Linksys Hydra Pro 6E (AXE6600) review
Our Verdict
If you lot're interested in getting the speed benefits of Wi-Fi 6e but tin can't take the high price of competing routers, the Linksys Hydra Pro 6E delivers a more than economical (and lower performing) Wi-Fi 6e router.
For
- Mainstream WiFi 6e router
- Good speed boost over WiFi 6 devices
- Quick ready
- Includes aqueduct Finder and customization options
Confronting
- Not the fastest router around
- Express range
Tom'south Guide Verdict
If you're interested in getting the speed benefits of Wi-Fi 6e only can't take the high price of competing routers, the Linksys Hydra Pro 6E delivers a more economical (and lower performing) Wi-Fi 6e router.
Pros
- +
Mainstream WiFi 6e router
- +
Good speed boost over WiFi half dozen devices
- +
Quick set upward
- +
Includes aqueduct Finder and customization options
Cons
- -
Not the fastest router around
- -
Express range
Linksys Hydra Pro 6E: Specs
Wi-Fi Spec: AXE6600
Number of Antennas/Removable: 4/No
Ports: i WAN/4 LAN gigabit per second, USB 3
Processor/Retentivity/Storage: Quad-cadre one.8GHz/512MB/512MB
Wi-Fi flake: Qualcomm Networking Pro 810
Peak 802.11ac performance: one.96Gbps (at 15 feet)
Range: fourscore anxiety
Size: 11.0 x 6.vii x 2.4 inches
Estimated Almanac Electricity Cost: $11.fourscore
Cost: $500
Seeking to make Wi-Fi 6e routers more affordable and mainstream, the Linksys Hydra Pro 6E (aka MR7500) puts it all together just pales in terms of range and throughput next to the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500. However, it's a great way to take advantage of the router's ability to move information over the 2.four-, 5- and 6GHz bands, opening up new vistas of performance, and claiming a spot alongside the best Wi-Fi 6 routers. That is, if you lot have a computer or phone that tin accept advantage of Wi-Fi 6E's 6GHz ring, which remain few and far between.
It undercuts the RAXE500 past $100 on price and is non merely smaller and easier to hide, simply offers a slew of customization options that can permit you make the router fit your domicile and its users. In other words, it may non be the fastest or longest reaching router, but the Hydra 6E is Wi-Fi 6E for the residuum of u.s.a..
Linksys Hydra Pro 6E review: Pricing and availability
The second Wi-Fi 6e router that we've seen, the Linksys Hydra Pro 6E (model number MR7500) seeks to balance extra performance with price, making it a high-performance router that puts the emphasis on value. It has a list price of $499 merely can exist had for as little as $349. Information technology'due south a bargain that easily undersells the Nighthawk RAXE500 router.
It comes ready to create a powerful dwelling house network with the Hydra 6E'due south Air conditioning adapter, a Cat 6 cable and a Setup Guide card that'due south enough to go going.
Linksys Hydra Pro 6E review: Pattern
The all black Linksys Hydra Pro 6E tin can blend in to just almost whatever d̩cor and hide in evidently sight on a bookcase or windowsill simply has soft rubber feet besides as inserts for hanging on a wall. The router measures xi.0 x 6.seven ten 2.4 inches Рabout half the size of Netgear'south iconic bat-winged Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 router. Information technology's easy to rotate the antennas but they heighten the router's top by four-inches.
The unabridged top of the instance is riddled with vents so that you lot can merely about see the router's components inside. While the Hydra 6E lacks the RAXE500'due south cooling fan information technology never got above 118 degrees Fahrenheit – 6 degrees warmer than the RAXE500'due south peak temperature.
As the start 2 Wi-Fi 6E routers, the RAXE500 and Hydra Pro 6E add together a 6GHz band to the traditional 2.4- and 5GHz bands. The Hydra Pro 6E's triband blueprint tin more than than double the router'due south data carrying chapters compared to a Wi-Fi 6 (802.11AX) device with six extra 160MHz ultra-wide data channels at its disposal in the 6GHz band. Look for WiFi 6E mesh routers that use a quad-band design in the coming months but there are just a handful of devices bachelor that can accept total reward of the 6GHz transmissions.
