Datto is a cloud-based RMM software provider founded in 2007. Built for MSPs, the platform has more than 1 million users in 20+ locations. Datto was acquired by Kaseya in April 2022 for a whopping $6.2 billion. However, to this day, Datto RMM exists as an independent RMM product, catering to MSPs all around the world.

Datto aims to simplify remote endpoint management. You can automate patch management through pre-made and customizable scripts. The platform is also well-known for its integrations, especially Microsoft 365 Management, which allows MSPs to monitor the endpoint’s Microsoft suite from a single dashboard. Plus, it’s the only RMM platform that comes with native ransomware detection tools.

With that said, there are a few downsides as well. For starters, it’s very secretive about its pricing – you’ll have to get a custom quote if you want to purchase a plan. What's more, patch management only works on Windows endpoints, meaning you’ll have to employ a workaround for macOS. Read on to find out everything about Datto, including whether it's ideal for your requirements.

Datto: Plans and pricing

Datto RMM offers custom pricing, which means you’ll have to contact their sales team with your requirements for a customized quote. This means you’ll be able to get a highly tailored deal ideal for your needs. 

However, this can be a time-consuming process – you’ll first have to explain your requirements and then negotiate with them to arrive at a workable deal. Plus, even after spending so much time, it's hard to guarantee that you’ll be satisfied with the pricing you get. 

For this reason, we believe that it's better to know upfront how much you’d be paying so that you can make a quick decision. However, this is indeed a subjective matter, and companies may just as well like Datto’s custom pricing.

Datto: Features

One of the standouts about Datto is that it’s the only RMM where you get native Microsoft 365 Management, which helps you administer your Microsoft 365 tasks through a single-user management platform. 

Once you connect an endpoint, you get a dedicated Microsoft 365 menu and a comprehensive overview for each client. Plus, you can seamlessly navigate to the various Microsoft client portals for each endpoint.

Like other RMM software, Datto also supports automated patch management for operating systems and third-party applications, such as Google Chrome, Oracle Java, and Adobe Acrobat.

Its advanced Software Management gives technicians access to more than 200 additional applications, ensuring a wide range of third-party patching. Furthermore, you can set flexible parameters to deliver patches to all your endpoints.

Datto also allows technicians to set up policy-based patch approvals along with device-level compliance reporting. We liked that there’s an extensive library of pre-designed scripts and policies so that you don’t have to build one from scratch.

One downside is that Datto does not inherently support macOS patch management. For that, you’ll have to download “Install Updates with SUPER [MAC]” – a ComStore component. ComStore is a page with data scripts, installers, and device monitors, which are collectively called components.

With that said, however, Datto RMM goes a step ahead of traditional patch management and offers native ransomware detection. In fact, Datto is one of the few RMM software to do so.

Sure, patched antivirus helps you detect all kinds of digital threats. However, it’s always good to have an extra layer of protection, which is exactly what Datto RMM does. The platform uses behavioral analysis to detect ransomware on connected endpoints and send alerts to MSPs so that they can take preventive steps in time.

Datto also isolates the infected device from the network so that the ransomware does not spread through other client devices. This helps businesses reduce downtime and losses from ransomware.

MSPs often use dedicated network scanning platforms to configure all points and devices in a particular client site. However, Datto comes with built-in network topology mapping that gives technicians a detailed tree-style map of all discovered components. This ensures that no device is accidentally left unmonitored.

Datto: Interface and performance

Datto RMM offers a graphics-oriented dashboard that helps you grasp the status of all your endpoints at a single glance. You get a total of 3 dashboard options: blank dashboard, default dashboard, and Datto EDR & Security dashboard. 

The blank dashboard, as the name suggests, is just like a blank piece of paper, where you can add as many widgets as you want from Datto’s widget library. You get 28 widget options to choose from, with various graphs such as line, doughnut, table, and tree map.

The default dashboard comes with widgets like antivirus status, Windows patch status, open alerts, offline devices, and recent alerts. Needless to say, you can customize the board the way you want.

Lastly, the Datto EDR & Security dashboard focuses on the security aspect of connected endpoints. You get information about security threats, ransomware status, and Windows Defender status of all the devices.

