Networks of the future: TOP-5 routers with Wi-Fi 6 support

Huawei was one of the key developers of the Wi-Fi 6 standard, so it is not surprising that it was one of the first to launch a pack of new generation routers on the market. Moreover, if other manufacturers looked at the new protocol with caution and limited themselves to the release of rather expensive and niche models, Huawei immediately went to the people. So the new AX3 Dual Core is a terribly stylish and very fast router with Wi-Fi 6 and support for seamless MESH systems. And they ask for only $70. Are you already interested? We are very.

Routers are rarely seen by their clothes. Rather, it is a product from the category, connected, put on the table and forgot. But not at this time. Huawei turned out to be one of the most stylish and unusual routers in our memory. Wide and flat antennas are connected to a flat and thin case made of matte plastic, which stick out like horns when open, and when folded they fit snugly against the case. Aesthetically, this is something very close to the golden days of Apple. By the way, plastic does not collect fingerprints at all and, as far as one can judge from a weekly test, is scratch resistant.

On the other fronts, the AX3 Dual Core is not inferior to competitors with a price tag twice as high. Its theoretical throughput reaches almost 3000 Mbps (574 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band and 2402 Mbps in the 5 GHz band), which is very cool in itself. It supports MU-MIMO and Beamforming, like any self-respecting mid-range router. But more to come. Firstly, it is support for MESH networkswhen several identical routers create a seamless coverage indoors without separation into a master and slave router. Secondly, this is the Dynamic Narrow Bandwidth feature, which can boost signal transmission in the 2 MHz narrowband mode, improving signal penetration through walls and floors. Thirdly, the delights of Wi-Fi 6, such as a dedicated 160 Hz bandwidth and OFDMA technology, which provides high bandwidth and more efficient network operation. Well, the new processor will withstand the simultaneous connection of 128 devices. For complete happiness, there would also be a USB port here and it would be completely incomprehensible why even look in the direction of other routers.

While the giants of telecommunications are pouring expensive premium Wi-Fi 6 routers on us, the guys from TP-LINK have released a simple and affordable Archer AX10 model, which supports the new communication standard and has nothing superfluous. In fact, this is a simplified version of the Archer AX50 with simpler hardware and without advanced features like the FEM module, which the average user is unlikely to need. And get ready to wipe this little one down often, the glossy surface of the Archer AX10 seems to get covered in prints and marks even when not touched at all.

Archer AX10 broadcasts in the 802.11ax band, offering two transmission bands : up to 300 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band and up to 1201 Mbps in the 5 GHz band. To enhance the signal, the router is equipped with four external fixed antennas. The model has a standard set of ports: one WAN and four gigabit LANs. So far, nothing out of the ordinary. The router is fully revealed when working in new generation networks with all their advantages. For example, the OFDMA protocol allows multiple devices to simultaneously use the same band without queuing for data transmission. The transmission of data packets has also been optimized, so that different applications can form one data packet, reducing the signal transmission delay. In general, there are no complaints about the quality of communication, the new protocol demonstrates excellent results in difficult reception conditions.

We will not even talk about the presence of MU-MIMO and Beamforming, any non-low-cost router should be friends with them. Of the features, we highlight the ability to set parental controls that allow you to block some unwanted content or limit the time you connect to the network, as well as the traffic prioritization function, which will be useful to gamers and streamers. The only pity is that there are not as many settings for control and prioritization as in the older Archer AX50. But we were pleased with the setup process using a mobile application. You are offered to choose one of several configuration options - from simple, turn it on and go, to more sophisticated, focused on advanced users. If the most advanced third level is not enough, then you can dive into the abyss of web interface settings.

At the beginning of 2020, the Chinese giant Xiaomi released its first Wi-Fi 6 router. As always, they didn’t want to make just a router, but got confused with the design and unusual features. Looking like a miniature breadbasket, the Mi AIoT Router AX3600 is littered with antennas. Four are allocated for the 5 Hz band, a couple more are responsible for 2.4 Hz, and the central AIoT antenna has a special role. Using the MiHome app, it automatically finds and instantly integrates new “smart” gadgets into the home ecosystem, be it smart light bulbs, wireless speaker sockets or ovens. Such an instant connection is one of the features of the new generation of WiFi 6, which allows the Smart Home project to open up in a new way. So that the router does not get tired of the ever-growing number of “smart” gadgets, it was equipped with a productive bundle of a Qualcomm quad-core processor and an additional dual-core network accelerator.

