Acer Predator Connect W6 review

Our VerdictThis Wi-Fi 6E router offers a high combined throughput number, but its real talent is in managing multiple streams of traffic, and prioritising gaming to lower latency. It’s easy to set up and provides some excellent Wi-Fi coverage, but a quirk of its design means it’s never going to blend easily into the background.

Our Verdict

This Wi-Fi 6E router offers a high combined throughput number, but its real talent is in managing multiple streams of traffic, and prioritising gaming to lower latency. It’s easy to set up and provides some excellent Wi-Fi coverage, but a quirk of its design means it’s never going to blend easily into the background.

ForWi-Fi 6EPlenty of throughputEasy setupAgainstKinda largeKinda priceyNot Wi-Fi 7

ForWi-Fi 6EPlenty of throughputEasy setup

AgainstKinda largeKinda priceyNot Wi-Fi 7

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Acer Predator Connect W6…

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The upside-down insect look is a popular one among Wi-Fi router manufacturers, who seem to assume that they’re something you’re going to keep behind the couch or in a cupboard rather than attempt to balance on a narrow shelf near the point at which the internet cabling enters your home.

The aggressive styling can make these devices look incongruous among the other tasteful artefacts you’ve gathered from trips to Ikea and Habitat, though the use of words such as ‘Predator’ and ‘Killer’ don’t help either. The names of PC hardware components have been the butt of multiple jokes, but networking equipment has to be some of the most boring kit to receive the kind of title you might expect from an Air Force drone.

Still, they’re necessary if we insist on living in the early 21st century, streaming, downloading and otherwise internetting it up. And if you’ve got a fast fibre connection and the need to transfer data quickly, these so-called ‘gaming routers’ have a lot to offer.

Acer’s Predator Connect W6 is a Wi-Fi 6E router with the requisite number of little leg pointed into the air (though it can also be wall-mounted, in which case the legs splay out further, giving it the appearance of a large bug that’s just hit the paintwork at high speed). There are vents carved into the plastic body (the quad-core CPU is passively cooled), with some LEDs in the shape of the Predator logo buried underneath (these are quite bright, but can be turned off), and a row of five Ethernet ports at the back.

Predator Connect 6 specs(Image credit: Future)Wireless standard:Wi-Fi 6EMax speeds:600Mbps (2.4GHz), 4.8Gbps (5GHz), 2.4Gbps (6GHz)MU-MIMO:YesEthernet ports:Four gigabit, inc Game portWAN:2.5GbpsProcessor:2.0GHz quad coreRAM:1GBUSB:1x USB 3.1 Type-ADimensions:111 x 265 x 260mmWeight:875gPrice:$300|£300

Predator Connect 6 specs

(Image credit: Future)Wireless standard:Wi-Fi 6EMax speeds:600Mbps (2.4GHz), 4.8Gbps (5GHz), 2.4Gbps (6GHz)MU-MIMO:YesEthernet ports:Four gigabit, inc Game portWAN:2.5GbpsProcessor:2.0GHz quad coreRAM:1GBUSB:1x USB 3.1 Type-ADimensions:111 x 265 x 260mmWeight:875gPrice:$300|£300

(Image credit: Future)

Acer Predator Connect W6 gaming router on grass

Wireless standard:Wi-Fi 6EMax speeds:600Mbps (2.4GHz), 4.8Gbps (5GHz), 2.4Gbps (6GHz)MU-MIMO:YesEthernet ports:Four gigabit, inc Game portWAN:2.5GbpsProcessor:2.0GHz quad coreRAM:1GBUSB:1x USB 3.1 Type-ADimensions:111 x 265 x 260mmWeight:875gPrice:$300|£300

Happily, setup is a breeze. The wireless network is available straight away, and there’s a QR code on the bottom of the router’s casing to help you get connected via your web browser. From here, it’s just a case of entering your WAN details, giving the Wi-Fi channels amusing SSIDs and changing the password. There’s a phone app that you can use for all this too, which will step you through the setup in a more beginner-friendly way.