Linksys engineers based the Hydra Pro 6E'south design on Qualcomm's Networking Pro 810 chipset, not the more capable and expensive 1210 chipset. This was done for economic system and shows up with lower overall operation. With a rated peak throughput of 6.6Gbps, the 2.4-, five- and vi-GHz bands are rated to move 600, ane,201, and 4,804 Mbps, respectively. By contrast, the RAXE500 tin handle a maximum of x.8Gbps.
Under the pare, the Hydro Pro 6E has a quad-cadre processor that runs at 1.8GHz and is stocked with 512MB of RAM as well equally 512MB of flash to hold its firmware and settings. Information technology checks all the boxes for an upwards-to-engagement router, including MU-MIMO, beamforming and 1024QAM operations. The router's 8 individual information streams can service up to 55 devices and Linksys rates its coverage area equally two,700 square feet.
The Hydra Pro 6E may exist a mainstream router, but it has several high-operation tricks up its sleeve. Its 5Gbps WAN input port can help gamers seeking to rule the universe and can run circles effectually the Nighthawk RAXE500's 2.5Gbps input – that is, if your broadband provider and hardware can back up it. The router can also be used as role of a Velop mesh system using Linksys' Intelligent Mesh software.
In that location are iv downstream 1Gbps wired Ethernet ports, although none of them can be aggregated for extra performance. The Hydra 6E'south USB 3.0 connector tin brand the contents of an external difficult drive available on the network.
Forth the back is an on/off switch, the router's ability port and a recessed reset button while the router's side has a WPS push button for tapping into the Wi-Fi Protected Setup to quickly add devices. Unlike other recent routers, the Hydra Pro 6E has a restrained appearance with a single LED bar that glows Blue (when it's online), Purple (during setup) and Red (when offline).
Linksys Hydra Pro 6E review: Performance
The key to the Hydra Pro 6E'due south performance is its add-on of the 6GHz band to the expected 2.iv- and 5GHz ones. To exam the router's functioning I used Ixia'south ixChariot'south network simulation software to create a busy network that simulated x data-hungry users. The setup included a Samsung Galaxy Book Pro exam estimator running Windows 11 to gauge its performance potential.
At a distance of 15-feet, it yielded one.064Gbps over the 6GHz ring too as 772.0Mbps and 122.7Mbps over the 5GHz and ii.4GHz bands. That adds upwardly to a total potential throughput of 1.958Gbps, 20 percent off the RAXE500 (2.390Gbps), which was tested using a Samsung Galaxy S21 phone. Still, information technology tops the all-time Wi-Fi 6 routers, similar the Netgear Nighthawk AX8 (1.389Gbps), Asus AX-RT86U (929.7Mbps) and the TP-Link Archer AX6000 (884.4Mbps).
With the three bands consolidated into a single network name and 50-feet separating the Hydra Pro 6E from the test arrangement, the router moved 120.4Mbps. That'southward behind the Netgear RAXE500 (215.8Mbps) every bit well as several older routers, like TP-Link Archer AX6000'southward 396.4Mbps and the Netgear Nighthawk AX8's 277.1Mbps.
At 75-feet, the Hydra Pro 6E's available bandwidth dropped to 37.0Mbps, less than a quarter of the Netgear RAXE500 (148.6Mbps). The Hydra Pro 6E had a range of fourscore-feet, 30 pct lower than the Netgear RAXE500'southward 105-feet. Information technology clearly worked better at short range than over long distances.
The Hydra Pro 6E made up much of the difference when it came to pushing a Wi-Fi signal through walls and floors in my 100-year old abode. With the test notebook fix 20-feet and a wall away from the router, information technology yielded an even one.000Gbps, less than the 1.137Gbps that the RAXE500 delivered but impressive, nonetheless.
While the Netgear RAXE500 pushed 851.0Mbps upwardly a floor into a sleeping accommodation from the host router, the Hydra Pro 6E fell behind at 620.1Mbps, a 37 per centum deficit. Here, the Hydra Pro 6E was more on a par with the Wi-Fi six oversupply with the TP-Link Archer AX6000 (671.4Mbps) and the Netgear Nighthawk AX8 (629.5Mbps). With that in heed, information technology might be better used in a long ranch house than a more than vertical townhouse.
