New Synology WRX560 Router

Synology Planning on a New WRX560 WiFi 6 and 2.5GbE Router for 2022/2023

Update (10/10/22 UK) – This Router has been confirmed to carry the Model ID/Name RTX560 (not RT3000ax) and will be released towards the end of November 2022

Yes, Synology is working on a new WiFi 6 and 2.5G router – The Synology RT3000ax (also known as the WRX560). Before I go any further though,a little bit of background. I think it would be safe to say that Synology has been quite successful in their range of prosumer routers. When they first introduced the RT1900ac 6 years ago, it was seen as something of an experiment to see if they could bring the same level of software, design and experience that they had learned in network attached storage to one of the most common devices in all our homes and offices worldwide. Fast forward to now and they are on the 3rd Generation (technically, a little bit of overlap) and we have seen both the standard of Synology Router and the functionality of Synology Router Manager (SRM) evolve considerably – with the router arm of their portfolio getting stronger all the time. Which brings us to the newly revealed RT3000ax router, a more compact 802.11ax router that seems destined to serve as the refresh for the MR2200ac or (more likely) the RT2600ac at some point in the future. With a new and intriguing design (definitely looks like what the most recent star wars trilogy did to stormtrooper helmets, but ok) and borrowed elements of the recently released RT6600ax router, the RT3000ax would appear to be designed to be in a tier of their router portfolio serving as the middle-ground (when the OTT RT6600ax seems a bit pie in the sky). Let’s discuss this new router, the hardware we know about, the software and whether this device is worth waiting for.

Hardware Specifications of the Synology RT3000ax / WRX560 Router

The Synology RT3000ax router is quite comparable to the RT6600ax in a number of ways when it comes to it’s general hardware specifications (those the details on the qualcomm processor and on board RAM remain a mystery at the time of writing), with the system supporting 2.5GbE on a WAN/LAN port (as well as 4 more 1GbE LAN ports, with one being dedicated WAN), failover support, WiFi 6 support and USB storage compatibility that allows the use of applications (modified Synology DSM NAS apps) to be used on the system with SRM. However, there is always clear build choices here that show that the RT3000ax is designed for slightly more modest deployments. It’s a dual-band (2.4/5G design), uses internal antennae, is more verticle in it’s shape, is wall mountable and I have yet to hear if mesh support is available (assume yes, but still TBC). Here are the specifications that I know about so far:

Synology RT3000ax Router
Wireless Standards	2.4GHz: 802.11 b/g/n/ax 5GHz: 802.11 a/n/ac/ax
Frequency/Bandwidth	802.11ax (2.4GHz): Up to 600 Mbps 802.11ax (5GHz): Up to 2400 Mbps
5.9Ghz Support	TBC
WAN	Gigabit WAN x 1 2.5G WAN / LANx 1 (Dual WAN)
LAN	Gigabit LAN x 3 and 2.5G LAN x 1
USB	USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A) x 1
File System	EXT4, EXT3, FAT, NTFS, HFS+ (Ext Drive)
Physical Buttons/Switches	• Power • WPS • Wi-Fi On/Off • Reset
Wireless Modes	Wireless Router Wireless AP (Access Point)
Antenna	Internal 2T2R Omni-directional high-gain dipole (2.4GHz) Internal 4T4R Omni-directional high-gain dipole (5GHz)
Size	233 x 194 x 66mm

Setup of the Synology RT3000ax router is largely the same as that of the rest of the RT and MR series from the brand, with it being usable as a primary router point or as an additional access point. The dual WAN design allows users to connect their ingoing/outgoing internet connection to an upto 1GbE (1000Mb/100MMB) connection, or use the 2.5GbE connection for greater than gigabit external connections. This also means that the support of failover is available, with the option to connect more two internet connections to the system (either both via WAN connection and/or with use of a 4G/5G LTE SIM connection via a supported USB device). Something I tested (along with other recovery features of SRM and the RT6600ax) in the video lower in the article.

These are still questions surrounding some SRM supported features and recent Synology router services that are available on the RT6600ax router and whether they will be available on the RT3000ax, such as:

• Will the RT3000ax Router use/access the 5.9Ghz Band, allowing larger 160Mhz connections? Almost certainly yes, but still TBC
• Will Mesh connectivity with other Synology Routers (RT6600ax, RT2600ax, MR2200ac) be available, and at launch? Again, almost certainly yes, but still TBC

We will update this article and the larger Synology 2023 Hardware Page as soon as we know more. You can visit the BIG Synology 2023 Page HERE

How Does the Synology RT3000ax Compare with the RT6600ax Router?