Once it’s connected, there’s a whole range of features to, er, play with. Networking isn’t particularly sexy but it is essential for modern life, especially if you’re a PC games enjoyer, so being able to easily slip into the admin panel and change a setting is paramount. That said, there’s often little need these days, as routers have become very good at doing things automatically.

Image1of3(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

Image1of3

(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

Acer Predator Connect W6 gaming router on grass

(Image credit: Future)

Acer Predator Connect W6 gaming router on grass

(Image credit: Future)

Acer Predator Connect W6 gaming router on grass

Buy if…✅You’re looking to upgrade from an existing Wi-Fi 5 router:If you have the equipment to take advantage of Wi-Fi 6E’s features, but not the router, Acer’s Predator will do a job.✅You run a congested network:The game prioritisation will also come in handy if you’ve got a busy network and want to make sure your gaming traffic takes priority over movie streaming.

Buy if…

✅You’re looking to upgrade from an existing Wi-Fi 5 router:If you have the equipment to take advantage of Wi-Fi 6E’s features, but not the router, Acer’s Predator will do a job.✅You run a congested network:The game prioritisation will also come in handy if you’ve got a busy network and want to make sure your gaming traffic takes priority over movie streaming.

Don’t buy if…❌You’re trying to sleep in the same room:The light-up logo can be very bright. It also may take a few tries to find a home for, as the way the cables go into two different sides means there’s no flat ‘back’ to put up against a wall.

Don’t buy if…

❌You’re trying to sleep in the same room:The light-up logo can be very bright. It also may take a few tries to find a home for, as the way the cables go into two different sides means there’s no flat ‘back’ to put up against a wall.

To accompany the ‘Game’ port on the back, the Predator W6 offers QoS features (‘compatible with Intel Killer Prioritization Engine,’ so Acer crows) to prioritise your gaming traffic. It also includes a preset dedicated to GeForce Now which will appeal to, well, at leastsomepeople.

What routers are really sold on are their big numbers and their price. At £300/$300 there are cheaper Wi-Fi 6E models available, though few with as impressive a combined throughput figure (Netgear’s RAXE300 hits the same combined speed, but its RRP is higher). If you want to upgrade from the router your ISP gave you, then the Predator W6 will probably make a big difference to a congested network with a lot of users.

But the way it’s designed means that it wants a lot more attention than most of us are willing to give networking hardware within our homes. It may have Quality of Service features, but its quality of life layout is something that stops it from being an easy recommendation.

Acer Predator Connect W6: Price Comparison

$267.99ViewNo price informationCheck Amazon

$267.99View

Acer Predator Connect W6…

Newegg

$267.99View

$267.99

No price informationCheck Amazon

Amazon

No price informationCheck Amazon

No price information

We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

The Verdict75Read our review policyAcer Predator Connect W6This Wi-Fi 6E router offers a high combined throughput number, but its real talent is in managing multiple streams of traffic, and prioritising gaming to lower latency. It’s easy to set up and provides some excellent Wi-Fi coverage, but a quirk of its design means it’s never going to blend easily into the background.

The Verdict

75Read our review policyAcer Predator Connect W6This Wi-Fi 6E router offers a high combined throughput number, but its real talent is in managing multiple streams of traffic, and prioritising gaming to lower latency. It’s easy to set up and provides some excellent Wi-Fi coverage, but a quirk of its design means it’s never going to blend easily into the background.

75Read our review policy

Acer Predator Connect W6This Wi-Fi 6E router offers a high combined throughput number, but its real talent is in managing multiple streams of traffic, and prioritising gaming to lower latency. It’s easy to set up and provides some excellent Wi-Fi coverage, but a quirk of its design means it’s never going to blend easily into the background.

Acer Predator Connect W6

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Our Verdict#

Our Verdict