Acer Predator Connect W6 User manual

1
Predator Connect W6 AXE7800
Tri-band Wi-Fi 6E Router
User Guide
v2.3
All Rights Reserved. © 2023.
Important: This manual contains proprietary information that is protected by copyright
laws. The information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice. Some
features described in this manual may not be supported depending on the Operating
System version. Images provided herein are for reference only and may contain
information or features that do not apply to your device. Acer Group shall not be liable for
technical or editorial errors or omissions contained in this manual.
Revision Aug, 2023

2
© 2023. All Rights Reserved.
This revision: Aug 2023
Important: This manual contains proprietary information that is protected by copyright
laws. The information contained in this manual is subject to change without notice. Some
features described in this manual may not be supported depending on the Operating
System version. Images provided herein are for reference only and may contain
information or features that do not apply to your device. Acer Group shall not be liable for
technical or editorial errors or omissions contained in this manual.
Contents
1. Overview ........................................................................................................................................................ 3
2. Installation and Setup.................................................................................................................................................... 3
3. Initial Configuration .......................................................................................................................................... 6
4. Dashboard ..................................................................................................................................................... 7
5. Hybrid QoS ..................................................................................................................................................... 9
6. Quick Setup .................................................................................................................................................. 11
6.1 How to create a Mesh network.............................................................................................................................. 12
6.2 Mesh topologies .................................................................................................................................................... 13
7. WAN ........................................................................................................................................................... 18
7.1 WAN status........................................................................................................................................... 18
7.2 WAN setting.......................................................................................................................................... 18
7.3 DMZ...................................................................................................................................................... 19
7.4 Firewall ................................................................................................................................................. 19
7.5 WAN ping ............................................................................................................................................. 19
7.6 NAT pass-through ................................................................................................................................ 20
7.7 Port forwarding ..................................................................................................................................... 20
7.8 VPN server ........................................................................................................................................... 21
7.9 DDNS ................................................................................................................................................... 22
8. Wi-Fi ............................................................................................................................................................ 22
8.1 Wi-Fi Status........................................................................................................................................................... 22
8.2 Mesh Wi-Fi ............................................................................................................................................................ 22
8.3 Basic Settings ....................................................................................................................................................... 23
8.4 Advanced Settings ................................................................................................................................................ 23
8.5 Wi-Fi MAC filter ..................................................................................................................................................... 24
8.6 WPS...................................................................................................................................................................... 24
8.7 Smart Home Wi-Fi................................................................................................................................................. 24
8.8 Guest Wi-Fi ........................................................................................................................................................... 25
8.9 Antenna Calibration............................................................................................................................................... 25
8.10 ACS..................................................................................................................................................................... 26
9. LAN ............................................................................................................................................................. 26
10. IPv6 ............................................................................................................................................................. 27
11. Home Network Security . ................................................................................................................................ 27
11.1 Network Security Setting... ................................................................................................................. 28
11.2 Parental Control.................................................................................................................................. 29
12. System .................................................................................................................................................... .30
12.1 Operation mode................................................................................................................................ 30
12.2 Login password ................................................................................................................................ 30
12.3 System time...................................................................................................................................... 31
12.4 Languages........................................................................................................................................ 31
12.5 Backup and restore .......................................................................................................................... 31
12.6 System Information........................................................................................................................... 32
12.7 Restart and Reset default................................................................................................................. 32
12.8 Firmware update............................................................................................................................... 32
12.9 System log........................................................................................................................................ 33
12.10 USB storage. .................................................................................................................................. 33
12.11 Main LED........................................................................................................................................ 34
13. Troubleshooting........................................................................................................................................ 35
13.1 Quick Tips ........................................................................................................................................ 35
13.2 FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)................................................................................................ 35
14. Appendix factory default settings............................................................................................................. 36
15. Router Basic Specification .................................................................................................................................... 37