Overall, we like the information-oriented approach by Datto, and unlike other RMM software, you get a lot more control with the dashboards.

Datto: Security

Datto RMM employs several security protocols to ensure all its users and their data are safe. For instance, it uses industry-standard AES-256 encryption to encrypt all the data on its platform. Users are required to set strong 9-character passwords, which expire every 30, 60, or 90 days (optional), for added security.

Besides this, you can also enable two-factor authentication and use one-time passwords to add an extra layer of protection.

The good news keeps coming as the platform is hosted on a separate AWS Account with no shared access, which is housed in nondescript facilities. AWS also complies with several certifications and attestations, such as SAS70 Type II, PCI DSS Level 1, ISO 27001, and FISMA.

Apart from this, Datto conducts regular penetration testing in partnership with approved authorities to ensure that there are no exploitable vulnerabilities in their systems.

Overall, Datto takes online security as seriously as a top-notch company should and leaves no stone unturned to ensure its users and partners have a safe experience.

Datto: Support

Datto RMM offers 24/7/365 support through various channels such as live chat, call, and email tickets. What we liked the most is that it has dedicated phone numbers for various regions and countries with more than 500 support team members worldwide. This ensures that users get priority support with quick response times. 

The platform also authenticates every single user and ensures that the information submitted in the ticket is private and protected.

Additionally, we found a lot of documentation, help articles, official YouTube videos, and troubleshooting guides from Datto that will sort out common queries. Plus, Kaseya’s active peer-to-peer community ensures that there’s always someone to help you out immediately.

Datto: Final verdict

Datto is a well-known remote management solution crafted specifically for MSPs. Founded in 2007, Datto is super secure and is the only RMM solution that offers native ransomware detection. It alerts the technicians if it finds traces of ransomware on any system and even isolates it from the rest of the network. 

Much like other RMMs around, it allows you to automate patch management for your client. However, what we liked the most is that it gives technicians access to more than 200 third-party applications, making it one of the best RMMs for third-party patching. 

Overall, it’s a top-notch RMM solution, especially if you’re a MSP. However, there are also a few downsides worth factoring in before you commit. For instance, it cannot patch macOS systems, meaning you’ll have to download a custom component from its store – a workaround that may not work as well as inherent macOS patch management. Plus, Datto's doesn't reveal its pricing publicly, so you’ll reach out to their sales teams for a quote.

Datto: FAQs

We've listed the best network monitoring tools.

ConnectWise was founded in 1982 as an IT solutions provider, making it one of the most experienced players in the industry right now. Over the years, it has continued to introduce and improve its products that have helped IT professionals worldwide. 

It recently won the 2024 Channel Futures MSP 501 Gala Award in the ‘Preferred vendor’ category for its RMM product. Additionally, it has also won 25 other awards in 2024 across various categories. This speaks volumes abouts its reputation, reliability, and effectiveness.

ConnectWise RMM offers excellent value for money for teams of all sizes. From automated patch management to AI scripting, there’s a lot you can do with ConnectWise. Plus, its informative dashboards, coupled with unified UIs, make it an easy-to-navigate tool, even if you use multiple ConnectWise products. In this article, we'll take a deep dive into ConnectWise, explaining what makes it such a sought-after RMM solution.

ConnectWise: Plans and pricing

ConnectWise offers three plans: Essential, Pro, and Premium. As the name suggests, Essential is the entry-level plan, with features like automated OS and third-party patching, AI scripting, intelligent monitoring, and several third-party integrations. We found this plan sufficient for most small and medium-sized businesses and MSPs.

However, should you decide to upgrade to the Pro plan, you’ll get additional features like advanced intelligent monitoring​, network monitoring, and backup monitoring.

The Premium plan is meant for cloud and SaaS management, as it comes with features like unlimited ScreenConnect Remote, remote camera sharing, and Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 SaaS backup.

However, to find out the exact pricing of each of these plans, you’ll have to contact ConnectWise’s sales team. It's worth noting, however, that most RMM platforms maintain an on-request pricing structure because they offer customized plans, which isn’t the case with ConnectWise. The plans are all well laid out in advance with pre-determined features. So, keeping an on-request pricing seems a little odd in this case.

