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Are Synology Routers Being Quietly Abandoned
Is Synology Moving Away From Routers?
Synology is still best known for NAS hardware, DSM, backup software, private cloud storage, surveillance, and business data management, but its router range has always been an interesting side branch of the wider ecosystem and one that I have genuinely enjoyed reviewing. Products such as the RT2600ac, MR2200ac, WRX560 and RT6600ax appealed to users who liked the Synology software experience and wanted a router interface that felt closer to DSM than the usual consumer router web panel. SRM, or Synology Router Manager, gave users features such as Safe Access, Threat Prevention, VPN tools, mesh support, VLANs, firewall controls and relatively clean network management. For a while, that made Synology routers a sensible option for home users, families, home offices and smaller businesses that wanted more control without stepping fully into UniFi, MikroTik, pfSense or enterprise networking territory. However, with rising competitive options from UniFi that also raise the bar for hardware/software expectations AND troubling performance/stability reports appearing online by users, multiple times I have been asked by users “are Synology giving up on routers?”.
If it were just my own idle thoughts on the subject, I would not have made this article, but recently there has been a spate of posts online (several linked below) on this subject that range from references to unconfirmed conversations with Synology saying the router range is canned, to deeper discussions online about the performance of SRM (Synology router Manager) on the modestly powered current range of routers the brand offers:
| Recent Synology Reddit Posts for Example: |
In 2026, the question being asked by parts of the Synology community is whether the router range still has a meaningful future. This does not come from an official Synology statement saying the range is discontinued (and I can confirm that no-one at Synology has ever stated this to me – though the amount of Synology router hardware at tech events has diminished rapidly and stock levels outside of their official stores seems patchy). The concern is instead based on what users are seeing around the product line: older hardware, no WiFi 7 model, limited visible roadmap, and mesh products that feel increasingly dated compared with newer alternatives. Synology still publicly lists the RT6600ax and WRX560, and both remain WiFi 6/6e products rather than WiFi 7 replacements. The RT6600ax is listed as a tri-band WiFi 6 router with a 2.5GbE port, while the WRX560 is listed as a dual-band WiFi 6 router with a configurable 2.5GbE WAN/LAN port. It does seem oddly quiet when you consider the extent of availability of WiFi 7 routers in the market right now.
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Why Users Are Asking Questions About the Router Roadmap
The recent discussion on Reddit shows the problem clearly: users are not only asking whether Synology routers are still good today, but whether buying into the range now is sensible if there is no obvious next step. One user asked directly whether Synology is “sunsetting” its router family, pointing out that the RT6600ax is from 2022, that the MR2200ac mesh extender has become hard to find in some places, and that there has been no public sign of WiFi 7 hardware. That is the core issue. A router can continue to work well for existing owners, but new buyers are usually looking for some confidence that the platform will still be developed over the next few years.
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The discussion is also not entirely one-sided. Some users are still happy with Synology routers, especially those who value the firewall tools, Threat Prevention, Safe Access, VPN features and the familiar SRM interface. One user in the same Reddit discussion said their RT6600ax and older RT2600ac wired mesh setup had been “100% stable” with more than 50 devices, which shows that not every owner is unhappy or affected by the same problems. Others, however, are already recommending UniFi, MikroTik, Firewalla, ASUS or other alternatives, not always because Synology routers have stopped working, but because the range feels static. This is an important distinction for the article: the community concern is real, but it is still a mixture of user experience, market comparison and speculation rather than a confirmed end-of-life announcement.
Hardware Age, WiFi 7 and the Competitive Gap
The larger market has moved quickly since the RT6600ax and WRX560 arrived. WiFi 7 routers and access points are now widely available from several consumer and prosumer brands, and multi-gig networking is becoming more common in home and small business internet connections. That puts Synology in a slightly awkward position. The RT6600ax does include a 2.5GbE port, and the WRX560 also has a configurable 2.5GbE WAN/LAN port, but neither product provides the broader WiFi 7 and multi-gig direction that buyers may expect in 2026. For users with 1Gb internet and modest LAN needs, this may not matter much. For users with faster fibre, 2.5GbE switches, 10GbE NAS systems, or WiFi 7 client devices, it becomes much harder to justify investing in older WiFi 6 router hardware unless the price or software experience is especially compelling.
