Review: Synology Router RT2600ac

by Parm Mann on 23 January 2017, 13:20

Tags: Synology

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qaddgz

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Specification and Test Methodology

Synology Router RT2600ac Specification

Hardware
CPU Dual core 1.7 GHz
Hardware Layer 7 Engine Yes
Memory 512 MB DDR3
Antenna type 4x4 MIMO Omni-directional high-gain dipole (2.4GHz / 5GHz)
LAN port
  • Gigabit (RJ-45) x 4
  • Gigabit (RJ-45) x 3 (Dual WAN)
WAN port
  • Gigabit (RJ-45) x 1
  • Gigabit (RJ-45) x 2 (Dual WAN)
External Ports
  • USB 3.0 x 1
  • USB 2.0 x 1
  • SD card reader x 1 (SDXC, SDHC)
Button and switch WPS, USB/SD eject, Power, Reset, Wi-Fi On/Off
Appearance
Size (Height x Width x Depth) 77 mm x 280 mm x 169 mm (without antenna)
Weight 0.7 kg
Others
AC Input Power Voltage 100V to 240V AC
Power Frequency 50/60 Hz, Single Phase
Power Consumption* 10.80 W (Access)
7.94 W (Idle)
Temperature
Operating Temperature 5°C to 40°C (40°F to 104°F)
Storage Temperature -20°C to 60°C (-5°F to 140°F)
Relative Humidity 5% to 95% RH
Certification
  • FCC Class B
  • CE Class B
  • BSMI Class B
Wi-Fi Certification
  • CE
  • FCC
  • NCC
  • RCM
  • iDA
Warranty 2 Years
Wireless
IEEE 802.11ac
  • IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
  • Simultaneous dual-band Wi-Fi
  • 2.4GHz: 800Mbps
  • 5GHz: 1.73Gbps
IEEE 802.11ac wave 2
  • MU-MIMO
  • 2x2 160 MHz (contiguous 80 + 80 MHz)
  • 2x2 80 + 80 MHz (discontiguous)
Beamforming Yes
Schedulable Wi-Fi Yes
WPS 2.0 (Wi-Fi Protected Setup 2.0) Yes
3G/4G mobile dongle support Yes
Maximum MAC filters 64
Maximum connected devices 100
Note
  • In real-world testing, at least 120 devices can be concurrently connected to RT2600ac.
  • Not all of the connected 120 devices are transmitting data, some remained idle.
  • RT2600ac supports at least 100 connected devices concurrently transmitting data.
  • The numbers above are for reference only. Actual performance and behavior may depend on network environment and settings.
Network
Internet connection Dynamic IP, Static IP, PPPoE
Port forwarding Setup via manual management or UPnP
Maximum port forwarding rules 64
Maximum UPnP rules 64
Port triggering Yes
Maximum port triggering rules 32
Minimum port triggering timeout 30s
Maximum port triggering timeout 3600s
DMZ Yes
IPv6 IPv6 DHCP server/client, IPv6 tunneling
DHCP Server/client mode, client list, MAC address reservation
Maximum DHCP reservations 500
LAN/WLAN IGMP snooping Yes
VPN
  • VPN server/client (PPTP, OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec)
  • VPN pass-through (PPTP, IPSec, L2TP)
Policy route, Static route, Network Address Translation (NAT), PPPoE relay Yes
Maximum IPv4 static routes 100
Maximum IPv6 static routes 100
Diagnosis tools
  • Ping
  • Traceroute
Management
Operating system Synology Router Manager (SRM)
Free OS upgrade Yes
Anywhere access to SRM Synology QuickConnect & Dynamic DNS (DDNS)
Operation modes Wireless Router, Wireless AP
Wake on LAN (WOL) Yes
WOL over QuickConnect Yes
Maximum connected devices 100
Notification Email, SMS, push service (via DS router)
SSH Yes
SNMP Yes
Configuration backup & restore Yes
User account management Yes
Printer server Maximum printer: 1
Parental Control
Customized Internet schedule
DNS-based web-filter with built-in database
Customized allow/block list
Setup by single / multiple devices
Maximum devices 50
Maximum blocked URLs 100
Maximum allowed URLs 100
Traffic Control
Internet ban, device speed & priority Yes
Application layer (L7) quality of service (QoS) Yes
Maximum device rules 64
Maximum application rules per device 32
Traffic Monitor for graphical live / history statistics Yes
Security
Wi-Fi encryption WEP, WPA/WPA2-Personal, WPA/WPA2-Enterprise
Wi-Fi MAC address filter Yes
Firewall/SPI Firewall Yes
DoS Protection Yes
Auto block Yes
SSL certificate Yes
Security Advisor Yes
Mobile Apps
DS cloud (Android/iOS) Yes
DS get (Android/iOS) Yes
DS file (Android/iOS) Yes
DS router (Android/iOS)
  • Network traffic overview
  • Wi-Fi management
  • Parental Control
  • Traffic Control
  • Network security (firewall, port forwarding, Internet ban)
  • Wake on LAN
VPN Plus (iOS) Yes
USB/SD Card File Service
File System EXT4, FAT, NTFS, HFS+
Access support
  • File explorer (via LAN only)
  • Web browsers: Chrome™, Firefox®, Internet Explorer®: 8 onwards, Safari® 7 onwards, Safari (iOS® 7 onwards on iPad®), Chrome (Android 4.0 onwards on tablets)
  • Mobile device: DS file
Protocol support Windows file service (CIFS), Mac file service (AFP), FTP/FTPS, WebDAV
Apple Time Machine Yes
Shared Folder privileges Yes
Storage hibernation Yes
Package Center
Cloud Station Server Sync data from multiple platforms, centralizing it on the router while easily keeping historical versions of important files.
Maximum Concurrent File Transfers 128
Note Cloud Station ShareSync is not supported
DNS Server Helps users find and translate domain names into IP addresses
Download Station Supported download protocols: BT/HTTP/FTP/NZB/eMule
Maximum concurrent download tasks 50
Maximum concurrent BT download tasks 20
Media Server (DLNA/UPnP®)
  • Media indexing
  • DLNA certified
  • PS3/PS4/Xbox 360/Xbox One supported
RADIUS Server Provides centralized authentication, authorization, and accounting for wireless network access
VPN Plus Server Easily create and manage secure VPN access through a web browser or client. Supports various VPN services — WebVPN, SSL VPN, SSTP, OpenVPN, L2TP over IPSec, and PPTP.
Maximum Connections 20
VPN Server Supported VPN protocols: PPTP, OpenVPN™, L2TP/IPSec
Maximum Connections 5
Intrusion Prevention (Beta) Greatly enhance the security of your router with IDS and IPS systems, designed to safeguard your network against internet threats.
Intrusion Detection System (IDS) Yes
Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) Yes
Environment & Packaging
Environment RoHS Compliant
Packaging Content
  • Main Unit
  • Antenna x 4
  • AC Power Adapter
  • RJ-45 LAN Cable
  • Quick Installation Guide

