Today, in its Synology 2022 and Beyond keynote, Synology announced a series of new features for its existing NAS solutions, including enhancements to DSM, Synology Photos, and more. But on the hardware front, one announcement is stealing the spotlight. The upcoming Synology RT6600ax arrives as the brand’s first Wi-Fi 6 router and will be launching next year.
Synology RT6600ax announced at 2022 and Beyond
After being pestered for quite a while now, Synology is finally refreshing one of the more popular hardware releases in its stable. The original RT1900ac Wi-Fi router and its successor, the RT2600ac, which launched in 2017, used to be go-to’s for those wanting to set up some always-on storage without the overhead of a NAS. But since the latter is now coming up on five years old, the routers have been showing their age for some time.
Now Synology is remedying that with the announcement of its latest entry into the world of at-home networking, the Synology RT6600ax. If you have a keen eye and spotted the ax aspect of the name, I’ll answer the most important question you’re probably wondering right off the bat. The Synology RT6600ax does in fact arrive with Wi-Fi 6 support, marking the first time we’ve seen the brand deliver such a release.
As for other specs, you’re looking at tri-band connectivity which pairs with 5.9GHz frequency support and 160MHz channel per antenna bandwidth. Design-wise, the build isn’t too far away from what we saw with its predecessors. It has the usual dark plastic design and this time around sports six antennae that stick out of the body. Around the back, there are four Gigabit Ethernet ports, as well as 2.5GbE uplink connectivity
As of now, Synology hasn/t formally announced a release date or price tag on the new RT6600ax Wi-Fi 6 router. We do know that the company is estimating that it will begin shipping the release sometime in Q1 of 2022, so there shouldn’t be too much longer to wait.
New software upgrades announced at Synology 2022 and Beyond
To go alongside the new RT6600ax, Synology is also announcing a slew of new efforts on the software front. Fittingly for the new Wi-Fi 6 router, a new version of its router management software, SRM 1.3, will be rolling out in the near future with some new functionality. There’s notably full VLAN support for assisting with sectioning off smart home devices from the rest of your network, as well as some refreshed management features that are more in line with the prosumer nature of the device.
Synology is also announcing the latest update to its NAS software, with DSM 7.1 slated to arrive sometime next year. Those most notable of these features continue to position the brand’s NAS as being Google Photo replacements (which you can learn more about in our guide). Synology Photos started off a bit rocky, but it’s now getting new additions like the long-requested geolocation tagging for keeping an eye on where photos were taken. There’s also Synology drive integration as well as better album organization. You can also get an idea of what to expect from DSM 7 in our hands-on coverage from earlier this fall.
Over on the Surveillance Station side of things, Synology is also preparing to roll out its 9.0 update. The biggest refresh of the upcoming release will likely be a better UI that is easier to navigate, though there are some extra features too. On top of an improved setup guide to get going with new cameras, there’s also a Monitor Center for looking at an overview of feeds and notifications.
There are also a whole host of other features rolling out as part of the Synology 2022 and Beyond announcement, though most of those are geared more towards business use. If interested, you can check out all of the details at the event hub.
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