ConnectWise: Features

ConnectWise offers a lot of handy features that make remote management a breeze. For instance, it’s one of the few RMM platforms to come with integrated ScreenConnect – its proprietary remote desktop access management software. The best thing is that you get this right from the most basic plan. 

This brings in functions like seamless and quick endpoint connections, a shared toolbox, and universal compatibility. IT teams can solve problems remotely via the user’s camera without any additional downloads. With other RMMs, however, you have to integrate a third-party access software, which doesn’t work as seamlessly as an out-of-the-box solution like ConnectWise.

Speaking of integrations, BrightGauge is another addition we liked. It’s basically a reporting tool that consolidates all your information in one place, giving you access to insightful business intelligence (BI) dashboards. It can capture data to convert it into skimmable charts, which helps you analyze trends and patterns quickly. Just like ScreenConnect, BrightGauge is also available on the Essential plan.

ConnectWise supports both OS (Windows and Mac) and third-party patching. You can even automate the patching function with customizable scripts. What’s more, you don’t have to write a script from scratch, either, thanks to the platform’s AI-generated scripting function that does it for you.

ConnectWise also offers dedicated NOC services, where, essentially, the platform takes the workload off your shoulders. This applies to regular patching activities, day-to-day BDR, routing management, and recovery backup. 

This allows your IT teams to focus on more critical client issues, ensuring a better overall customer experience. However – and it's not very surprising – that this comes at an extra cost and isn’t included in any of the pre-designed plans mentioned earlier.

ConnectWise: Interface and performance

The main ConnectWise RMM dashboard is clean and neatly showcases various widgets. You can find information in the form of charts and graphs, and a quick glance will be enough to know the status of your endpoints.

However, it is ConnectWise’s Asio dashboard that steals the deal for us. Unlike other RMMs, the Asio dashboard combines all of ConnectWise’a product functions and 20+ UIs in a single place.

You can get live endpoints, patching, and network statuses from the ‘Unified Monitoring & Management’ tab. The ‘Solutions’ tab lets you manage your PSA functions, such as assigning and resolving customer tickets. Next, the ‘Centralized Data’ tab at the bottom combines all your data across various products to avoid repetitive functions and enable hyper-automation across various functions. 

The best part is that the dashboard isn’t limited to ConnectWise products – you can also add third-party vendors to extend your data into Asio, ensuring that all your apps share only a single data portfolio. This eliminates constant back and forth and makes data management seamless and unified.

ConnectWise: Security

ConnectWise has put in a lot of effort to build a robust security architecture. It has adopted the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) and complies with ISO27000 standards that focus on network security, vulnerability and threat management, and incident management, among other things.

The platform employs a formal change control process, which reviews, approves, and tests changes to network devices, information systems, and other system components. ConnectWise also maintains audit logs, with a detailed access history of various systems.

The endpoints are also secured through regular and thorough penetration tests, vulnerability, and phishing assessments. Plus, in case there’s any loss of data during a major catastrophe, ConnectWise has active disaster recovery programs running across their cloud environments.

However, it's worth mentioning that ConnectWise’s ScreenConnect was hacked in February this year when malicious actors exploited two vulnerabilities in its system. Both issues were patched in time and ConnectWise has, since then, strengthened its security infrastructure. 

Overall, the platform has put in a lot of thought into designing and enforcing its safety measures to ensure users have a safe experience.

ConnectWise: Support

The level of customer support you get from ConnectWise depends on your plan. Here’s a quick look at the support channels available. 

It’s good to see that email and live chat support are available to every single user, irrespective of their plan. However, do note that if you’re on the most basic plan, you’ll only be able to connect to the service team on weekdays between 8am and 5pm. For users of the Standard plan, support is available 24/7, and Premium users can access assistance even on holidays.

Additionally, there’s a dedicated community forum where you can discuss your queries with platform experts. We also found a good deal of product documentation on the website that will help you out with common issues or questions.

