At a look
Knowledgeable’s Ranking
Professionals
- Excessive peak speeds
- Loads of wired community ports
- Simple to make use of app
Cons
- Few further options
- Robust administration
Our Verdict
Regardless of the title change, this is identical acquainted Velop mesh we’ve seen earlier than. The Atlas 6 Professional is quick, straightforward to make use of and trendy. Vary is suitable, however there are techniques that cowl bigger areas higher. Nevertheless, it is extremely reasonably priced and in the event you don’t must unfold out the nodes too far, it’s a superb purchase, particularly the two-unit package deal, which could be very reasonably priced.
Worth When Reviewed
$298.99
Greatest Costs Right now: Linksys Atlas Professional 6 MX5502 (2-pack)
Linksys Velop routers have been a well-known sight ever since dwelling mesh techniques turned frequent. They’ve just about seemed the identical for years. Simply recognisable slim, sq. towers in white, with dependable efficiency and infrequently good worth for cash. And never lots adjustments with the producer’s newest Wi-Fi 6-based mesh package deal. Apart from the title. Linksys now differentiates its cheaper dual-band techniques as ‘Atlas’ reserving Velop for the pricier tri-band ones. So on the Atlas Professional 6 you’ll see they’re “powered by Velop”.
This package deal known as Atlas Professional 6, the place 6 stands for Wi-Fi 6, as that’s the Wi-Fi commonplace it’s primarily based on. Linksys has at the very least one Wi-Fi 6E mesh system – the Velop Professional 6E, however that’s costlier.
The Atlas Professional 6 is offered in one-, two- and three-packs. We now have examined each the biggest package deal and a two-pack. Externally, there’s nothing important that distinguishes them from earlier Velop items.
Options & design
It’s the identical tall, slim design of sq. white towers with a flat high that has holes for warmth dissipation and a standing LED. On the again are 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports, certainly one of which is for web entry. The three units within the package deal are similar – the one you join first turns into the central router.
On the opposite two, the wan port isn’t used, so that you get 4 Ethernet ports to attach devices to. That is very beneficiant for a mesh system, particularly one which isn’t tremendous costly. If you wish to run Ethernet backhaul – which suggests to attach an Ethernet cable between the nodes in order that they don’t have to speak to one another utilizing Wi_Fi – then you definately join the cable to the WAN port on these nodes.
Being an Altas system means dual-band Wi-Fi – one 2.4GHz band and one 5GHz. Backhaul communication between the nodes shares the 5GHz band. On the two.4 GHz band, you get a theoretical most velocity of 574Mbps. Happily, there’s much more bandwidth accessible on 5GHz, with a capability of as much as 4.8Gbps. The truth that you may get such a strong two-unit system for this worth is exceptional. Most such low cost Wi-Fi 6 techniques have 2.4- or 1.8Gbps capability at 5GHz.
What this implies is that the Atlas Professional 6 can simply deal with a number of mesh nodes and lots of customers streaming excessive definition content material, looking and downloading knowledge on the similar time, so long as the sign is powerful.
Set up and settings are finest achieved with the Linksys cellular app for Android or iOS. Actually, we needed to look actually laborious to determine that the router additionally has an internet interface: it’s apparent that it’s supposed to be managed by way of cellular. There are not any further capabilities within the internet interface, however some detailed settings for Wi-Fi and particularly the firewall are right here, which you can’t entry from the app.
One purpose for the cheaper price is a really primary characteristic set. You’ll be able to arrange a easy visitor community, you get parental controls with a looking schedule for linked units, solely a guide blacklist for URLs to dam, and a QoS characteristic so you possibly can prioritise giving further bandwidth to a handful of computer systems or cellular units. That’s it. With out USB ports, you don’t get any file server or printer sharing performance, different varieties of capabilities, reminiscent of a VPN server, you’ll additionally should do with out.
