Acer is greatest recognized for its laptops, displays and desktop PCs and extra lately, they’ve entered the GPU market with the Acer Predator BiFrost Intel Arc A770.
Nevertheless, additionally they produce numerous different merchandise, together with some random issues just like the Acer Acerpure Air Professional P2 and the Acer ebii E-bike.
Additionally they have a small choice of networking {hardware}. This contains issues just like the Predator Gaming 5G Router and Acer Wi-Fi 5G Cell Hotspot.
This 12 months, they launched the Acer Predator Join W6, which is a Wi-Fi router utilizing the newest Wi-Fi 6E, which then has the brand new 6GHz band which goals to offer a excessive throughput due to the 160Mhz width channels with out affected by the identical congestion because the 5GHz community.
Acer Predator Join W6 Wi-Fi 6E Router Specification
- Wi-Fi Bands: Tri-band (2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz)
- Most Bandwidth: AXE7800
- 6 GHz: 2.4Gbps
- 5 GHz: 4.8Gbps
- 2.4 GHz: 600Mbps
- 2x4x2 MU-MIMO
- Wi-Fi Options: MU-MIMO simultaneous information streaming, orthogonal frequency-division a number of entry (OFDMA) transmissions, beamforming, 160MHz channel bandwidth, and WPA3 encryption.
- Processor: ARM Quad-Core working at 2 GHz
- RAM: 1 GB DDR4
- Inside Storage: 4GB eMMC
- Antennas: 6 exterior
- Ethernet Ports: 1x 2.5 Gbps Ethernet WAN/LAN, 4x 1 Gbps Ethernet LAN
- USB Ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen1 Kind-A
- Safety: WPA, WPA2, WPA3-Private
- Superior Options: Intel Killer Prioritization Engine, VPN, and Development Micro safety
Acer Predator Join W6 Wi-Fi 6E router Unboxing / Design
Unboxing the Acer Predator Join W6 Wi-Fi 6E Router, the very first thing you’ll discover is its distinctive design.
Its broad sq. form, roughly 27 cm on either side and 11 cm in top is accompanied by six extendable antennas. The router’s exterior is completed in a fundamental matte black plastic, which is proof against seen fingerprints.
The highest of the router options a big mesh grille, below which sits the Predator brand. This brand will not be merely ornamental, because it additionally homes an LED lighting block. This block signifies the router’s standing primarily based on the color of the illuminated gentle.
All sides of the router characteristic put in antennas, however solely the entrance edges have two antennas positioned on the border. These antennas are foldable and non-removable.
The again sides of the machine home the connection ports and buttons.
For the LAN/WAN ports, you could have:
- 1x 2.5GbE WAN/LAN
- 1X Gigabit Gaming LAN – used for the gaming QoS options
- 3x Gigabit LAN
Acer Predator Join W6 Wi-Fi 6E Router Set Up
Organising the Acer Predator Join W6 Wi-Fi 6E Router is simple. As soon as the router is powered on, you may entry it through a browser utilizing the URL acerconnect.com or IP deal with 192.168.76.1 or via the cell software.
The default login credentials are ‘admin’ for the username and the password supplied on the sticker on the base of the router.
As soon as logged in, you may navigate to the fast configuration part to customize the router’s settings to your liking. This contains organising the WAN connection mode, DNS preferences, and Wi-Fi sign settings. It’s also beneficial to verify for firmware updates to make sure the router is up-to-date.
Router Settings & Options
The Acer Predator Join W6 Wi-Fi 6E Router provides a user-friendly working system full of options.
The router additionally options VPN assist, community safety, QoS, and different options you’ll count on from a router, together with a firewall and port forwarding.
The Wi-Fi part lets you handle the three operational bands individually by way of channels and bandwidth. Nevertheless, it doesn’t provide a Sensible operate to unify them below a single SSID.
You may have an possibility for Visitor Wi-Fi with the power to outline a visitor SSID for all three bands.