ConnectWise: Final verdict

ConnectWise is a fairly robust RMM software offering functions like intelligent monitoring, automated patching, and AI scripting. However, its unified Asio dashboard is the showstopper and easily what impressed us the most. 

Even if you have purchased a number of ConnectWise products, the Asio dashboard combines the data of all the platforms into a single panel. This saves you a lot of data duplication and gives teams a holistic view of the statuses of various endpoints. 

Next, the entry-level Essentials plan, according to our testing, is more than enough for most modern IT teams and MSPs. It comes with integrated features like ScreenConnect, which lets you remotely access and troubleshoot endpoints. Plus, its Business Intelligence reporting tool, BrightGauge, pulls out information-driven reports in no time.

However, you will have to reach out to ConnectWise’s sales team to get a quote, even though the website has well-laid-out pre-configured plans.

ConnectWise: FAQs

We've featured the best free remote desktop software.

Founded in 2000, Kaseya is a well-known name in the IT and security management industry. With more than 24 years of experience, it now caters to more than 45,000 customers in 21 countries. In addition to its VSA RMM platform, Kaseya also offers a lot of other IT solutions, such as PSA, BCDR, cloud backup, email security, and pen testing. This makes it a one-stop destination for all your business's security needs.

Its VSA is an award-winning RMM platform offering features like device monitoring, IT automation and patching, remote access and control, omni-network SNMP monitoring, and mobile device management. You also get native ransomware detection and 600+ out-of-the-box scripts that help achieve quick automation.

However, a slightly steep price tag and a recent cybersecurity incident may have you wondering if it's the best network monitoring tool for your business. Read on to find out.

Kaseya VSA: Plans and pricing

As is the case with most RMM platforms, you’ll have to request a custom quote from the Kaseya sales team. However, after some digging, we found out that the prices may fall between $4-5 per endpoint per month, which, in our experience with RMM platforms, is a bit too high.

If you’re a large business with many endpoints, you’ll have good bargaining power. However, there are several other RMM platforms like TeamViewer that cost less than $0.50 an endpoint.

A silver lining when it comes to Kaseya VSA’s pricing is that you get a 14-day free trial. This gives you ample time to try out the platform before committing to a paid plan. It's worth noting that N-central RMM, another fantastic platform, also offers a free trial (30 days).

Kaseya VSA: Features

Kaseya VSA offers several monitoring and patch management functions, making it a complete RMM platform. You get the benefits of zero-configuration SNMP device monitoring for all your switches, printers, and routers in the IT network.

All you have to do is check a box, and Kaseya will start detecting and responding to alerts to various SNMP IT incidents. You can also automate actions to be taken whenever an alert is triggered. These include creating an alarm or a ticket or sending emails to recipients.

There’s also a VSA Network Topology Map, which shows you all the devices. Here, you can quickly identify an open alert – just look for a red alarm badge.

Kaseya automations can also be used for auto-remediation of IT issues by running scripts. For example, simple tasks like restarting a printer or rebooting a system after installing an application can be automated. There’s also an automation library with 600+ scripts, reports, and monitor sets, which gives you a head start, ensuring you don’t have to build a script from scratch.

IT technicians can remotely access endpoints with Kaseya to resolve any issues with full console access. There’s also a stealth mode remote control tool called Live Connect which gives you access to an endpoint without the user’s knowledge.

You can access the device’s desktop, memory utilization, and file and directory transfer. Feel free to even browse their drive, add, modify, or delete files, and make changes to files locally. The best part is that you can launch multiple sessions simultaneously.

Plus, just like Datto RMM, Kaseya VSA also comes with native ransomware detection, which detects any crypto-ransomware on endpoints using behavioral analysis. It immediately sends a notification to the IT technicians and starts the process of quarantining the affected files. This can come in handy even if you have a dedicated antivirus solution. After all, an extra layer of protection is always good to have.

Kaseya VSA: Interface and performance

Kaseya follows a simple interface with a white background laced with blue headers. All the functions can be accessed from a panel on the left. You’ll find various sub-options under each function, allowing you to quickly access any feature you need. All in all, it's nothing out of the ordinary, which, by the way, is a good thing!

