Acer Predator Connect T7 mesh router review: Expensive and outclassed

Acer is a name you don’t often associate with wireless routers, but the company does have a small lineup. With the industry having largely transitioned to Wi-Fi 7, it’s natural that Acer would offer a router that supports the latest standard. The Predator Connect T7 definitely fits the bill.

It’s a tri-band gaming router that features RGB lighting and a sleek, white design. However, Predator Connect T7’s hardware doesn’t match its gaming aspirations or its lofty price tag.

Design of the Acer Predator Connect T7

Like many mesh routers on the market, the Predator Connect T7 has a tower-style design. It has a square base that measures 4.29 x 4.29 inches, and it’s 8.35 inches tall. The front of the router has a slim, vertical LED that illuminates blue when the router is online. The top of the router has ventilation slats and additional LEDs. These LEDs pulse blue when there’s internet connectivity, and red when there’s a problem with your connection.

The bottom of the router is unremarkable, save for a tiny switch that is used to power on/off the router and a pin-hole reset button (which will take the router back to the factory default mode). Moving to the back of the Predator Connect T7 is where the disappointment starts to settle in. The router features a single 2.5 Gbps WAN port, which is not auto-sensing; it is only usable for WAN purposes and cannot connect a capable wired device for LAN duties. Below the 2.5 Gbps WAN port are two 1 Gbps LAN ports, one of which is labeled as “Game.” Essentially, Acer prioritizes network traffic for games when using this port. There’s also a single USB-C port.

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However, we must consider that the Predator Connect T7 carries an MSRP of $329 for a single node. If you need two to cover your home, you’re looking at $630 for a tri-band Wi-Fi 7 mesh system that only has two 1 Gbps ports dedicated to LAN devices. That’s inexcusable at this price point. You’ll also see that the 1 Gbps limitation also comes into play later in our in-house iPerf3 performance testing.

One other thing to consider is that the Predator Connect T7 is marketed as a Wi-Fi 7 mesh router. However, Acer doesn’t currently sell the Predator Connect T7 in multi-pack configurations. Unlike almost every other router manufacturer, i.e., you can’t get a two- or three-pack with discounted pricing. Therefore, if you require a two-node system, you’ll need to pay $329 for each unit, without any discount.

Acer Predator Connect T7 Specifications

Setting up the Acer Predator Connect T7

The setup process for the Predator Connect T7 can be completed using the Acer Connect smartphone app (available for Android and iOS) or a desktop browser. I went through both workflows (with a factory reset in between) to get a sense of how they worked.

Using the smartphone app, I first needed to create an Acer account. Next, you tap the “+” button in the top right corner of the Acer Connect app, which brings you to a visual list of Acer’s wireless router family. I chose Predator Connect T7 and was asked if I wanted to set up the system as a standalone router or a mesh controller (for use in a mesh network). Since Acer provided me with two Predator Connect T7 review units, I opted to configure the first as a Mesh controller. After a few minutes, I was up and running. It was at this point that I performed a factory reset on the router and went through the setup process again using the desktop browser-based WebGUI.

Using this method, I connected to the router via our iPerf3 server, which was connected to one of the 1 Gbps LAN ports. I then logged into the router using the username and password printed on the bottom of the router. From here, the setup process was even quicker, as it automatically detected my internet connection and asked if I wanted to proceed directly to using the router. I obliged and was greeted with the router’s Dashboard. I then clicked on "System" from the left menu and chose "Mesh Controller" for the Operation Mode. The router then performed a reboot to confirm my selection.

My two Predator Connect T7 units came in individual retail boxes, not as a set. This means that they weren’t automatically paired with each other; I had to tackle this process on my own. Unfortunately, it’s not very straightforward. With most modern routers, you can easily add a new satellite to your existing network. Typically, you turn on the satellite and add it using a smartphone app or the router’s web GUI on a desktop browser.

However, with the second Predator Connect T7 node, I had to repeat the entire setup process. This time, I connected to the second node wirelessly using the SSID/password located on the bottom of the unit. I then fired up my web browser and logged in using the administrator username and password. I again had to click on System, but this time, I selected Mesh Agent, and the unit rebooted. Acer next requires that you simultaneously press the WPS button on both nodes for two seconds and then release to begin the pairing process. I overlooked this step at first, so I had to unplug the second Predator Connect T7 from my usual downstairs (living room) testing spot and plug it in next to the main router.

Once it booted, I pressed and released the WPS buttons. After about a minute, the two wireless nodes confirmed that they had paired, as the LEDs on top of both units were gently pulsing blue. I then unplugged the second node, took it back downstairs, and then plugged it back in at my usual testing spot.

It's a cumbersome process that Acer should work to improve – or at least provide customers with two- or three-packs that come pre-paired.

Acer Predator Connect T7 Software

The main Dashboard for the Predator Connect T7 provides a wealth of information. At the top, you'll find your current internet connection status, along with a link to obtain a SpeedTest result. You'll also see current traffic over the WAN. Directly below is a visual representation of your Mesh topology, along with the connection status between the two wireless nodes. According to the Dashboard, the secondary node has a Multi-Link Operation (MLO) connection to the main router with "Normal" signal strength.

At the bottom, you'll see the number of wireless devices connected, current router uptime, and which LAN/WAN ports are active. You can also view the Guest network status and which wireless bands are enabled. By default, the Predator Connect T7 has Band Steering enabled, meaning that the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands are all combined under a single SSID (in this case, T7_Mesh_hIrv), and clients will automatically connect to the optimum band to join. An MLO network is separately available (T7_Mesh_MLO).