Many users who are considering buying the Synology RT6600ax right now in Autumn 2022 might hear the news of a new RT3000ax WiFi6 router coming at some point in the future and be thinking about whether to buy now or wait. It’s a very good question! However, the more you look into the specifications (even based on the few we know right now comparatively) it is clear that the RT6600ax router is the more powerful and capable price. So, if you were already about to buy the RT6600ax as it sounded ideal for your needs, then waiting for the release of the RT3000ax will not be worth it for you. However, if you were only considering the RT6600ax for its WiFi 6 and 2.5G capabilities and you were not looking to upgrade your setup until the end of 2022 or the first quarter of 2023 (when this new outer is likely to arrive realistically), then here are how the Synology RT3000ax and RT6600ax compare:

Model	Synology RT3000ax	Synology RT6600ax
Price	TBC	$309 – £260 – €299
Wireless Standards	2.4GHz: 802.11 b/g/n/ax 5GHz: 802.11 a/n/ac/ax	2.4GHz: 802.11 b/g/n/ax 5GHz: 802.11 a/n/ac/ax
Frequency/Bandwidth	802.11ax (2.4GHz): Up to 600 Mbps 802.11ax (5GHz): Up to 2400 Mbps	802.11ax (2.4GHz): Up to 600 Mbps 802.11ax (5GHz-1): Up to 1200 Mbps 802.11ax (5GHz-2): Up to 4800 Mbps
5.9Ghz Support	TBC	YES
WAN	Gigabit WAN x 1 2.5G WAN / LANx 1 (Dual WAN)	Gigabit WAN x 1 2.5G WAN / LANx 1 (Dual WAN)
LAN	Gigabit LAN x 3 and 2.5G LAN x 1	Gigabit LAN x 3 and 2.5G LAN x 1
USB	USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A) x 1	USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-A) x 1
File System	EXT4, EXT3, FAT, NTFS, HFS+ (Ext Drive)	EXT4, EXT3, FAT, NTFS, HFS+ (Ext Drive)
Physical Buttons/Switches	• Power • WPS • Wi-Fi On/Off • Reset	• Power • WPS • Wi-Fi On/Off • Reset
Wireless Modes	Wireless Router Wireless AP (Access Point)	Wireless Router Wireless AP (Access Point)
Antenna	Internal 2T2R Omni-directional high-gain dipole (2.4GHz) Internal 4T4R Omni-directional high-gain dipole (5GHz)	2T2R Omni-directional high-gain dipole (2.4GHz/5GHz-1) 4T4R Omni-directional high-gain dipole (5GHz-2)
Size	233 x 194 x 66mm	65 x 280 x 180 MM

So, as you can see, the main difference here is the scope of bandwidth, coverage and distance that is covered between the RT6600ax and RT3000ax – with the RT6600ax clearly being the larger (thanks to that tri-band support and larger external antenna coverage. But if you are looking for a smaller deployment and are not in a big rush right now, the RT3000ax router will provide most of the other features on offer!

Software and Security of the Synology RT3000ax Router

The Synology RT3000ax router will arrive with Synology Router Manager (SRM), as well as a range of client applications, Synology DSM-built tools that have been modified to work on their router platform and compatibility/support of all the usual OS’. You can find out more on the latest release of SRM (version 1.3) in my FULL SRM REVIEW HERE on YouTube and in my long written review of SRM1.3 here on NASCompares, but the highlights are:

SRM Features	LAN/WAN management – Port forwarding – Network segmentation – Traffic Control – IPv4/IPv6 Dual Stack – Smart/Auto WAN Switching – Failover and load balancing – Policy routing – IPTV & VoIP Support – MAC address filtering – Set up web filtering – Router Bridge Mode Support Monitoring – Live view per device – Application statistics – Bandwidth Device Control – Client Application QoS – User QoS – Detailed Report Generation (PDF,CSV,HTML etc) Synology Safe Access – User & network profiles – Access Time management – User Internet schedule & Time quota – Highly-customizable Web filters – Site Access Schedules – Safe Search integration (YouTube, Google, Bing and more) – User Unblock/Access Request and Control GUI – DNS over HTTPS Available – Let’s Encrypt integration – Dual-stack firewall – Automatic blocking and two-factor authentication – 5 Network and 15 SSID Creation for Network Layers – Automatic security database updates – DNS & IP threat intelligence Database – Google Safe Browsing – VPN Plus Application Service – Site-to-Site VPN – Access your network without VPN client – TLS 1.2/1.3 support – Supports the ChaCha cipher – Validated by Microsoft Azure – Bandwidth control & block list – Active Directory and LDAP support Add On Apps (Requires a USB Drive) – VPN Plus Server – Download Station – Media Server – DNS Server – RADIUS Server – Threat Prevention QuickConnect and DDNS for Encrypted/Secure Remote Management
Supported Clients (for SRM)	Windows 7 onwards, Mac OS 10.12 onwards
Security	WPA2-Personal, WPA/WPA2-Personal, WPA2-Enterprise, WPA/WPA2-Enterprise, Opportunistic Wireless Encryption (OWE), WPA3-Personal, WPA3-Enterprise, WPA2/WPA3-Persona

Find out more on the automated recovery of connectivity in wired/wireless configuration, how the system handles failover, mesh self healing and more in my Synology Router Experiments video below:

When Will the Synology RT3000ax Router Be Released?

Update (10/10/22 UK) – This Router has been confirmed to carry the Model ID/Name RTX560 and will be released towards the end of November 2022. As more information on this device becomes available, I will update this article, the Synology 2023 SUPER ARTICLE and comparisons with the current generation of Synology Routers as information arrives. Subscribe to the NASCompares blog OR just chuck your email in the notification box below (no sign-up needed, you just get the alerts to updates to this article) to stay informed on the Synology RT3000ax router Have a great week!

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