Living in the headquarters of Inspector Gadget is certainly cool, but how good is the Router AX3600 in everyday work in an ordinary apartment? On the one hand, this is a very advanced device with very high quality signal coverage, high speed (2402 Mbps in the 5 GHz band and 574 Mbps when connected to 2.4 GHz), the ability to connect up to 248 clients, support for useful things like MU-MIMO and Beamforming, as well as a simple mobile app setup system. After updating the firmware, the 5 GHz radio module learned to work with a 160 MHz band and seamless MESH networks.

On the other hand, all its iron power is used at best by half: the software is not the most convenient and functional with a mediocre VPN implementation, cut out DLNA and missing iPTV and a torrent client. The same can be said about the chips for a smart home, although the MiHome application was translated from Chinese into English, the router is still only friendly with smart gadgets from Xiaomi, and if you, for example, have a smart light bulb or a robot vacuum cleaner from other manufacturers , then sorry, it will not work to integrate them into a smart home from Xiaomi. Perhaps all this will be finished in official firmware. Or craftsmen from the forums will get down to business. Otherwise, it will be a Bugatti Veyron in a village without a single paved road. Effective and useless.

After all the major companies released the first high-end Wi-Fi 6 routers, skimming off the enthusiasts, it came to the mass market. So at the beginning of the year, Asus released several similar mid-range models, which, although based on the platform from Broadcom, still look a little expensive against the background of familiar routers. For example, Asus RT-AX56U is a typical representative of the middle class, for which they ask for almost $200. In addition to supporting the 802.11ax standard, the price tag is justified by two factors in the face of USB ports and support for Asus' proprietary AirMesh technology.

So, Asus RT-AX56U is a classic dual-band router with a gigabit port and a couple of interesting solutions from Asus. For signal transmission, there are 2 external antennas that can operate both at a frequency of 2.4 GHz and at 5 GHz. In the first case, we have a throughput of 574 Mbps, in the second, the speed rises to 1201 Mbps. In total, we get 1775 Mbps, which corresponds to the AX1800 device class. In fact, somewhere it happened, both connected smartphones and laptops showed 200 Mbps in 2.4 GHz mode and 900 in 5 GHz mode. When all the electronics available in the house went into battle (and this is about a dozen different gadgets), the router did not flinch and did not try to withdraw into itself, providing stable and high-quality coverage throughout the three-room apartment.

Now let's see what else the RT-AX56U is capable of. The router has a pair of USB ports to which you can connect an external drive, an LTE modem, or the most common flash drive. Like other Asus routers, it is easy to set up (thanks to the ASUS Router app), friendly with MU-MIMO and Beamforming, and able to work with Asus cloud services (AiCloud and AiDisk). The icing on the cake was ASUS AiMesh technology, which allows you to combine several different company routers into a single seamless network.

Usually, with the advent of a new technology, it is run in rather expensive gadgets, not for everyone, and only then it goes to the masses. A similar process is happening right now with Wi-Fi 6 routers: mid-range and even entry-level models appear on the market, but mostly top models with biting price tags are on sale. For example, the new TP-LINK Archer AX6000 looks defiant and can do everything that a modern router should do. And even a little more.

We pinch our fingers: in addition to the Wi-Fi 6 itself, the TP-LINK router boasts eight gigabit LAN ports and a 2.5 gigabit WAN, 8 external antennas with a gain of 3 dBi and a pair of USB outputs (one of them USB-C) will help to make it base home media server or backup station. The performance of this stuff is provided by the main quad-core processor with a couple of additional coprocessors. The software part does not lag behind the hardware, the TP-Link HomeCare software center will delight you with rich opportunities for setting up a parental control system, traffic prioritization and built-in VPN. You can connect the TP-LINK Archer AX6000 to the network in just a couple of minutes by downloading the proprietary TP-Link Tether application and following the on-screen instructions.

Theoretically, the Archer AX6000 can deliver up to 4804Mbps in the 5Hz band and up to 1148Mbps in the 2.4GHz band. In practice, everything is fine with speed, the ports give out the required gigabit, the difference in speed with wired and wireless connections is minimal, and thanks to 1024QAM, OFDMA, Beamforming and MU-MIMO technologies, the distribution of traffic between dozens of gadgets connected to the router goes without a hitch. In addition, there are useful features known to us from other TP-Link routers. So the Airtime Fairness feature equally distributes the channel between connected gadgets, preventing slow devices from slowing down the transmission of packets. In turn, Smart Connect allows you to hide different network ranges under one name, and the router will decide for itself which device to work with at what frequency. The question is, is it all worth the money? Probably not, but as we said at the beginning, you have to overpay for promising technologies.