Although the interface may appear to be too basic at first glance, it’s super effective and gets the job done. There are no lags or technical glitches with the platform, ensuring a seamless experience.

Just like with Datto RMM, you can create custom dashboards in Kaseya as well. This can be done using various widgets and charts. The default dashboard houses important pieces of information, such as system statuses, active alerts, etc. You can also edit each of these widgets – add or remove them as per your priorities.

Kaseya VSA: Security

Kaseya VSA complies with various security standards. For instance, the company conducts SOC 2 Type II audits, which validate the operating efficiency of its internal controls.

They're also in active compliance with the ISO 27001 standard, which lays down guidelines for the management of ISMS (information security management system). Users can also exercise their data privacy rights under GDPR and CCPA with Kaseya VSA. All communications between Kaseya agents and the Kaseya server are protected with industry-standard AES 256-bit encryption.

Apart from this, the company also conducts regular penetration tests (both internal and external) to ensure there aren't any unnoticed vulnerabilities in their system. You can also set up various role and scope-specific access permissions and enable two-factor authentications. Overall, Kaseya’s security structure is among the most robust we've seen.

With all that in mind, the fact remains that Kaseya was a victim of a ransomware attack this year. However, there wasn't any damage reported and the attack was neutralized in time. While this incident can be considered a black mark on Kaseya’s integrity, it has only helped the company bolster its security infrastructure.

Kaseya VSA: Support

Kaseya offers technical support through three channels: support tickets, email, and call. Phone support is available from Monday to Friday between 6am and 6pm EST. An advantage of using a global product like Kaseya is that there’s an active global community of users and technicians, where you’ll find answers to all your common queries.

Plus, Kaseya itself offers a lot of documentation, help, how-to articles, and YouTube videos that help you climb the platform’s learning curve.

Kaseya VSA: Final verdict

Kaseya VSA is a feature-rich RMM solution ideal for large IT teams and MSPs. VSA’s network discovery and SNMP monitoring will not let any device go undetected in your IT environment. You can then monitor them and get alerts in real time.

It’s also possible to auto-remediate common alerts with pre-designed scripts. There’s also a stealth remote control tool that gives technicians full access to any endpoint, with the authority to modify files without the knowledge of the end user. The Kaseya dashboard is likable, too. It's simple and allows you to drill down on various endpoint parameters with custom filters and reports – and you can also add a custom dashboard with widgets of your choice.

However, while Kaseya is certainly not short on features, they're priced at a premium. Although it doesn’t reveal its pricing, final costs may fall anywhere between $4-5/endpoint/month, which may be a tad too expensive for most businesses.

Plus, Kaseya suffered a cyberattack this year when the Russian ransomware gang REvil exploited a vulnerability in its systems. Although the issue has been resolved, the same cannot be said about the customers’ confidence in the company, which has affected its business as well. With that said, however, the company boasts a beefed up set of privacy and security credentials, which includes regular penetration testing to avoid such incidents in the future.

Kaseya VSA: FAQs

We've featured the best endpoint protection software.

N-able is a well-known name in the IT security industry with more than 25,000 MSPs and 8,000,000 managed endpoints. Its N-central RMM solution was voted as the #1 RMM platform for three consecutive years by CRN readers in 2021, 2022, and 2023. This goes to show the real-world effectiveness of the platform.

N-central’s workflow automation capabilities are second to none in the industry. It offers more than 650 built-in automation scripts – and you can also use its AI integration to create scripts from scratch. 

Additionally, it's one of the very few platforms that allow you to test it out for 30 days before purchasing a plan. That said, its pricing is only available on request, meaning you’ll have to spend time with its sales team to work out a deal.

But is it the best network monitoring tool out there? We take a closer look...

N-central: Plans and pricing

N-central does not reveal its pricing on its website, so you’ll have to reach out to their sales team with your requirements to get a custom quote. This can be beneficial for large businesses that need a highly customized solution for endpoint management. However, small teams may have to negotiate well to secure a good deal.