Equally, there’s a third Wi-Fi possibility for Smarty Residence/IoT gadgets. Oddly, this additionally lets you set an SSID for every band, regardless that no IoT gadgets use 6GHz, few use 5GHz.
For each the visitor and sensible residence Wi-Fi, the router will successfully use a VLAN and forestall gadgets on these SSIDs from accessing your major community.
Hybrid QoS
One of many extra fascinating options of this router is the Hybrid QoS. The is a High quality of Service (QoS) characteristic that works with Killer NICs utilizing Intel Killer Prioritisation Engine to categorise visitors with DSCP values, permitting it to prioritise visitors and minutely scale back latency.
For non-Killer-enabled gadgets, it nonetheless has the power to establish recreation consoles, streaming gadgets, computer systems, smartphones and IoT gadgets within the community and allocate them to precedence teams based on the default setting.
With this, you could have 4 settings:
- Excessive – For video games. It may possibly establish PS, Xbox, and Swap or will use the LAN port designated for gaming.
- Excessive – For Streaming
- Regular – For Looking
- Low – For IoT Gadgets, Wearable
It’s also possible to drag any related machine into the predefined priorities.
As there are solely two of us in our family, and I’ve gigabit Web with multi-gig LAN, there may be little profit for QoS. Essentially the most demanding factor my accomplice does is streaming 4K from Netflix.
GeForce NOW
An alternate setting is to have the QoS enhance the efficiency of GeForce NOW, however with this feature, you will be unable to make use of the TrendMicro safety features.
Development Micro Options
The router has a community safety characteristic that’s powered by Development Micro, which is free to make use of.
Many, if not most, manufacturers now implement some type of community safety with their routers. Nevertheless, many of those firms cost for the characteristic. Netgear Armor prices £85 per 12 months. TP-Hyperlink has HomeShield, which is free to make use of for probably the most fundamental settings, however the Professional service prices £53.99 per 12 months.
The options of this Development Micro community safety on the Acer router contains:
Malicious websites blocking
Stopping entry to malicious web sites can function a strong barrier in opposition to your laptop falling prey to Trojan infections or unwitting exploitation.
Community assault blocking
By blocking community assaults, you may protect your system or machine from being exploited as a result of recognized vulnerabilities, even when safety patches haven’t been utilized but.
IoT safety safety
With IoT safety measures in place, your laptop is much less more likely to set up dangerous connections with compromised IoT gadgets. That is made attainable via Development Micro’s Sensible Safety Community, an ever-evolving database that assesses the fame of IoT gadgets.
Wi-Fi Efficiency
To check the Wi-Fi throughput, I used:
- Web Velocity utilizing speedtest.internet with a Virgin Media Gig1
- LAN pace testing with each iPerf and the self-hosted LibreSpeed. These servers have been each run on a TerraMaster F4-422 10GbE NAS working Unraid and related to the EnGenius ECS2512FP with 10GbE.
- The Acer Predator Join W6 was related to the identical swap with 2.5GbE. It was additionally positioned into Swap/Bridge mode
The gadgets I examined with included:
The laptops and cell have been used to verify the vary.
For the vary testing, I examined within the room immediately beneath my workplace, then within the entrance room, which is 2 rooms over via strong brick partitions.
WiFi 6E 6Ghz Efficiency
One of many greatest promoting factors of the Acer Predator Join W6 Router is its assist for Wi-Fi 6E, which provides a brand new 6GHz band.
This band offers a most bandwidth of 2402 Mbps with a 2×2 MU-MIMO on 160MHz channels.
You could marvel what the purpose of the 6GHz band is that if it doesn’t present superior throughput. The 5GHz band is proscribed to only a few channels that work with 160MHz, and this could influence the efficiency, whereas the 6GHz has as much as 7 channels that work with 160MHz and far much less congestion.
The 6GHz band helps the strongest encryption algorithm presently accessible, WPA3. This ensures that your community is safe from potential cyber threats.