3
3
1. Overview
Acer Connect series W6, a whole new Wi-Fi 6E Tri-band AXE7800 wireless router, is
optimized for gamers with intensive features and simple setup steps via a 1-2-3 wizard. A
new stylish 6-antenna desktop wireless router tuned for optimal gaming experience and for
your household. Network Security protection is embedded. Live updates ensure your
network is immune from malware and vulnerability threats 24-7. Smart home (IoT) devices
can be set up on their Wi-Fi network. ACS (Automatic Channel Selection) dynamically
chooses the most suitable channel for the W6 when you experience interference from
nearby 5GHz SSIDs. Port forwarding profiles for most game consoles (PS5, XBOX, etc.)
are readily available inside for gameplay. Hybrid QoS is the best fit for your Predator
router, ensuring prioritization of your gaming traffic and bandwidth utilization. The VPN
feature provides a secure connection for your device when surfing the website. The bridge
mode is available for you, extending new Wi-Fi 6GHz coverage for new mobile or laptop
devices without replacing your ISP router or MSO DOCSIS modem at home.
2. Installation and Setup
2.1. Plug in the AC adapter.

4
4
2.2. Plug into an outlet. 2.3 Plug-in Internet cable.
2.4 Power on the device. 2.5 Connect to PredatorW6 Wi-Fi.
2.6 Important information is at the bottom of the device.

5
5
2.7 The device can be either setup via Predator Connect mobile App or the browser
web admin.
How to setup the router via Predator Connect Mobile App:
•Use a mobile device camera to scan the QR code below. Download the Predator Connect
mobile App via Play Store or App Store.
•Open the Predator Connect Mobile App and follow the steps for registering an
account. Go to your email inbox, review the registration email, and input the
4-digit registration code onto the mobile App. When the whole process is completed,
you will be automatically signed in.
•Enable the mobile Wi-Fi function and scan the device QR-code printed on the bottom label.
The default admin and Wi-Fi password will be automatically exported into the mobile app.
(SSID: PredatorW6-YYYY)
•Device setup completed.
Setup the router via browser:
•Please make sure that the wireless function on your laptop is already enabled.
•Check the device’s bottom label, and find the router’s default SSID (PredatorW6-YYYY)
and password and then connect.
•Open the browser on your laptop/desktop, input the device web admin URL:
http://acer-connect.com or IP: http://192.168.76.1
•The device will automatically redirect to a quick setup wizard. Follow the easy 1-2-3 steps
and get ready to access the internet.
Note: The admin login password requires modification within the setup wizard for
first-time use. Please create a strong password and keep it in a safe place. (New
password cannot be the same as the prior one.)
Note: The router web admin portal will automatically lock after five consecutive
incorrect attempts. You have to power cycle the router to unlock the web admin.
Note: The SSID Wi-Fi password can’t be the same as the admin login password.

6
6
Both App & browser can help router to do quick setup. Web UI can execute all
functions and settings of router. Mobile App allows the user to remotely control some
functions of the router and receive notifications.
3.
Initial Configuration
Please log in to the Predator Connect W6 Web Portal (http://acer-connect.com
or IP: http://192.168.76.1) by using the current valid Admin password. You can
select the language of Web UI by clicking on the drop-down arrow.
Enter the login password to see the dashboard and other settings of your
Predator Connect W6. The router will automatically guide you step by step on
how to set up and configure internet access and basic network settings.
You can scan the QR code (on the login screen using your Android mobile or
iPhone) to download the mobile app and manage your router remotely.

7
7
4. Dashboard
Once you have successfully logged in, the following key information will be
displayed on the Predator Connect W6 dashboard.

8
8
Connection Status: shows the
current connection status of
Internet.
WAN Status: shows WAN
connectivity and Download/Upload
speed and WAN IP.
System Uptime: shows the system
Uptime since the last reboot.
Wi-Fi Status: shows the number of
wireless client devices connected
with 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz bands.
LAN Status: quickly indicates the
status of LAN ports. Predator
Connect W6 has one WAN port,
one Game port and three LAN ports
i.e. LAN 1, LAN 2, LAN 3.
The “icon”(at the far right) represents
the number of devices connected
to the W6 router. Clicking on this icon
will display the table shown below.
Connected Devices : shows
how many client’s devices are
connected with your Predator
Connect W6 through Wi-Fi or LAN.
You can also modify the device
name by clicking on the pencil icon.
This tab displays the client device
name, the IP address allocated by the
router, MAC address, mode of
connection (whether the device is
connected with the router through
Ethernet or Wi-Fi), and the duration of
device connectivity with the router.
You can even block the device from
accessing the Internet by clicking
on the “block” button.