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Here's another peculiarity I encountered: I couldn’t find a setting in the WebGUI to turn off band steering. However, the setting is available using the smartphone app. When Band Steering is disabled, you can set the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands to each have its own SSID.

Going down the left menu bar, the next stop is Hybrid QoS, which automatically prioritizes data packets for devices equipped with Killer network cards. Even if you don't have a device that can take advantage of Killer prioritization, the Predator Connect T7 can still identify different classes of devices and deliver packets from high priority to low priority: Games, Streaming, Browsing, or Low.

You can choose to use this Hybrid QoS or Max Throughput (enabled by default)

Quick Setup allows you to configure the node in Router, Mesh Controller, or Mesh Agent mode. WAN provides typical settings, including firewall control, the ability to disable or enable UPnP, access to NAT passthrough (for example, if you have an ISP-supplied modem/router gateway), and port forwarding (among other settings). Wi-Fi allows you to set a specific SSID for each wireless band or rely on Band Steering to combine all bands under a single SSID. LAN settings provide the status of connected ports, while IPv6 offers multiple controls for IP assignments.

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Home Network Security is a complimentary service offered to Predator Connect T7 users, powered by Trend Micro – you don’t have to pay a monthly or yearly subscription like some other routers. It gives you access to malicious site blocking, network attack blocking, and IoT security protection. They can all be turned on or off all at once, or you can enable only the features you want. There are also comprehensive Parental Controls within this menu.

While testing, I encountered some software issues. Settings configured with the WebGUI would sometimes not show up in the smartphone app. Or I’d sometimes make a change with the smartphone app, and it wouldn’t propagate to the router at all. Rebooting the router would resolve the issue, but I haven’t encountered this problem with the smartphone apps for other mesh routers.

Acer Predator Connect T7 Performance

To say that I was disappointed in the two 1 Gbps LAN ports, especially at this price point, is an understatement. We use the fastest LAN port on the wireless router to connect to our in-house iPerf3 server for wireless throughput tests. Given the 1 Gbps limitation, we observed speeds of no more than the high 900 Mbps range for the Predator Connect T7, even on the 6 GHz band. Even when attempting to run the iPerf3 tests on the test server, using each with a Wi-Fi 7 PCIe card connected via the 6 GHz band, I observed speeds of no more than 1.03 Gbps.

We use an MSI Pro B650M-A Wi-Fi motherboard, AMD Ryzen 5 7600 processor, 32GB of DDR5 memory, a 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD, an MSI Herald-BE Wi-Fi 7 adapter, and Windows 11 Home (with all of the most recent Windows Updates applied) as our wireless client. The server is a Windows 11 machine with a 10 Gbps network card built into the motherboard, connected to the 1 Gbps LAN port on the Predator Connect T7.

All iPerf3 tests are conducted at distances of six feet and 25 feet, with and without network traffic. In the congested traffic tests, we add six wireless clients streaming 4K YouTube videos and 4K Disney+ content evenly across all bands.

Although the Predator Connect T7 was configured with Band Steering to allow each client to connect to the optimum band, I used the advanced setting in Windows 11 for the Wi-Fi 7 PCIe card to manually connect to the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands for each test.

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Due to the limitation of 1 Gbps LAN ports, I saw a maximum of 944 Mbps in iPerf3 on the 6 GHz band. To put that in perspective, this was half the performance of the Netgear Orbi 870 and Asus ZenWiFi BT8. The TP-Link Deco BE68 was three times as fast. At long range (25 feet), the Predator Connect T7 closed the gap with the other contenders, although it still trailed the third-place ZenWiFi BT8 by over 160 Mbps.

Performance on the 5 GHz band was also subpar. Even though the other three competitors easily surpassed 1 Gbps, the Predator Connect T7 couldn't even achieve half that amount. Ideally, the router should have achieved maximum throughput from the 1 Gbps LAN port, as it did during the 6 GHz test.

2.4 GHz performance was more or less in line with the other routers, achieving 100 Mbps at 6 feet and 61 Mbps at 25 feet.

Performance with congested traffic mirrored that of the uncongested tests, with the Predator Connect T7 occupying a space at the rear of the pack in all the tests (except the 2.4 GHz congested tests).

Bottom Line

Although it’s billed as a gaming router, it’s hard to feel excited about Acer providing just two 1 Gbps LAN ports for devices. For $329 per node, I’d expect at least one 5 Gbps (or 10 Gbps) LAN port along with two 2.5 Gbps ports. 1 Gbps ports are likely a non-starter for a lot of enthusiasts, especially given that many enthusiast-class desktop motherboards are coming with 2.5 Gbps LAN ports at a minimum.

We also encountered software bugs, where settings wouldn’t sync between the app and the desktop WebGUI. The process for adding a satellite is more complex than that of competing mesh routers. Additionally, Acer doesn’t currently offer the Predator Connect T7 in discounted multi-pack sets. If you want a two-node system, you must pay the full $329 price twice. Even if we disregard the performance limitations, the pricing is a significant downer for the Predator Connect T7.

For $699, you can get a TP-Link Deco BE68 (3-pack) that would absolutely blow the doors off the Predator Connect T7 ($660 for two units), and you’d have even greater coverage. Better yet, the Deco BE68 includes 10 Gbps WAN/LAN port, a 1 Gbps WAN/LAN port, and a 2.5 Gbps LAN port per node. If you don’t need three nodes, a Deco BE65 Pro (2-pack) will cost you just $349.99, which is just $20 more than the cost of one Predator Connect T7. The Deco BE65 Pro will give you two 5 Gbps and one 2.5 Gbps auto-sensing LAN/WAN port(s).

No matter how you slice it, it’s hard to recommend the Predator Connect T7.