Setup is easy. With Bluetooth built-in into every node, each is definitely detected by the app and most issues are achieved routinely. Linksys requires you register for an account to make use of the system, however utilizing this you then get entry to distant administration, which may be helpful whenever you’re not at dwelling.
Not like some mesh techniques, you will have a little bit of persistence with the Atlas Professional 6. There are a few steps the place every node is “initialised” and “optimised” with a number of minutes of ready time. That is one thing that then turns into a typical theme with the administration basically. The app is neat and easy, however there may be lengthy ready occasions for seeming merely issues like checking the standing of the nodes or altering router settings, which is annoying.
Thomas Newton / Foundry
Efficiency
SSIDs for the two.4- and 5GHz bands are merged by default, and the router itself chooses the right way to join units. The system appears to tend to relegate many units to 2.4GHz that we might quite have on 5GHz, together with laptops, desktops and cellular units. It’s potential to set them up individually, however for that it’s important to enter the online interface, not the app. It’s additionally a reasonably hidden setting.
Nevertheless, the Atlas 6 Professional’s efficiency in the end makes up for many of its foibles. The highest velocity is superb. With assist for 160MHz channel width, it’s potential to get near gigabit velocity when utilizing a tool with Wi-Fi 6 or 6E, as long as it has 2 x 2 MIMO assist. I noticed a peak velocity of 910Mbps in the identical room as the principle node, and nonetheless received above 700Mbps in an adjoining room. The efficiency loss when linked by way of one of many different nodes is marginal.
The vary per node isn’t the best, however remains to be acceptable. The perfect Wi-Fi 6 techniques we’ve examined let you place nodes at a distance of round 25 metres together with partitions in the best way to realize a minimal of 200Mbps. With the Atlas Professional 6, I used to be capable of place them as much as 20 metres aside in my take a look at dwelling earlier than speeds dropped to that determine. This implies you might want to put the nodes nearer collectively for a similar minimal velocity, or accept a decrease high velocity, besides close to the principle router.
Mattias Inghe
It’s not an enormous downside, and don’t overlook you should buy extra modes as wanted. A two-pack of the Atlas Professional 6 remains to be greater than sufficient for Wi-Fi protection in a big condo or small home. However in a big home, or one with thick inside partitions, it could be smart to go for the three pack and even two two-packs.
If Linksys might regulate issues barely in order that extra shoppers are assigned to the 5GHz band when in merged mode, I’d love the Atlas Professional 6 much more. When you’re prepared to separate the SSIDs to make sure your units are linked to 5GHz, although, it’s an excellent finances Wi-Fi 6 mesh system.
Worth & availability
The Atlas 6 Professional begins at $299 / £249 for a two-pack. That’s good for 5400 sq. toes / 500m² and for 60+ units. You should buy them from Amazon US and Amazon UK.
You may get a 3 pack (8100 sq. toes / 750²) for $399 from Amazon US or £365 from Amazon UK, however the advisable costs are $599.99 / £499.99.
You too can purchase single nodes for round $130 / £135 every, supposed for including to the techniques above, quite than utilizing on their very own (though they could possibly be in the event you actually needed to).
A less expensive possibility is the Atlas 6, an AX3000 system. It’s a lot the identical because the Atlas 6 Professional however with barely decrease speeds and protection, however for a cheaper price.
For options, see our roundup of the very best mesh Wi-Fi techniques.
Specs
Product title: Atlas Professional 6 MX5502/MX5503
Wi-Fi sort: Wi-Fi 6, MU-MIMO 2×2
Frequency band: 2.4 + 5 GHz
Wi-Fi capability: 574 + 4802 Mbps (theoretical)
Safety: WPA2, WPA3, WPS
Connections per node: 3 Gigabit WAN, 1st Gigabit LAN
Admin interface: App, internet
Distant administration: Sure, by way of app
Different options: Visitor community, parental management, QoS.
Dimensions: 86 x 86 x 284 mm
This evaluation initially appeared in Swedish on PC for Alla.