Things seem to be falling in place for the latest Wi-Fi 6 standard (also known as 802.11ax) this year.

While it was introduced over a year ago, client devices that support this wireless protocol - which offers significantly faster speeds and is more efficient at handling multiple users simultaneously - are finally becoming mainstream.

Joining this growing family of Wi-Fi 6 devices is the Linksys Velop MX5300 Wi-Fi 6 mesh router.

As indicated by its "mesh" naming scheme, multiple units of the MX5300 can form a single mesh network to ensure good wireless coverage. Linksys says each router can cover an area of 3,000 sq ft.

The MX5300 can also form a mesh network with some Linksys routers, such as older Velop models that use the Wi-Fi 5 standard.

This interoperability means you can slowly phase out your older Linksys mesh routers for the new Wi-Fi 6 models, instead of changing all of them at the same time, which can be costly.

Setting up two MX5300 routers in a single mesh network was easy enough. All the work was done by the Linksys mobile app (available for iOS and Android) on my smartphone. All I had to do was select the option to set up a new product, leave my phone next to the router and fill in basic information such as the name of the Wi-Fi network.

The user-friendliness of the app and ease of installation should not be underestimated as Linksys has simplified a task that is daunting to tech novices.

The MX5300 also has a Web-based interface that offers several more advanced options. However, it does not have as many features as routers from enthusiast-oriented brands like Asus.

The MX5300 is physically larger than its predecessors, though it has a similar tower design that looks clean without protruding antennas. It has four Gigabit LAN ports, a Gigabit WAN port and a USB 3.0 port that can connect to an external storage device.

To test its Wi-Fi 6 performance, I used an HP notebook with a built-in Intel Wi-Fi 6 wireless chipset. I placed it in my living room, about 5m from the primary MX5300 router that is connected to my fibre modem.

In my speed test, the MX5300 produced an average download speed of 810Mbps. The TP-Link Wi-Fi 6 router (Archer AX11000) managed 830Mbps in the same test.

The speed dipped to 589Mbps (a 27 per cent drop) when I tested it with a Wi-Fi 5 laptop, affirming the speed advantage of Wi-Fi 6.

But what really impressed me was its performance at the farthest end of my home.

Using a Wi-Fi 6 laptop in a distant bedroom, the MX5300 achieved a download speed of 717Mbps. This is significantly higher than the 100Mbps to 200Mbps I typically get with an older Wi-Fi 5 mesh system.

The only downside: the MX5300 is, like many Wi-Fi 6 routers, relatively expensive at $569 for a single unit. Netgear's equivalent Orbi Wi-Fi 6 mesh router costs $1,099 for a pair, while Asus' AX6100 mesh routers are slightly cheaper at $769 for two.

The router is available till March 19 exclusively at selected Challenger stores and the Hachi.tech website. Challenger members can buy a pair at a promotional price of $888 - also valid till March 19.