The new Linksys Hydra Pro 6 is a good choice for anyone looking to purchase one of the top wireless routers without taking out a second mortgage. It has taken some time for the pricing of Wi-Fi routers to drop to more reasonable levels. Although it is still quite expensive for a dual-band router, it puts in a lot of effort to pay for itself.
With a peak speed of 5.4Gbps, it is still far quicker than the majority of routers that support Wi-Fi 5 (also known as 802.11ac), while also offering other Wi-Fi 6 advantages, such as increased efficiency when sending data to many devices simultaneously.
The Linksys Hydra Pro 6 router may not be the fastest or most secure model on the market, but it is portable and simple to set up. The router’s Wi-Fi 6 architecture offers just enough customization options to satisfy your family’s digital requirements. Additionally, it may function as the hub of a mesh network and access an ultra-wide 160MHz data channel for users that need a lot of data.
The router doesn’t include high-end features like multi-gig inputs, port aggregation, or any additional security software, while having a fair throughput and good range. Many rival products offer better performance for less money, making this router one of the priciest in its class. You may use our Linksys Hydra Pro 6 review to determine whether or not this WiFi router is the best option for your house.
Linksys Hydra Pro 6 review: Design and specs
With a name like “Hydra Pro 6,” you might anticipate that this Linksys device would have an extravagant, design-forward construction like routers like the Batman-approved Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500, the ethereal, spidery Asus GT-AXE11000, or the mechanical, self-adjusting TP-Link Archer AXE200 Omni. There isn’t.
The Hydra Pro 6 is a simple, all-black rectangle with two retractable antennas on the back. The Hydra is probably not for you if you’re looking for something to show off, but it’s OK if you just want a good router that won’t take up too much room or attract too much notice. The Hydra Pro 6 is a dual-band AX5400 router that has a 1GHz dual-core processor, complete compatibility for Wi-Fi 6, and top theoretical speeds of 574Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 4,804Mbps on the 5GHz band.
The WAN connector, which you’ll use to connect to your modem, and four other Ethernet ports are located at the rear of the device. All of these connections have a limit of one gigabit per second for incoming wired speeds. Therefore, if you intend to switch to a new, multi-gigabit internet plan any time soon, you’ll need something else with speedier jacks.
There isn’t much more of note about the build, but it’s important to note that by connecting additional compatible Linksys devices to your network, you can utilize the Hydra Pro 6 as the hub of a mesh arrangement. For instance, if you already have a Linksys device of that type and want to upgrade, you may replace it with the Hydra Pro 6 and move the older router to a different location in your house so that it can be used as a mesh extender.
Linksys Hydra Pro 6 review: Ports
Although the Linksys Hydra 6’s port selection isn’t the largest we’ve ever seen, it’s far from being inadequate. There are four wired ethernet ports, one ethernet WAN port for your modem, a barrel power jack, and a USB-A port for setting up an instant file server. The device’s steady range is supposedly due to two large antennas. According to Linksys, the Hydra 6 can provide a reliable connection throughout a 2,500 square foot home. One status light is visible on the front.
Linksys Hydra Pro 6 review: Performance
The Linksys Hydra Pro 6 was dependable but had some dead spots after a few weeks of daily use and performance testing using IxChariot’s network simulation benchmark in my 3,500 square foot home. A mesh node or two would have likely been beneficial to add. The Hydra Pro 6 was 15 feet away from our test system, yet it still managed to achieve 840.6 Mbps of throughput. That’s around 40% slower than the Netgear Nighthawk RAX50’s 1.38Gbps speed and ranks second best when compared to the 888.2Mbps of the TP-Link AX6000 and the 929.7Mbps of the Asus RT-AX86U under identical circumstances.
The Hydra Pro 6’s throughput decreased to 329.4Mbps at 50 feet, but it was still sufficient to outperform the RT-AX86U and the Nighthawk RAX50, both of which had speeds of 133.2Mbps (at 285.3Mbps). The TP-Link AX6000, on the other hand, took the lead at this distance with a bandwidth capacity of 396.7Mbps. The Hydra Pro 6’s throughput decreased to 123.1Mbps when we moved the receiving station to 75 feet. That puts it well behind the RT-250.1Mbps AX86U’s and far ahead of the Nighthawk RAX50’s trickle of 9.8Mbps.
The Hydra Pro 6 won the long-distance competition with a distance of 90 feet between the router and receiving system. It produced a powerful 44.3Mbps. The RAX50 was inoperative and the RT-AX86U produced merely 7.4Mbps at the same distance. With a range of 95 feet, the Hydra Pro 6 was comparable to the RT-AX86U but fell short of the Netgear Nighthawk XR1000’s 100 feet.
Linksys Hydra Pro 6 review: Features
The Hydra Pro 6E features a gloomy black design with a menacing blue LED up front, giving it a somewhat protruding wedge-shaped appearance. Each Ethernet port features link and activity LEDs at the back, and the USB port even has a light. The unit has a footprint of 280 x 170mm, which is substantial size even though it is not enormous. This is a serious piece of networking hardware; forget designer chic.
The Linksys mobile app makes setup incredibly simple. You only need to provide a network name and passphrase because your phone uses Bluetooth to detect the router. The app then serves as your primary administrative interface from which you can set up IP address configurations and complex Wi-Fi options, such as whether you want to broadcast all three radio bands under a single SSID and allow the client and router choose the connection that works best for them.
Linksys Hydra Pro 6 review: Connectivity
It includes nice wired networking connectors along the back, four wired outputs, and a broadband WAN input, however they are all limited to 1Gbps. In contrast, the Asus RT-AX86U has a faster 2.5Gbps input. Furthermore, unlike the Nighthawk RAX50, none of the downstream ports may be combined via port aggregation. A flash drive can be connected to the USB 3.0 port on the Hydra Pro 6 for network access. You can see our review of the Linksys Hydra Pro 6 here as well.
Its data can, thankfully, be password-protected. The Hydra Pro 6 has a power port for use with the included AC adapter, an on/off switch, reset buttons, and a Wireless Protected Setup (WPS) button for quickly attaching devices. Like other Wi-Fi 6 routers, the Hydra Pro 6 has a guest network and supports WPA3 encryption. The fact that it lacks extra security software, such as Netgear’s Armor, to thwart network hackers and identity thieves, however, makes it fall short.
Linksys Hydra Pro 6 review: Pricing and availability
The Linksys Hydra Pro 6 is currently on sale in the UK for about £180. Surprisingly, the cost is $300 higher in the US. The Hydra Pro 6 has a webpage on Linksys’ UK website, but you can’t purchase it there. Hydra Pro 6 is instead available from Ballicom for £194, Broadband Buyer for £197, eBuyer (out of stock), or Amazon UK for £125. The logical location to buy one is therefore Amazon. The Hydra Pro 6 is available straight from Linksys in the US, where it is ordinarily $299.99 but was $249.99 when we reviewed the router in May 2022.
Conclusion
The Linksys Hydra Pro 6 gets close to a high-performance or gaming router, although lacking many of the luxuries of those devices thanks to its access to 160MHz data channels and a variety of customization options. Even though it lacks multi-gig inputs and an additional layer of protection, this router is a standard model that should work in the majority of homes. Unfortunately, it is more expensive than a high-end router that offers more options and faster internet rates.