One caveat with this router and competing choices, such because the Nighthawk RAXE300, is that it solely has one multi-gig port, and that is positioned on the WAN port. Subsequently, in case you use the WAN port, the most effective throughput you might be more likely to see is gigabit (until you occur to have multi-gig Web, which could be very uncommon within the UK.
This is the reason I used the router in Swap/Bridge mode, which makes it work like an entry level.
- Web Velocity:
- Acer Predator Join W6: 912Mbps
- Nighthawk RAXE300: 882Mbps
- Workplace /Shut Vary:
- Acer Predator Join W6: 1441 Mbps
- Nighthawk RAXE300: 1470 Mbps
- Downstairs:
- Acer Predator Join W6: 819 Mbps
- Nighthawk RAXE300: 798 Mbps
- Entrance Room:
- Acer Predator Join W6: 181 Mbps
- Nighthawk RAXE300: 212 Mbps
Everybody appears to criticise the vary of 6GHz WiFi, however I actually don’t assume it’s as dangerous as folks make out.
Wi-Fi 6 5Ghz Efficiency
The router additionally helps the 5GHz band, which operates below the 802.11ax normal. This band offers a bandwidth of 4804 Mbps in 4×4 connections working on 80MHz channels, supporting 1024-QAM modulation.
Whereas the 5GHz band has 4×4 MU-MIMO, purchasers will solely be capable of join at 2×2.
Acer has chosen to not permit 160MHz for the 5GHz channel, whereas many competing routers do permit this. Utilizing 80MHz will, due to this fact, restrict the consumer connection to 1200Mbps. Utilizing 160MHz on 5GHz may be problematic, and for many individuals, it in all probability isn’t definitely worth the effort attempting to make it work
The beneath outcomes favour the RAXE300, as a result of this was utilizing 160MHz channel width once I examined it.
- Web Velocity:
- Acer Predator Join W6: 736 Mbps
- Nighthawk RAXE300: 827 Mbps
- Workplace /Shut Vary:
- Acer Predator Join W6: 937 Mbps
- Nighthawk RAXE300: 1500 Mbps
- Downstairs:
- Acer Predator Join W6: 877 Mbps
- Nighthawk RAXE300: 901 Mbps
- Entrance Room:
- Acer Predator Join W6: 424 Mbps
- Nighthawk RAXE300: 433 Mbps
WiFi 2.4Ghz Efficiency
Lastly, the router helps the two.4GHz band. Working below the 802.11ax normal, this band delivers a most of 574 Mbps via a 2×2 reference to the choice for 20 and 40MHz channels.
- Web Velocity:
- Acer Predator Join W6: 165 Mbps
- Nighthawk RAXE300: 188 Mbps
- Workplace /Shut Vary:
- Acer Predator Join W6: 156 Mbps
- Nighthawk RAXE300: 214 Mbps
- Downstairs:
- Acer Predator Join W6: 92 Mbps
- Nighthawk RAXE300: 104 Mbps
- Entrance Room:
- Acer Predator Join W6: 45 Mbps
- Nighthawk RAXE300: 31 Mbps
Wi-Fi 5 5Ghz Efficiency
Whereas the Acer Predator Join W6 Wi-Fi 6E Router primarily focuses on Wi-Fi 6E expertise, it’s also backwards suitable with Wi-Fi 5 gadgets. Which means that even when your gadgets don’t assist Wi-Fi 6E, you may nonetheless join them to the router and profit from improved efficiency.
With Wi-Fi 5 on the 5GHz community at 80Mhz with 2×2 MU-MIMO, you could have a theoretical throughput of 866Mbps. Once more, the end result favours the RAXE300 as a result of having twice the channel width.
