“When I reviewed Synology’s flagship RT6600ax router last year, I got high marks for its multi-gig connectivity and strong parental controls, but was disappointed by its 5GHz throughput performance. New, more affordable ‘s Synology WRX560 ($219.99) also offers the same robust parental controls for multi-gig networks, but this dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router offers excellent throughput on both radio bands, with a good signal in our tests. Its file transfer performance could use a boost, but the WRX560 is an excellent feature-rich mainstream router that earns our Editors’ Choice award.
design and function
The WRX560 doesn’t look like your typical desktop router. Its 9.1 x 7.6 x 2.5-inch (HWD) black chassis stands upright, with beveled edges and grillwork for a futuristic, minimalist look. The vertical stance of the device makes it easy to tip over, which is exactly what happened when my cat decided to scrape it, and there’s no option for mounting the router to a wall.
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(Credit: Synology)
There are no normal external antennas here. Instead, Synology uses his six internal antennas to communicate on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz radio bands. Three small LED indicators on the front show system status, Wi-Fi activity, and WAN activity.
Most of the WRX560’s ports are located on the rear panel, including a 2.5Gbps WAN/LAN port, a 1Gbps WAN port, and three 1Gbps LAN ports. They are joined by a power port, power button, and reset button. On the left is a USB 3.2 Gen 1 port and WPS and Wi-Fi on/off buttons.
(Credit: Synology)
WRX560 is a dual band AX3000 router. That means you can reach a theoretical maximum speed of 600 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band and 2,400 Mbps on the 5 GHz band. It uses a 1.4GHz quad-core CPU and 512MB of DDR4 RAM, and supports Wi-Fi 6 technologies such as 160MHz channel transmission, WPA3 encryption, MU-MIMO data streaming, direct-to-client beamforming, and orthogonal frequency division multiple access . (OFDMA). It supports mesh and can be paired with other compatible Synology routers to create a seamless mesh Wi-Fi network. Similar to the RT6600ax, the Synology WRX560 uses the UNII-4 (5.9GHz) spectrum to access additional 20MHz and 160MHz channels, but it is not a Wi-Fi 6E router and does not have access to the 6GHz radio band.
(Credit: Synology)
Install and manage your WRX560 using the DS Router mobile app or the web-based Synology Router Manager (SRM) operating system. Similar to the DiskStation Manager OS used in Synology NAS devices, SRM provides a Windows-like interface that facilitates router configuration. The desktop has icons labeled Control Panel, Network Center, Wi-Fi Connect, Safe Access, Package Center, and SRM Help. Use Network Center to manage network connections, monitor CPU and memory usage, and configure QoS, port forwarding, and port trigger settings. The Wi-Fi Connect icon takes you to a screen where you can configure your Wi-Fi settings and guest network, and view a list of connected clients and the bands they are using.
(Credit: Synology)
Clicking on the Safe Access icon opens a screen where you can create parental control profiles and assign devices and web filters to each profile. Preset filters include Child, Employee, and Guest. You can also create custom profiles. Other Safe Access options enable network protection settings to protect network devices from malicious content and access to dangerous websites, set access time quotas, and monitor client activity. You can
(Credit: Synology)
Use Control Panel to configure external storage devices, enable file services, view router status information, and back up router settings. Finally, Package Center updates Safe Access software, installs Synology’s VPN Server Plus software, and downloads Media Server and Radius Server applications.
Testing Synology WRX60: Enhanced Transfer
The WRX60 was easy to install. I started by using the Synology Router Manager (SRM) web console to connect the router to my modem and desktop PC. Then I turned on the modem and router at the same time.I opened a browser and typed http://router.synology.com In the address bar that opened the start screen.[スタート]to create an account and give your new network a name and password.
After a minute, I logged back into the SRM operating system and followed the Quick Setup Wizard instructions to confirm that I was using DHCP. I enabled Quick Connect, which allows me to access my router from anywhere, and then updated the firmware. Installation is complete.
(Credit: Synology)
The WRX560 delivered some of the highest throughput scores we’ve seen from mainstream Wi-Fi 6 routers, scoring 134 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz Proximity (Same Room) test, compared to the Asus ROG Strix GS-AX5400 (128 Mbps), TP-Link Archer AX75 (126 Mbps), and Linksys Hydra Pro 6 AX5400 (121 Mbps). It also led the pack in our 30ft test, delivering 62Mbps versus TP-Link’s 52Mbps, Linksys’ 42Mbps and Asus’ 44Mbps.
The 5GHz throughput test results were similar. The Synology’s 931Mbps in our proximity test was significantly faster than the ROG Strix’s 846Mbps, the Hydra Pro 6’s 830Mbps, and the Archer AX75’s 811Mbps. 576Mbps in the 30ft test was also the best, beating Asus’ 424Mbps, Linksys’ 400Mbps and TP-Link’s 273Mbps.
To determine the router’s read and write file transfer performance, we measured the time it takes to move a 1.5 GB folder containing photos, videos, music, and office document files between a USB 3.0 drive and a desktop PC . router…
Here, the WRX560’s performance was simply average. Its 47MBps write speed was a bit faster than his 42MBps on TP-Link, but slower than Asus (69MBps) and Linksys (55MBps). Similarly, the Synology’s 48MBps read score beats the Archer’s 44MBps, but falls short of Linksys’ 57MBps and ROG Strix’s 85MBps.
It tests wireless signal strength using an Ekahau Sidekick Wi-Fi diagnostic device and the company’s Survey mobile app to generate a heat map showing 2.4GHz and 5GHz signal strength throughout the test house. (Note: Ekahau is owned by his PCMag parent company, his Ziff Davis.)
2.4GHz Coverage Map (Credit: Ekahau)
5GHz Coverage Map (Credit: Ekahau)
Colors on the map represent signal strength. Dark green indicates strongest signal, yellow indicates weak signal, and gray indicates no detectable coverage. Circles on the map represent router locations. As you can see, the WRX560 did a great job of providing strong Wi-Fi throughout the house, but signal strength was a little weak on both bands in the garage.
Verdict: There’s a Winner
Superior throughput performance, wide signal range, and SRM operating system make Synology WRX560 an excellent choice for dual-band routers. It comes with powerful parental controls and network security software, is equipped with multi-gig WAN/LAN ports, and can be used as part of a whole-home mesh setup.
(Credit: Synology)
Even just mediocre file transfer performance and potentially unstable stance earned it our Editors’ Choice award as a mainstream Wi-Fi 6 router.
Conclusion
Synology WRX560 is an affordable dual-band Wi-Fi 6 router that offers fast throughput, strong signal transmission, and multigig networking.
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