Looking back on my posts from the last few years, you might get the impression that I am hard on routers, since I seem to go through them pretty quickly. But the truth is, I’m just picky, and there are certain things a router must do, of which most of them are incapable. Also, I don’t really have the time to immerse myself in the whole WRT scene and spend my days endlessly upgrading and tweaking custom router software. I want something that meets all of my demands and does it right out-of-the-box. In short, I want perfection. I don’t think that is too much to ask, either. Given that the internet has been around 50+ years at this point and consumer routers have been commonplace for at least 20 of those.
So, did I find it? No, but it’s close. Let me start by saying that you’re going to pay a premium for Synology gear, but in the end it’s worth it because their software is top-notch. It just works. The RT6600ax is their current flagship router, so it comes with a flagship price, but once you’ve seen it’s capabilities, the sticker shock starts to wear off. Just watch Synology’s own overview video for a look at (not even) everything it can do.
This unit, and the companion MR2200ac replaced my previous Linksys router and its accompanying mesh nodes (which are now for sale on Craigslist, if you’re interested), and believe me this was a no-brainer. The Linksys software is somewhat functional, but mostly frustrating. The Linksys on-board software looks like it was written circa 2002, and the mobile app (which has about 10% of the functionality) is pretty dated and kludgy too. When you compare it to the Synology, it’s like they aren’t even the same species. It really is night and day.
I had two very important priorities: 1) controlling what devices are connected to my network (especially wifi) at any given time, and 2) a turnkey solution for filtering content. Linksys struggles mightily with both of these (and really can’t even do #2), but Synology hit it out of the park with both their Traffic Control and Safe Access software. I won’t bother describing them here, just watch the video linked above.
My only nit to pick is with the Package Center that comes pre-loaded with a handful of Synology’s utilities (with the most glaring omission being a Speed Test app). If you are familiar with Synology’s NAS offerings, you know that the Package Center there contains a thriving market of third-party apps. I hope someday they allow this on their routers too. But, as of this writing, it is an empty parking lot (cue the tumbleweeds).
So, if you are looking for a way to lock down your home network, and make it easy to manage what people in your household are doing online, there is simply no better choice.