Over a month of daily use, the router passed the informal saturation exam where I sent and received email, moved files back and along with a RAID server while watching videos and playing online music and an Cyberspace radio station on four dissimilar systems. Forth the manner, the Hydra Pro 6E consumed 10.iv watts of power, about i-third less than the Netgear RAXE500'due south 15.4 watts. The Hydra Pro 6E, however, lacks the Netgear's sleep mode to reduce power consumption when it's idle. All told, the Hydra Pro 6E should cost an estimated $11.80 a year to use if you pay the national boilerplate of 13 cents per kilowatt hour. That'southward slightly less than the Netgear RAXE500's $thirteen.70 but a lot compared to the Wi-Fi 6-based Linksys Max Stream MR9600's $half-dozen.eighty.
Linksys Hydra Pro 6E review: Setup
To get started with the Linksys Hydra Pro 6E, I installed the Linksys iOS app on my iPad Pro. I could have used the Android app or a connected browser, although Linksys recommends the browser approach for experienced networkers.
I started by tapping on "Gear up New Wi-Fi Network" and then agreeing to turn on the tablet's Bluetooth radio. Next, I picked the type of gear I had, plugged the router in and continued it to my broadband router.
Equally it got going, the app showed router placement tips for best performance. Later the Hydra Pro 6E continued to the Internet, the router's LED bar blinked purple.
Next, I needed to create a Linskys account and allow the company to link the business relationship and router. And then, I added the router's network proper name and password.
Later on I named where the router will live, I was done. The router connected on the first try. It was easier than setting up the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500 and took all of 7 minutes to reach.
Linksys Hydra Pro 6E review: Configuration
Like many of its competitors, Linksys provides two ways to configure and customize its Hydra Pro 6E router: through the app or via a continued browser. The quondam is easy and visual while the latter provides several extra options.
To view the electric current ready and make changes, I connected to the router, typed "LinskysSmartWiFi" into the address window and and so logged in. The router's dashboard folio had a visual map of the Internet, router and my connected device. There are also sections that show the router'due south iii networks, which can be individually named, equally well as places to show how many devices are online as well equally the Guest Network'due south status.
The router's Wi-Fi Settings department is where I was able to change the network names and passwords for each of the Hydra Pro 6E'south transmission bands. Along the top are tabs for MAC filtering and Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) details. The Advanced tab offers a good corporeality of customization potential, with the ability to adjust the airtime fairness, client steering and node steering.
I found the Hydra 6E's Channel Finder to exist a large aid in picking a fast lane for data. Located in the Advanced Wi-Fi Settings section, it scanned the Wi-Fi mural and found the channels that were the least crowded and less prone to interference.
At the bottom is the identify where you can take advantage of the router's Quality of Service (QOS) settings to set priorities for the data menstruation. By dragging upwards to three devices, I was able to allow them to get showtime dibs on the router's data.
On the other hand, the Hydra Pro 6E lacks the flexibility to adjust the RTS Threshold but it's easy to change the Fragmentation Length, option between the long or short Preamble and change the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) to adapt the operating atmospheric condition.
The Hydra Pro 6E lacks the security enhancements of Netgear's Armor or TP-Link's HomeCare, only information technology does come with parental controls that tin can limit Internet access time and block specific websites. It tin also crave the use of two-factor authentication.
Finally, Linksys includes a year of warranty protection and support. The back up pages include assist with logging in, solving mutual Wi-Fi problems and some assistance with advanced configurations. By contrast, Netgear matches the warranty length simply includes just 3 months of support.
Linksys Hydra Pro 6E review: Verdict
The Linksys Hydra Pro 6E makes loftier operation Wi-Fi 6E networking affordable with a mainstream router that pours out the power up close. Information technology may not exist the fastest router around or provide the greatest range, but the Hydra Pro 6E offers a quick setup, while delivering a pregnant speed upgrade over Wi-Fi 6 routers. All-time notwithstanding, the Aqueduct Finder applied science scans the surface area to make the all-time use of the available spectrum.
The Linksys Hydra Pro 6E costs $100 less than the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500, simply falls short in nigh operation areas. It remains a less expensive way to take advantage of the improver of 6GHz transmissions, pushing the Hydra Pro 6E into a new performance realm.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/linksys-hydra-pro-6e
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