Synology RT1900ac High Speed Wireless AC Router Review

Name: Synology RT1900ac Wireless AC Router
Brand: Synology

by Josh Norem — Thursday, March 24, 2016, 11:28 AM EDT

Introduction and Specs

You read the headline correctly – this is not a review of a Synology NAS, but instead a wireless router. If this sounds unusual to you, you are not alone. Synology is a Network-Attached Storage (NAS) company, or at least it used to be, as it's now taking all its networking expertise and jumping into the router market, and the black beauty you see below is its maiden attempt. Plainly named, the Synology RT1900ac Router, the company’s fledgling entry into this crowded market, is a dual-band AC unit. As you might have guessed, it’s capable of 1,900Mb/s of bandwidth across its 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, offering up to 600Mb/s on the 2.4GHz spectrum, 1,300Mb/s on the 5GHz spectrum and is 802.11ac compatible and compliant. It uses the second-gen Broadcom BCM58622 chipset, which sports a dual-core ARM Cortex A9 processor running at 1GHz, along with 4GB of flash and 256MB of on-board DDR3 memory.

Though that all sounds pretty good, but it's also basically the same level of performance you'd likely get from other AC routers, as many use similar chipset technology and comply to the same standards. However, Synology isn't looking to innovate in this market on the hardware side, but rather on the software side, as the company is offering its router with a totally new interface powered by its NAS software IP that's unlike anything we've ever seen before, for a router at least.

Just like its NAS units, the Synology Router comes with its own operating system named Synology Router Manager, or SRM for short. Though it runs in a browser window just like you've seen with other routers, it offers a level of control and granularity along with the ability to install add-ons that marks a first for the wireless router world.

Before we dive in, let's take a look at the specs.

Synology RT1900ac AC Wireless Router

Specifications & Features

WiFi Band	Simultaneous Dual-Band WiFi - 2.4GHz + 5GHz
Beamforming	Implicit & Explicit Beamforming for 2.4 & 5GHz bands
Ethernet Ports	Five (5) 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet ports: 1 WAN & 4 LAN
USB Ports	One (1) USB port: 1 USB 3.0
Key Features	Equipped with three powerful antennas and support for the latest 802.11ac wireless networking standard, Synology Router RT1900ac broadcasts both 2.4 and 5 GHz spectrums for combined data transfer speeds of up to 1900 Mbps . Traditional routers broadcast wireless signals in all directions, regardless of the position of your laptop or smartphone. With smart Beamforming technology, Synology Router RT1900ac focuses wireless signals toward up to six supported devices, reducing latency, economizing power consumption, and improving wireless range. Synology Router Manager (SRM) is the operating system that powers the Synology Router RT1900ac. With the friendly interface, it makes managing your network and Wi-Fi settings super simple, while delivering robust tools for power users and professionals. Powered by a deep packet inspection engine, Application Layer QoS (Quality of Service) lets you see how much bandwidth is consumed by individual applications and devices. If someone is hogging too much bandwidth on non-essential applications — like YouTube or Spotify — you can restrict the amount of bandwidth the device can use for the specific application, without affecting the bandwidth available for other applications. Add-on software packages available on Synology's Package Center. Transform your Synology Router RT1900ac into a personal VPN server, professional RADIUS authentication server, 24/7 download hub, multimedia library, or add other handy features for use at home or the office
Security	WEP, WPA/WPA2-Personal, WPA/WPA-2 Enterprise encryption, Mac filtering, SPI Firewall, DoS Protection, SSL certificate, Security Advisor.
Processor	Dual core 1GHz processor
Memory	256MB DDR3 DRAM
Physical Specs	Dimensions: 2.5 x 8.1 x 602in (66 x 206 x 160mm) - Weight: 1.12lb (.51kg)
Package Contents	RT1900AC Router 3x antenna Optional stand Ethernet cable Quick install guide Power adapter
Price	$149.99 currently on Amazon

As you can see, the specs are pretty typical for an AC router, though there are some interesting design decisions here in terms of hardware. First, it has just one USB 3.0 port, which is somewhat rare since most routers have one for external storage that is USB 3.0, and one for a printer that uses the slower USB 2.0 interface. We think it was a cost-cutting measure, but regardless you can only hook up one device. However, there is an SD card slot, which is something we've not seen on a router before, so that's a first and potentially even more useful. The thinking is you can put your SD Card in the slot and let everyone on its network access photos and video. With those two curious specs out of the way, let's take a closer look at this router...

In the box: Three antennae you attach manually, a "stand" that props up the router vertically, a CAT5 cable, and a power supply.

Back-side: Four Gigabit LAN ports, one Gigabit WAN port, as well as an on/off switch and power connector. The three antennae are removable.

The left-side has a button for WPS and a handy Wi-Fi on/off switch. Note the canted stance of the unit.

The right side shows off the SD card reader and lone USB port.

The front has green LEDs for connectivity and a handy Eject button for the USB port.

One aspect of the RT1900ac that might not come across in these photos is that the router is tiny. It's easily the smallest router we've ever had on our test bench, and looks positively miniscule compared to some of the over-the-top tri-band routers we just examined. It's only six inches deep and eight inches across, and weighs a scant 1.1lbs. It's rather cute.

But again, the hardware isn't the real story here, but instead the software. Like with its brethren Synology NAS, the RT1900ac includes a fully functional operating system with modules, the ability to download packages, application level QoS, parental controls, and overall granular control of almost every aspect of the router's performance. It's really quite an interesting approach to router management, and one we'll dive into on the following pages.

As far as pricing goes, the router is listed at Amazon for $149, making it competitive with other AC1900 routers, but much less expensive than tri-band AC3200 routers. It also includes a solid two-year warranty.

With the basics out of the way let's dive into how we got this puppy set up.