At CES 2022 today, Linksys announced the Hydra Pro 6 Wi-Fi 6 router with a list price of $299. This is considerably less expensive than the $499 Linksys Hydra Pro 6E launched just a few months ago.

The Hydra Pro 6 does not have Wi-Fi 6e, so it has less throughput than its more expensive sibling; this may not be a problem yet, as few devices can handle the 6 GHz band that Wi-Fi 6e uses, but many more will be available in the next few years. However, many devices will become available in the next few years.

Its specs are solid but modest: the Hydra Pro 6 delivers up to 5.4 Gbps throughput in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, has two fixed antennas, can connect up to 30 devices at once in a 2,700 square foot area, and offers guest networking. On the back, there are four LAN Ethernet ports, one WAN port, and one USB port, but specifications for Ethernet connectivity are not yet known.

On the software side, the Linksys Hydra Pro 6 supports the new WPA3 secure connection standard, comes with parental controls, and can automatically update its firmware. the CPU is a Qualcomm Immersive Home 216 chip set, which enables up to six simultaneous streams.

Linksys already offers at least two Wi-Fi 6 routers besides the Hydra Pro model. The entry-level Linksys MR7350 is even smaller than the Hydra Pro 6 and costs about $80, but has a smaller range (1,700 square feet) and uses a cheaper MediaTek CPU. [However, the real competitor to the Hydra Pro 6 is Linksys' own Max Stream MR9600, which has about the same range and throughput as the Hydra Pro 6 while having four antennas and a faster Broadcom CPU. The Max Stream MR9600 has a list price of $ 399, but since it has been on the market for about a year, it is available for about $300.

The Hydra Pro 6 can be ordered on the Linksys website today, and the company says it will be in stock soon at major retailers; we look forward to reviewing how the Hydra Pro 6 compares to Linksys' other Wi-Fi 6 products.