With Wi-Fi 6, the WLAN should transmit more smoothly. Five inexpensive routers showed what they can do and where there are still problems compared to a top-class device.

(Image: Andreas Martini)

If the WLAN can no longer keep up with the upgrade of the Internet connection, you have to use a new router and thus the current WLAN generation Wi-Fi 6 Near. We asked half a dozen devices into the laboratory, whereby we set two mandatory criteria for the selection: DFS and WPA3. A router in the 5 GHz band is only allowed to use all channels with Dynamic Frequency Selection – automatic channel change when radar is detected. This enables him to avoid neighboring WLANs better, which benefits the throughput of both networks.

The WPA3 WLAN encryption protects WLAN clients better than the old WPA2, including with Protected Management Frames (PMF ) and Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS). PMF prevents an attacker from logging clients with falsified control packages from the base and redirecting them to their own honeypot. PFS ensures that recorded encrypted traffic cannot be subsequently decrypted even if the WLAN password is known.

The tested routers should not exceed 200 cost euros and offer Wi-Fi-6-WLAN in both radio bands. Devices that could not handle DFS or WPA3 flew out of the test field again. First it hit the RAX 39 from Netgear. It could do DFS, but failed because of WPA3. In the version notes of the firmware 1.0.3 current at the start of the test. 88 we found: “This firmware version does not support OFDMA, WPA3, and Smart Connect.” In view of the OFDMA capability promised on the box, this can only be described as disappointing. The Edimax BR – 6473 AX and the TP-Link Archer AX 50 had to say goodbye because they lacked DFS and WPA3.

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