Comparison Routers

Model Firmware HEXUS Review Reviewed Price Product Page
BT Home Hub 5 4.7.5.1.83.8.204.1.11 - £129 bt.com
Synology Router RT1900ac 1.0.1-6007 Update 2 January 2016 £120 synology.com
Synology Router RT2600ac 1.1.3-6447 January 2017 £210 synology.com
TP-Link Archer VR900 150909 Rel.39821n October 2015 £140 tp-link.com
TP-Link Archer VR2600 160518 Rel.50944n October 2016 £199 tp-link.com

Test Methodology

Evaluating the wireless performance of a router can be something of a minefield. The sheer amount of surrounding wireless broadcasts is such that the test environment is always subject to change, and performance will fluctuate as a result. With this in mind, please be aware that our performance results may not mirror your own and the following benchmark numbers should be viewed as theoretical.

To provide examples of real-world performance, the routers are installed on the ground floor of a three-storey house built in 2006. Routers with a built-in modem are connected directly to a BT Infinity line, whereas standalone routers are first connected to an external DrayTek Vigor 130 VDSL modem. Wireless performance is then tested from a ThinkPad X1 Carbon laptop outfitted with a TP-Link Archer T4U dual-band wireless adapter at multiple locations.

Location A is defined as a first-floor room directly above the router, representing a distance of roughly 15ft and one separating floor. Location B is on the ground floor at a horizontal distance of roughly 45ft from the router, with multiple separating walls. Finally, Location C is on the top floor at a vertical distance of roughly 40ft, with two-floor separation.

In each location, we test wireless performance by copying 2GB of data to and fro a Synology NAS wired to the network via a TP-Link TL-SG1024 Gigabit switch. For comparison's sake, we also run the same file transfer using a wired connection to the laptop, and we also test transfer speed to a router-attached storage device - an SK hynix Canvas SC300 SSD installed in a basic USB 3.0 caddy.