Conclusion:

The Synology RT1900ac AC1900 wireless Gigabit router is a great all in one networking device. The standard wireless router features are all there as you would expect, but the addition of the Synology SRM software is what make this an above average wireless router. I have enjoyed using Synology's embedded OS (DSM) on their NAS products for a few years now, and the SRM (Synology Router Manager) is fantastic as well. Synology always designs a great user interface that is easy to use, and packs a ton of features into it. Something else that is great is that Synology continually updates and upgrades their software, so in three years your device will stay current with the new features Synology develops.



If you already have a Synology NAS server, some of the Synology RT1900ac router's features are redundant. But if you don't have any networked storage yet, the Synology RT1900ac router is a perfect start. It performs pretty well for an all-in-one device and is very simple to get setup. If you do have a Synology NAS, you could offload some of the networking packages, (VPN Plus Server, DNS Server, Cloud Station Server, Download Station, or Radius Server) to the router and free up resources on your NAS. I would expect more of DSM's networking packages like Proxy Server to show up in the SRM's Package Center in the future.

The Synology RT1900ac router offers good wireless range and throughput on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands and it automatically steers itself to the least congested wireless channels to provide the best signal it can. The DS Router mobile app is great for viewing live performance and even tweaking the router configuration from inside or outside your network. The ability to add up to six devices to it's Beamforming feature should be enough for most homes and does provide better wireless speeds further away from the router. Synology has taken their NAS server technology and brought a piece to the networking industry. The fact that you can turn the Synology RT1900ac router into a media server is a great feature that I don't think any other router would do better.

If you are currently in the market for a router upgrade, the Synology RT1900ac router would be a great choice. It will set you back $149.99 when purchased from Amazon, which is a competitive price. There are many wireless routers in this range, but as a Synology customer for many years, it would be well worth it to me for the reliability, performance, and support.

For all it has to offer and its competitive price, the Synology RT1900ac AC1900 wireless Gigabit router earns the Bigbruin.com "Good Value" and "Highly Recommended" awards.



Pros:

» Good price for all-in-one network device
» Great wireless range and performance
» WAN Failover
» Great software/OS
» Ability to be used as Wireless Router, Wireless AP, or Wireless Client

Cons:

» Can be a little sluggish using many resource intensive features/packages
» DS Router mobile app cannot be used when WAN is not connected

Please drop by the Bigbruin.com Forum and feel free to post any comments or questions.