9
9
Network Traffic: helps indicate real
time status of the Download (DL)
and Upload (UL) speeds across the
WAN.
Network Speed Test:
1) Powered by Ookla. A push of the
“GO” button tests the speed of
the WAN connectivity.
2) You can even manually select
the server option. Click on
the dropdown arrow and it will
display the available servers.
3) Clicking the “Go” Button will test
the network speed and display
the results as shown in the
image below.
It will test and clearly show the
network download and upload speed
in Mbps, ping rate, and jitter in
milliseconds.
After getting the speed test results,
you have the option to run the
speed test again.

10
10
5. Hybrid QoS
Hybrid QoS combines application priority and device priority. The Killer-Enabled
PC can set applications priority and send packets with DSCP values to the
Predator Connect W6 router, then the router will classify packets and set
priority for all different applications based on the below definition.
For non-Killer-Enabled devices, Predator Connect W6 can identify game
consoles, streaming devices, computers, smartphones, and IoT devices in the
network and allocate them a priority group according to the default settings, or
the user can manually set priority for devices connected to the router.
*Note: Device identification requires the network security engine option
enabled.
Application-based QoS* priority: (Enabled by default)
*Note: Application Priority will use the DSCP value in the IP header for packet
classification. Laptop/desktop with KillerTM embedded traffic priorities in four
grades by application. I.e. Extreme (Games), High (Streaming), Normal
(Browsing), Low (Download).
Device priority:
Note 1: Game console device is set to default extreme priority whether
connected by wired Ethernet or by wireless. The connected device via game
port will also get extreme priority.
Note 2: You may drag and drop connected clients into the desired priority level.
The change is effective immediately.

11
11
For the upload and download bandwidth configuration, please contact your
ISP to get the exact value of the upload and download bandwidth. Once the
bandwidth is configured, QoS will reserve the bandwidth according to the
weighting percentage of each priority queue.
You may select “use default configuration” and click on “Apply bandwidth”. you
can select “setting Otherwise, manually” and enter the required upload and
download bandwidth with priority weighting.
You can select GeForce NOW option to enable optimized performance for
GeForce NOW gaming clients without bandwidth limitation or NAT acceleration.
Note: TrendMicro engine will be stopped.
For enabling router maximum performance with NAT acceleration and without
bandwidth limitation, please select the option “ Max Throughput ” in this case.

12
12
6. Quick Setup
The Predator Connect W6 can
operate as a standalone Wi-Fi
router, Bridge, or establish a Mesh
network. Please select a mode
which this device will operate in:
1) Router Mode
2) Mesh Controller
3) Mesh Agent
4) Bridge mode
In Router mode , plug one end of the
RJ-45 cable into your DSL or cable
modem and the other end into
Predator Connect W6d’s WAN port.
Connect your device to Predator
Connect W6d via Wi-Fi or LAN cable.

13
13
6.1 How to create a Mesh network
To create a mesh network,
set one router as a Mesh controller
(A) and set another router as a Mesh
agent (B)
Note: To keep a better performance,
please be aware that a controller could
only have 3 agents under its network.
For the fourth agent, it will be
performed factory reset after
connecting to the mesh network and
switched back to router mode
automatically.
Following are the steps to create a
Mesh network;
1. Go to quick setup and set the main
router as Mesh controller.
2. Power on the other Predator
router and set it as Mesh Agent.
3. Place both routers close to each
other.
There are two ways to onboard an
agent to a Mesh network.
I. Press the WPS button on both
devices for 2 seconds at the
same time.
II. Connect agent to the controller
via LAN cable.
If the agent onboard to a controller
successfully, the LED will be
breathing blue, otherwise, LED will
become solid red color.