With that in mind, one of the best things about N-central is its 30-day free trial – something we don’t often see in the RMM industry. This gives you the opportunity to try the platform before committing to a purchase.

Now, it may so happen that you’re already on an RMM contract and want to switch to N-central. In that case, N-central offers you a price of $1/month for 12 months if you show proof of existing contractual commitment. This is an excellent offering!

N-central: Features

N-central stands out from other RMM platforms thanks to its excellent patch management features. In addition to OS patches, you can also run automated patches for more than 100 third-party applications, such as Skype and Zoom. The platform also ensures you do not miss any patches, including OOB (out-of-band) patches released by Microsoft, outside of their patch schedules. 

The patch policies are also highly customizable – you can implement them either across the entire organization, a specific department, a group of devices, or a single endpoint. Yes, other RMM platforms also allow you to automate a lot of workflows. However, N-central takes automation to the next level by providing more than 650 pre-made automation scripts, which can be deployed as they come out of the box or downloaded and customized as per your requirements. 

From automatic patch deployment to self-healing and auto-remediation, there are a lot of repetitive processes you can automate. You can also create an automation script from scratch using N-central’s GenAI capabilities.

Even when you’re switching from an existing RMM system, the customer support team works with you to import your existing automations on N-central. 

In addition to the core functions of discovering and monitoring all kinds of devices in a given network, N-central also offers some handy add-ons. For instance, it has joined hands with SentinelOne to offer Endpoint Detection & Response functions. 

Its AI-based ransomware protection and behavioral AI engines go beyond just traditional methods of signature-based detections. It can also help you roll back data and recover lost files within minutes – without having to pay a dime to the threat actors. 

We also liked N-central’s Cloud Commander add-on, which lets you manage Windows, Intune, and Azure devices from the same dashboard. This makes onboarding a new client and assigning licenses as easy as filling out a single form. 

You do not need to add a new client to the Azure client directory, create a mailbox in Microsoft 365, or set up the user’s details like role, location, and phone number. With Cloud Commander, you’d simply need to select the organization and add the new user.

N-Central also supports remote Apple mobile device management (MDM), which comes laced with integrations like Apple Business Manager and Apple School Manager. This makes the entire onboarding experience automatic and seamless and doesn't require much interference from the IT team.

N-central: Interface and performance

N-central boasts information-dense dashboards filled with various color-coordinated charts that help IT teams and MSPs drill down on endpoint data in real time. There are dedicated information boards for various functions, such as patching, backup, reports, analytics, integrations, and so on – you’ll find all these options on the left-hand side panel. 

What's more, you can also build a custom dashboard and choose between various data visualization charts, filters, and data inputs. We also found a lot of bar charts, pie charts, graphs, and other visual data representation tools, as well as a handful of filtering options, where you can view data by device type, OS name, customer, or site.

However, it's worth noting that the text on these boards may seem a bit cluttered or tiny and requires that users spend some time getting a hang of how things work.

N-central: Security

N-able holds an ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification, which is also independently verified by Schellman & Company. The platform also complies with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CCPA). These are proof that the platform complies with all legal regulations and frameworks while collecting and handling user data. 

N-able also pays special attention to its privacy-by-design policy, which ensures that all data collected by the platform is used for limited processing and only for the purpose it’s designed to be used. 

Seeing as it uses AI in various parts of its platform design, the company has also drafted a detailed AI policy to ensure transparency with its users and inform them how their data is being processed using AI tools. This is highly appreciated, especially in the modern cybersecurity landscape, which is rife with web scraping to collect vast amounts of data for AI development. 

N-central: Support

You can get in touch with an N-able representative through call, support ticket, or live chat. However, keep in mind that you’ll need to be logged in to your N-ableMe dashboard to do so. 

Moreover, N-able has an active resource center with hundreds of articles on various products, including N-central. There are also filters that can help you whittle down the products and topics you’re actually looking for. 

Lastly, ongoing live demos, which are completely free to join, will help you learn the ropes around the platform.

N-central: Final verdict

N-central is a popular RMM and security platform that stands out for its superior automation features. If you’re a large MSP or IT team looking to streamline workflows and endpoint monitoring, N-central’s 650+ automation scripts will be more than enough. Plus, its AI-powered monitoring and alert system prevents any vulnerability from seeping through your systems.

