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Once the RT2600ac has finished booting – which takes a little while – you're led through a wizard setup process where you set up admin login and password plus the SSID and passphrase for the WiFi. You can also define special requirements from a list of ISPs. Then the router will configure everything for you and reboot.
Once you're into the admin interface, a good first port of call is the Control Panel message that leads you to the System section, which prompts you to update the firmware to the latest version. Owners of Synology NAS devices will find this interface very familiar, as it shares its design with them.
The Network Center provides a detailed view of the device's status. You can also configure the WiFi and Internet connections, as well as configure Port Forwarding to devices on the network.
The Parental Controls are very detailed and comprehensive, with custom policies for blocking client systems by time of day and day of week. There are three preset levels of protection against dangerous sites, or you set up your own custom block lists.
Detailed controls over Internet upload and download bandwidth are available via the Traffic Control menu.
Security options are comprehensive too. There are a lot of detailed settings available for the paranoid as well as the merely careful. These go from blocking iframe embedding and DoS protection to automatically blocking IP addresses that fail to log in properly a certain number of times.
Three Operation Modes are available – the default being Router. But you can also turn the RT2600ac into a Wireless AP or Repeater.
When you plug in a storage device, it shows up in the Storage section of the Control Panel. It can then be shared over a network as a Windows or Mac folder.
The Control Panel also provides facilities for adding user accounts and setting up a network printer share, although the latter seems to be for printers that already have network adapters, rather than printers attached to one of the USB ports.
One of the most popular features of Synology NAS devices also finds a parallel with the RT2600ac. The Package Center lets you install additional features to the device. These include more powerful VPN tools, a more potent Firewall, a cloud synchronisation app, DNS, client-free downloading, a media server, and a RADIUS server for more sophisticated corporate wireless security.
Overall, as with Synology NAS devices, the wealth of administration features and their extensibility via Packages make the RT2600ac very attractive for users who want more than just a bog-standard wireless router. This is definitely a big plus for this device. So next let's find out if there is solid performance to match the extensive configuration options.
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