- Web Velocity:
- Acer Predator Join W6: Mbps
- Workplace /Shut Vary:
- Acer Predator Join W6: Mbps
- Nighthawk RAXE300: 1200 Mbps
- Downstairs:
- Acer Predator Join W6: Mbps
- Nighthawk RAXE300: 829 Mbps
- Entrance Room:
- Acer Predator Join W6: Mbps
- Nighthawk RAXE300: 301 Mbps
Worth and Various Choices
The Acer Predator Join W6 Wi-Fi 6E Router is priced at £299 and is available from the Acer Store.
Within the US, you will get the Predator Join W6 from Amazon, the place the value is far more enticing. On the time of writing it’s $299 RRP discounted to $259, and a $40 voucher is on the market, taking it to $219.99. You’ll be able to even import it to the UK for a complete of $284 or £239 (although you’d have a US two-pin plug). The US pricing is cheaper than the 2 competing choices I listed beneath, making this far more enticing.
In search of comparable routers with the AXE7800 on Amazon, reveals:
- ASUS RT-AXE7800, which is on the market for £249.99, which features a 2.5GbE port + 4 gigabit ports.
- Netgear Nighthawk RAXE300, which is on the market for £298 and has an RRP of £350 which, has the identical LAN port configuration.
A well-liked various, such because the Amazon eero Professional 6E router, is rated at AX5400, indicating 2x2x2 MU-MIMO. It has fewer ports and prices £250.
There are some inexpensive options. The TP-Hyperlink Archer AXE75 has an RRP of £200 however is on the market for simply £145. Nevertheless, that is rated at simply AXE5400 and solely has gigabit ports.
Total
The Acer Predator Join W6 is a superb Wi-Fi 6E router general. It’s not the best-specced Wi-Fi 6E router on the market, neither is it the worst. I feel the {hardware} spec offers an excellent steadiness of efficiency and affordability.
When evaluating it in opposition to like-for-like counterparts, the dearth of 160Mhz channel width on the 5GHz band lets it down if you need the best possible Wi-Fi speeds for LAN transfers.
It makes up for this due to the gaming-focused QoS, which is extra specialised than the Netgear I’ve reviewed. Accessing the Development Micro community safety freed from cost can also be a major benefit over the Netgear Armor, which is able to price you £85 per 12 months.
Total, this is a superb router and would make a good selection for any family with eager players.
Acer Predator Join W6 Wi-Fi 6E Router Overview
Abstract
The Acer Predator Join W6 is a superb Wi-Fi 6E router that has an excellent steadiness of {hardware} specification and worth. The dearth of 160MHz on the 5GHz band is a bit disappointing however the router makes up for it with the superior QoS and subscription free Development Micro community safety.
Professionals
- Good steadiness of {hardware} spec and worth (US pricing is superb)
- Multi-gig 6GHz efficiency with wonderful 5GHz on 80Mhz
- Superior Gaming Focussed QoS
- Development Micro Safety features are free to make use of
Cons
- 5GHz restricted to 80Mhz
- Single 2.5GbE port for WAN/LAN
- No SSID WiFi coexistence for bands
I’m James, a UK-based tech fanatic and the artistic thoughts behind Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Captivated with all issues expertise, my experience spans from computer systems and networking, to cell, wearables, and sensible residence gadgets.
As a health fanatic who loves working and biking, I even have a eager curiosity in fitness-related expertise, and I take each alternative to cowl this area of interest on my weblog. My various pursuits permit me to carry a novel perspective to tech running a blog, merging life-style, health, and the newest tech developments.
In my educational pursuits, I earned a BSc in Data Methods Design from UCLAN, earlier than advancing my studying with a Grasp’s Diploma in Computing. This superior examine additionally included Cisco CCNA accreditation, additional demonstrating my dedication to understanding and staying forward of the expertise curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has persistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of many high expertise blogs within the UK. With my dedication to expertise and drive to share my insights, I goal to proceed offering my readers with participating and informative content material.
Final replace on 2023-09-30 / Affiliate hyperlinks / Photographs from Amazon Product Promoting API