There are also several add-ons, like Endpoint Detection & Response, in collaboration with SentinelOne, which helps you detect and remove any malware attacks in real time with superior behavioral analysis. Additionally, a cloud management tool called Cloud Commander will help you manage Windows, Intune, and Azure environments from a single dashboard.

Overall, N-central’s basic RMM features are good enough for any small or mid-sized business. However, enterprise-level IT teams and MSPs may have to opt for some add-ons to derive the best value for their purpose. 

However, as is the industry’s norm, you’ll have to reach out to N-central’s sales team to get a custom quote, which will also depend on how well you’re able to negotiate. One of the best things about N-central is that you get a free trial of 30 days, which not too many RMM platforms offer.

N-central: FAQs

We rate the best identity management software.

SMBs and home offices seeking an affordable all-in-one security router will find Zyxel’s USG Lite 60AX a worthy contender. This diminutive desktop unit teams up a Wi-Fi 6 access point (AP) with an integral multi-gigabit switch, and the price includes a lifetime subscription to Zyxel’s Security Cloud.

This service includes a firewall, ransomware and malware prevention, VPN proxy, intrusion, dark web and ad blockers, application identification, GeoIP country restrictions, and mail fraud and phishing protection. The optional Elite Pack licence enables the Trellix-powered real-time threat intelligence and web category filtering services as well as a Nebula Pro Pack and costs £33 per year.

The router is designed to be desk-mounted, with the small and flimsy base stand rotated round to keep it upright. The switch has two 2.5GbE multi-gigabit ports for WAN and LAN connections and partners them with another four gigabit LAN ports, while the AX6000-rated AP claims speeds of 1,148Mbits/sec on the 2.4GHz radio and 4,804Mbits/sec for the 5GHz one.

The router’s local web interface provides only a basic status view and, to manage it, you assign it to your Nebula cloud account. This is easy enough to do: we used the Nebula iOS app on an iPad to scan the QR code on its base and add it to our site.

The device appears in the Nebula dashboard as a new security router, and the main view can be easily customized. Dedicated widgets are provided for the router’s uptime and firmware status, threat detection by category and client, the top ten apps discovered by the application identification service and an OS chart of connected clients.

For wireless services, you can create up to eight site SSIDs each with their own WPA2 or WPA3 authentication scheme and decide which radios are active on each one. Setting the guest option on an SSID enables L2 isolation so wireless clients can’t see each other. You can assign custom captive portals with your own logos and greeting messages, a walled garden and clickthrough, voucher, Facebook or Nebula authentication.

Wireless performance will depend on whether the application identification service is enabled – when testing Zyxel’s SCR 50AXE desktop router, we found it hit wireless speeds by up to 50%. Fortunately, the USG Lite 60AX has a more powerful quad-core 2GHz CPU so its impact was far less concerning.

We tested with a Lenovo Windows 11 Pro 24H2 client equipped with a TP-Link Archer TBE550E Wi-Fi 7 PCI-E adapter. With application identification disabled, we recorded close-range file copy speeds between the client and a server on the 2.5GbE LAN of 164MB/sec, which dropped by 16.5% to 137MB/sec with it turned on.

The six threat management components are accessed from the Nebula security router settings page and can be enabled or disabled using slider bars. Nebula’s threat report provides an activity graph, a map showing the countries they’re coming from and tables of threats by category and client, with the latter allowing you to instantly block systems if their hit rate is excessive.

Application identification provides options to apply custom app blocking lists and traffic shaping rules for selected clients. The Elite Pack licence is well worth considering as its web content filtering presents 103 URL categories and access can also be fine-tuned for clients or IP addresses.

The USG Lite 60AX is a great entry-level security router, and lifetime support for Zyxel’s Security Cloud service means there are no ongoing costs to worry about. Application identification does have a modest impact on performance but it delivers a fine range of security features, and businesses with remote workers will appreciate Zyxel’s Nebula cloud management.

We also compared the best routers for gaming.