This is where Synology’s router range starts to look more exposed than its NAS range. In NAS, Synology can still lean heavily on DSM, Synology Drive, Hyper Backup, Active Backup, Surveillance Station, Snapshot Replication and long-term software familiarity. In routers, SRM is still a strength, but the hardware competition is more aggressive and refresh cycles matter more visibly. UniFi, ASUS, TP-Link, Netgear and others are fighting hard around WiFi 7, 2.5GbE, 10GbE, mesh, gateway appliances and app-based management. Synology does not need to match every one of those brands feature-for-feature, but the absence of any announced WiFi 7 router or updated mesh range makes the product family feel less active. That is not the same as proof of abandonment, but for buyers spending money today, perception matters.
SRM Support, Security Features and Reported WRX560 Problems
The software side is more complicated. Synology has not simply stopped updating SRM. Its official SRM release notes show SRM 1.3.2-9366 in 2026, and Synology’s Download Center for the RT6600ax still lists SRM 1.3 Series for the product. That matters, because it means “abandoned” would be too strong as a factual description. There is a big difference between a product line that is no longer moving quickly and a product line that has stopped receiving maintenance. Synology also still markets router features such as parental controls, web filtering, traffic control, threat prevention, VPN tools and network segmentation on current product pages.
At the same time, several user reports raise questions about whether the hardware resources in some Synology routers are enough for the full SRM feature set under real-world conditions. One detailed Reddit post from a WRX560 owner claimed that 2 WRX560 routers became unstable when running Safe Access and Threat Prevention, with diagnostic evidence pointing to RAM exhaustion and swap usage rather than CPU saturation. The post claims that CPU idle remained high, while available RAM dropped heavily and swap use increased, causing network instability and local device dropouts. The same user also stated that Synology Support confirmed there was no confirmed firmware fix or patch available to fully resolve the described behaviour, and that the suggested remedy was to disable marketed security features or reduce the number of connected devices. This remains a user report, not an independent lab test, but it is detailed enough that it should not simply be dismissed as a vague complaint.
No Official Discontinuation, But Confidence Is Clearly Being Tested
The strongest counterpoint is that there is still no public Synology announcement saying the router family has been retired. In fact, one Reddit thread discussing the topic was removed by moderators, with comments asking for proof and warning against unsupported claims. Several users in the discussion specifically asked where Synology had officially announced an exit from routers, and others pointed out that no such announcement had been found. That is why the wording here matters. It is fair to say that Synology’s router roadmap looks unclear. It is fair to say that users are questioning the future of the range. It is fair to say that the lack of WiFi 7 hardware is becoming harder to ignore. But it would not be fair to state that Synology has officially discontinued routers unless Synology confirms it.
There is also the SRM life cycle angle. Synology’s Software Life Cycle Policy lists SRM 1.3 as having reached general availability in April 2022, with the End of Maintenance Phase listed as December 2026 and the End of Extended Life Phase still “to be announced.” This does not automatically mean SRM is ending, because policies can be extended and new SRM versions can appear. However, in the absence of new router hardware or a clearly communicated SRM 1.4 direction, it adds to the uncertainty. For existing owners, this means the practical advice is not to panic if the router is stable and still receiving updates. For new buyers, the calculation is different. Buying into a router ecosystem is not just about whether the current product works today, but whether the platform looks active enough to support future devices, faster internet connections, newer WiFi standards and ongoing security expectations.
Overall, Synology’s router range appears to be in a holding pattern rather than an officially abandoned state. Existing RT6600ax, WRX560, RT2600ac and MR2200ac owners may still have stable, useful systems, especially if they are not pushing the routers hard with advanced traffic inspection and larger mesh environments. But for new buyers in 2026, the case is less comfortable than it used to be. The lack of WiFi 7 hardware, no clear public roadmap, ageing mesh options, user complaints around advanced SRM features, and stronger competition from UniFi, ASUS, MikroTik, Firewalla and others all make Synology networking harder to recommend without caveats. Until Synology either releases new router hardware or clearly explains where SRM and its router ecosystem are going next, the question is not whether Synology routers still work, but whether the company is still treating routers as an active long-term product line.
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