14
14
Power off the agent device, move it
to another place, and then power ON.
Then observe the agent’s LED color.
(Agent’s LED color shows RSSI
indication between a controller and
agent.
The Blue color means RSSI is good,
Green color means RSSI is normal,
Orange color means RSSI is poor,
Red color means disconnected.
6.1.1 Mesh Topologies
Following are the mesh topologies:
• Topology – One agent
• Start topology – 3 agents
• Daisy chain topology – 2 agents
• Daisy chain topology – 3 agents
• Tree topology – 3 agents
Topology – One Agent
In one agent topology, a controller is
connected with one agent, and the medium
between a controller and the agent can be
wireless or wired connectivity.
Yellow color line indicates the poor signal
strength between a controller and the
agent, so it is recommended to place an
agent close to the controller.
Star topology – 3 agents
In start topology of 3 agents, a
controller is simultaneously connected
with three agents, and the medium
between a controller and the agents
can be wireless or wired connectivity.

15
15
Daisy Chain topology – 2 agents
In daisy chain topology of 2 agents, a
controller is connected with agent 2,
and the agent 3 is connected with
the agent 2, making a chain topology.
Medium between the agents and the
controller can be wireless or wired
connectivity.
Blue color line indicates a good signal
strength.
Daisy Chain topology – 3 agents
In daisy chain topology of 3 agents, a
controller is connected with agent 2,
agent 3 is connected with agent 2, and
last agent is connected with agent 3,
making a chain topology of 3 agents.
Medium between a controller
and the agents can be wireless or wired
connectivity.
Blue color line indicates a good signal
strength.

16
16
Tree topology – 3 agents
In tree topology of 3 agents, a
controller is directly connected
with two agents; whereas a third
agent (Agent 3) is connected with
agent 2, making a tree topology.
Medium between a controller and
the agents can be wireless or wired
connectivity.
Agent connected via Wi-Fi
In this topology, a controller is
wirelessly connected with the two
agents; whereas the third agent
(Agent 3) is connected with agent 2
through wired connectivity.
Yellow color line indicates a poor
signal strength, and the blue color
line indicated a good signal strength.
Agent information
From this tab, you can see the
agent’s information including:
1) Location
2) Model number
3) IP address
4) Serial number
5) Firmware version
6) Devices connected with the agent
7) Agent backhaul connectivity.

17
17
There are some limitations in our mesh which are listed below:
I.
Due to the adoption of front-haul and backhaul sharing bandwidth to
connect various nodes in the Mesh network, if the Mesh agent is in a
daisy-chain configuration, each layer of connected nodes needs to
simultaneously handle communication with both upper-layer nodes and
lower-level devices. As a result, the available bandwidth speed will be
halved and evenly distributed. Based on this limitation, we recommend that
users assemble the Mesh network using Ethernet cables to connect the
nodes. This will avoid rate loss due to shared bandwidth (achieving
lossless conditions). If users must connect the nodes wirelessly, we
suggest forming a star topology network to prevent significant rate
reduction caused by multi-tiered connections.
II. All client devices connect to the Mesh network through the front-haul interface of
each node, while the connection between nodes relies on the backhaul bandwidth
to reach the controller and then access the Internet. In other words, the speed at
which clients connect to the Internet cannot exceed the backhaul bandwidth. Users
can configure their preferred band for the backhaul using the GUI. Here are the
maximum rates achievable when using each band as backhaul:
- 6GHz with 160MHz bandwidth: DL1201Mbps/UL1201Mbps (default using the
maximum available 6GHz bandwidth).
- 5GHz with 80MHz bandwidth: DL1201Mbps/UL1201Mbps (default using 5GHz
bandwidth to avoid DFS radar interference or CAC connection wait).
- 2.4GHz with 20MHz bandwidth: DL286Mbps/UL286Mbps (default using 2.4GHz
bandwidth to avoid interference from neighboring 40MHz bandwidth signals)
III. Limitations of the W6 series Mesh: A maximum of one controller + three
agents are allowed. Products that can act as controllers: Predator Connect
X5/W6/W6d, Acer Connect Vero W6m. Products that can act as agents:
Predator Connect W6/W6d, Acer Connect Vero W6m. Users will be
reminded to avoid adding a fourth agent. When a user attempts to add a
fourth agent, the fourth agent will be forcibly factory reset to the router
state. The more agent nodes connected, the more devices share the
bandwidth. Particularly in daisy-chain topology networks, we recommend
keeping the number of agents connected to three or fewer.
IV. All devices are factory-defaulted as routers. Users can change the device
role (e.g., Mesh controller, Mesh agent, or bridge) through Quick Setup.
V. Once a device has been set as a Mesh controller, Mesh agent, or bridge,
changing the device role requires restoring the device to its factory settings
before the role change can be made. Note: When the current device is a
router, it can be changed to other roles such as Mesh controller, agent, or
bridge (using GUI operation mode or Quick Setup).
VI. Currently, only the controller supports Guest & Smart Home Wi-Fi, while it
cannot be used in agent nodes. Agent nodes will not have any Guest &
Smart Home Wi-Fi options.

