8.0
Linksys Hydra Professional 6
Like
Quick, constant Wi-Fi speeds
Help for 160MHz channels
Easy, unobtrusive design
Don’t love
A bit costly
Twin-band design not superb to be used in a mesh community
Does not help incoming wired speeds quicker than 1Gbps
For those who consider a Wi-Fi router in your thoughts, it in all probability seems to be loads just like the understated Linksys Hydra Professional 6 (mannequin MR5500). With an asking value of $200 — greater than you may pay for some multidevice mesh setups — the dual-band AX5400 Hydra Professional 6 may appear a bit overpriced, however there’s extra to this unassuming router than meets the attention.
Most notably, it cruised via my at-home pace assessments, with quicker common speeds than noteworthy high picks just like the budget-minded TP-Hyperlink Archer AX21 and the gaming-centric Asus RT-AX86U, the latter of which is without doubt one of the finest Wi-Fi 6 routers I’ve examined.
Couple that with the consistency of the Hydra Professional 6, which by no means as soon as faltered at vary, dropped my connection or routed me to the slower 2.4GHz band when it should not have, and also you’re taking a look at a reasonably tempting choose for medium-sized houses in want of a greater, quicker Wi-Fi sign. Although $200 would possibly seem to be loads to ask for it, you will not have to fret about any efficiency points with the Hydra Professional 6.
Design and specs
With a reputation like “Hydra Professional 6,” you would possibly count on that this Linksys mannequin would sport an ostentatious, design-forward construct just like routers just like the Batman-approved Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500, the spacey, spidery Asus GT-AXE11000 or the robotic, self-adjusting TP-Hyperlink Archer AXE200 Omni. It doesn’t.Â
As a substitute, the Hydra Professional 6 is only a black rectangle with two fold-up antennas within the again. That is all effectively and good if you happen to simply need a first rate router that will not take up an excessive amount of house or draw an excessive amount of consideration to itself, however if you happen to’re searching for one thing you possibly can showcase, the Hydra in all probability is not for you.
A dual-band AX5400 router with a 1GHz dual-core processor, the Hydra Professional 6 options full help for Wi-Fi 6 (that is what the “AX” half means), and high theoretical speeds of 574Mbps on the two.4GHz band and 4,804Mbps on the 5GHz band (add these as much as get the “5400” half). Flip the factor round and you will find the WAN port that you will hook up with your modem plus 4 spare Ethernet jacks within the again, all of which cap incoming wired speeds at a single gigabit per second. Which means that you will need one thing else with quicker jacks if you happen to’re planning to improve to a brand new, multi-gigabit web plan anytime quickly.
There is not a lot else of observe to the construct, nevertheless it’s value declaring that you should use the Hydra Professional 6 because the centerpiece of a mesh setup by including different appropriate Linksys gadgets to your community. As an example, if you happen to’re already utilizing one other Linksys gadget like that and seeking to improve, you could possibly swap within the Hydra Professional 6 and relocate the outdated router elsewhere in your house to be used as a mesh extender.
I would like that pitch a bit of higher if this had been a tri-band router we had been speaking about, as a dual-band mesh setup will not be capable of silo off the backhaul transmissions between satellite tv for pc gadgets on a separate band. That mentioned, we have seen dual-band mesh setups just like the Eero 6 Plus, Nest Wifi and Asus ZenWifi XD6 which have carried out completely effectively, so it is not a deal-breaker by any stretch.
App setup
The not too long ago refreshed Linksys app (pictured above) has a clear, easy-to-use interface and it does a superb job of guiding you thru the setup course of. As soon as it is up and operating, you should use the app to tweak community settings, toggle the parental controls or the visitor community or hold observe of linked gadgets. You may additionally take pleasure in automated in a single day firmware updates, which is nice.
That mentioned, nearly each different router in the marketplace comes with an app that does these very same issues. A variety of these options will do extra, just like the gaming-minded latency administration options within the Asus app or the flexibility to sync with Amazon for simplified good residence gadget setup in TP-Hyperlink’s Tether app. You will not discover distinctive options like these with the Linksys app, and you will find fewer superior networking controls, too. The app will not even allow you to flip off bandsteering to separate the two.4 and 5GHz bands into two separate networks.
It is largely a moot level if you happen to’re the kind of person who prefers a set-it-and-forget-it strategy to your router, however even if in case you have no need to mess along with your community settings, you may nonetheless seemingly need a extra strong set of controls for troubleshooting functions (even if you happen to’ll be handing the app over to somebody extra tech-savvy than your self).
Efficiency and speeds
Like each router I assessment, I examined the Hydra Professional 6 at my 1,300-square-foot residence in Louisville, Kentucky, the place I’ve a fiber web plan from AT&T. I not too long ago upgraded that plan to a gigabit connection after spending the previous few years testing with high speeds set at 300Mbps. Doing so provides me a a lot better take a look at the capabilities of every router I check, nevertheless it additionally signifies that I’ve fewer fashions to check it to, for the reason that outdated 300Mbps knowledge will not make for a good comparability.
To account for that, I examined the Hydra Professional 6 in opposition to a few high picks from my Wi-Fi router finest checklist — the budget-minded TP-Hyperlink Archer AX21 and the Asus RT-AX86U gaming router — plus a handful of different Wi-Fi 6 fashions I had readily available. Ultimately, the Hydra Professional 6 completed with each the quickest common obtain speeds all through my residence (536Mbps) and the quickest common uploads, too (467Mbps).Â
Amongst these different fashions, the Asus RT-AX86U (dual-band AX5700) and the TP-Hyperlink Archer AX73 (dual-band AX5400) supply the closest comparisons to the Hydra Professional 6. Linksys beat them each outright by way of common speeds, however maybe extra importantly, it was additionally probably the most constant of the three, as effectively. To see what I imply, go forward take a gander on the graphs above. Every dot in these graphs is the obtain pace throughout a single pace check, so that you need them to be as excessive up and as shut collectively as potential. The Hydra Professional 6 delivered, with tight pace ranges in every room I examined it in, and strong bandsteering that did not depart me on the slower 2.4GHz band when it should not have (simply take a look at the TP-Hyperlink graph for an instance of what that appears like — it is not fairly).
This was an particularly encouraging end result for Linksys, which hasn’t at all times introduced its bandsteering A-game to my pace assessments. A couple of years again, I examined and reviewed the Linksys MR7350, which is an analogous however much less highly effective model of the MR5500 reviewed right here. The bandsteering was terrible on that price range mannequin, with speeds collapsing throughout the board every time I would begin my connection removed from the router, at the back of the home. That wasn’t an issue in any respect this time round.
The decision
With spectacular speeds and efficiency, the Linksys Hydra Professional 6 is a compelling improve choose for anybody in search of a bit of extra oomph from their router. $200 is a bit excessive for it provided that you’ll find good tri-band and mesh fashions at that value, however catching it on sale for much less does not appear too difficult. On the very least, it is positively a great mannequin to bookmark forward of Black Friday and different prime gross sales durations.
With comparatively few noteworthy options and an easy-to-use however underwhelming app, the Hydra Professional 6 in all probability is not the very best match for intermediate and superior customers in search of deep controls over their community. However if you happen to’re in search of a quick, reliable router for somebody who does not wish to take into consideration their router an excessive amount of (if in any respect), give the Hydra Professional 6 an in depth look, as a result of the mix of pace, simplicity and consistency makes it robust to beat.