn’t see it covered, can you assign static IP’s or reserve IP’s for devices?

        Thanks again! I really love the ability to create a VLAN that merges with an SSID to isolate my IoT.
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      56. The usual lan limitation of all router you have only one 2.5gbe port. Now a router should have at least one 2.5 gbe (Better 5gbe as in Italy a phone company started to sell a FTTH 5gbe fiber connection at a good price in selected city) wan AND one 2.5 lan port (better 5gbe) and let a multi-g switch to manage the signal. Also it should manage analog phone otherwise we must pay for the router that provider offer
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      57. Very interesting review so thank you. You say you will be reviewing the Asus RT AX series….will you be doing this one?
        ASUS RT-AX89X 12-Stream AX6000 Dual Band Wi-Fi 6 802.11ax Router
        Cheers
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      59. Felicidades, es un buen ejemplo.
        250 sentadillas son unos 4.FO/L-J27g1 muchas y un buen ejercicio.
        5:25 Se deja ver que hay muy buenos resultados ????????

        Saludos desde la Cd.. de world ????????????
        los mortales abian apreciado tan hermosa mujer.
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      62. Hey
        Thanks so much for this very informative Video! 2 Questions though:
        1. Can you connect the router to a VPN, so your whole home internet traffic is secure? If so, what VPNs can be used?
        2. As some might know, wireguard is a very simple, fast and secure VPN solution. Is it possible to run wireguard as a server or as a client on this router? If there’s a option to install packages, really one should be able to potentially develop or manually install the option for wireguard as a client and perhaps even as a wireguard VPN server…..

        Many thanks!
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      64. Great review – thank you. Is there any way to limit the internet bandwidth available to a specific user / device or IP range? I usually allocate only 80% of the available internet bandwidth to make sure that no single user or device hogs all the bandwidth and that my downloads always have bandwidth available without impacting anyone else.
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      67. Loved my 2600ac and as a Parent it allowed me to easily be a truly evil bastard cutting off internet to all my sons devices when he was in trouble and at bedtime with a schedule 😉
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      70. Thank you for this review. I didn’t know that buying this one to replace RT2600 would render my 2200 MESH obsolete until SRM1.3 support. Just saved me a lot of money.
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      73. About the USB port thing: while an extra cost, sure, is it possible to purchase a little USB hub, plug that in, and then plug multiple HDDs, a 4G dongle, etc.?
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      79. I have a Net Gear r9000 x10, do you think this rt6600 would be a good upgrade? R9000 has started dropping Wi-Fi and kicking me out of plex, on paper they seem to have similar specs, although net gear have tried to kill the router with firmware numerous times.
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      82. Great video. Btw, note that 3G/4G dogles are at EOL support by SRM (as per the Synology Compatibility List) so I am not sure how viable alternative one has for a backup WAN connection.
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      83. Just wondering. The new software disabled support for 4G dongle. But I noticed in your video around minute 31.45 that there is a mobile network section in the settings.

        I hope I can use my SIM with dongle. Been wanting to switch to Synology router for the longest time but couldn’t due to the poor support for SIM card.
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      87. Thanks for the thorough review but this is too little too late from Synology as an existing customer… I welcome SRM 1.3 VLAN and multiple SSID but these were promised and should have been out several years ago however they stalled SRM development to focus on DSM7. It has left a really sour taste in my mouth as I invested heavily with RT2600ac and 2x MR2200ac (along with multiple NAS) but have had to relegate the RT2600ac to just doing WiFi as an access point because of all bugs and the lack of development. I’m now using a PFsense router which is far more stable and has had better features, scalability and resilience for years. I’ll look at SRM 1.3 when it lands for my existing devices but when it is time to upgrade my mesh WiFi hardware I have no loyalty to Synology or confidence in their support for their network devices so i’ll be looking at other offerings.
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