18
18
VII. Mesh supports WPS Onboarding, but in cases where connection is
hindered due to environmental interference, it's recommended to move the
agent closer to the controller, or restore the device to its factory default
settings and follow the Quick Setup process to reconfigure the agent.
Alternatively, you can perform the setup steps via Ethernet connection.
VIII. If the Mesh Wi-Fi SSID or password is changed in an existing Mesh
network, agents will apply the new configuration after the synchronization
process is done. If the agent does not apply the new configuration
successfully or the agent is in the offline status, it must go through the
onboarding process with the controller again. This is necessary for the
updated SSID or password to be applied to these agents.
In bridge mode , plug one end of the
RJ-45 cable into your host router and
the other end into Predator Connect
W6’s WAN port.
Please note that after switching to
bridge mode, disable the DHCP
server. Some functions like Home
network priority, Hybrid QoS, Guest
Wi-Fi, Smart Home Wi-Fi, IPv6, DMZ,
Firewall, NAT, pass-through, port
forwarding, VPN, WAN ping, WAN
setting etc. may not work.
To access Predator Connect W6’s
web portal in a bridge mode, it is
recommended using a static IP.

19
19
7. WAN
7.1 WAN Status
This tab provides information
about WAN connectivity status
and the following key information:
• Time duration
(format HH:MM:SS)
• MAC address
• Connection Mode: DHCP,
Static IP, PPPoE, etc.
• IP address
• Subnet mask
• Default gateway
• Primary & Secondary DNS server
7.2 WAN Setting:
On this page, you can set up
Ethernet WAN connection
mode to DHCP, Static IP,
PPPoE or switch WAN port
to LAN, depending on your
connection usage. Click on
down arrow to reveal the
drop-down the menu to select
your preferred WAN settings.
You can select “Switch WAN port to LAN (Switch/Bridge mode)”, if you are using
the router in bridge mode in which the port is not required. As a result, you can
have one more LAN port.
Note: After switching to Bridge mode,
1) Please disable the DHCP Server on the Predator Connect W6 according to
your network topology.
2) Some functions may not work as how it does in router mode. E.g. Home
network security, Hybrid QoS, Guest Wi-Fi, Smart Home Wi-Fi, IPv6, DMZ,
Firewall, NAT pass-through, Port forwarding, VPN, WAN ping, WAN setting.
3) To access Predator Connect W6’s web portal, it is recommended to set up IP
under your client network device and connect to W6 via Ethernet cable. The
LAN gateway of W6 should also be configured as the client network device’s
gateway and DNS server.

20
20
7.3 DMZ
DMZ is physical or logical
subnetwork that contains
and exposes the firm’s facing
services to an untrusted,
usually larger, network
such as the Internet.
If external users can't access
certain network services
provided by the Local Area
Network (LAN), use the DMZ
function to set the client that
provides the required network
services as the DMZ host. The
host IP address needs to be
entered and then external users
will have access to all services.
7.4 WAN Ping
By enabling this feature, WAN
port of Predator Connect W6
will respond to ping requests
that are sent to the WAN IP
address from the Internet.
For better security, keep the
feature turned OFF, and the
device will not respond to a
WAN ping.
7.5 Firewall
Setup firewall rule to accept or
drop network requests from
Internet.
To set up a firewall, click
on (+) icon and enter the name,
source and destination port and
IP address, protocol, target and
status info.