FutureFive New Zealand - Consumer technology news & reviews from the future
Story image
Acer, Qualcomm unveil world's first 5G Wi-Fi 7 gaming router
Tue, 9th Jan 2024

In collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, Acer is launching two new routers, including the world's first 5G Wi-Fi 7 Gaming Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), it announced on 7th January. This will provide lightning-fast speeds and low network latency with the new Predator Connect T7 Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Router for wireless gaming.

The Predator Connect X7 5G CPE incorporates products from Qualcomm Technologies and combines Wi-Fi 7 and 5G connectivity for maximum throughput, providing network latencies as low as 1 ms. On the other hand, the Predator Connect T7 Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Router delivers fast and reliable wireless network connections with Wi-Fi 7 and support for Qualcomm Multi-Link Mesh technology.

Both routers feature Hybrid QoS software, are compatible with Intel Killer Prioritization Engine, and support Multi-Link operation. This increases bandwidth and throughput, thus enhancing network reliability. Acer's collaboration with Qualcomm leverages the power of Qualcomm's Immersive Home Platform and tri-band Wi-Fi 7 to provide stable connections and enhance wireless gameplay.

Wayne Ma, General Manager, Connectivity, Acer, commented, "We are excited to announce the latest Predator routers with 5G and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity options, empowering gamers to take their gameplay to new heights. Thanks to Qualcomm's Immersive Home Platform and quad-core processors, the new Predator routers bring next-level performance and speed output to a wider range of players and gaming environments."

Rahul Patel, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Connectivity Broadband and Networking at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., also noted the significance of the collaboration, stating, "Qualcomm Technologies is pleased to collaborate with Acer, bringing a full suite of advanced connectivity technologies to bear spanning 5G, Wi-Fi 7 and Mesh Networking. Together, these are essential technologies for next-gen gaming and will thrill users with their immersive and responsive gaming experiences."

The new Wi-Fi 7 Predator routers considerably improve upon previous models, offering users double the speed of Wi-Fi 6, along with significant reductions in latency, improved interference management, high bandwidth and consistent performance for connected devices, thanks to Qualcomm Technologies' wireless innovations.

The Predator Connect X7 5G CPE serves as the first to combine 5G and Wi-Fi 7 tri-band BE11000 throughput, offering 3.5 Gbps over 5G with a very low latency of 1 ms. The Predator Connect T7 Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Router, supporting Wi-Fi 7 tri-band throughput, can pair with BE11000 and can integrate effortlessly with multi-unit mesh systems, offering reliable whole home coverage.

Both new Predator gaming routers boast compatibility with the Intel Killer Prioritization Engine and network acceleration. This provides advanced network data detection and optimal prioritisation for various games, apps and websites. With Multi-Link Mesh, gamers are able to use multiple access points to form a unified network, ensuring efficient Wi-Fi across larger spaces.

The Predator routers also include network security features. The routers come with the Trend Micro Home Network Security engine built-in, helping protect networked devices from potential attacks and examining network traffic. Gamers are given complete control over the routers through the Acer Predator Connect utility app and can monitor network signal strength through the Predator logo's multi-colour lighting indicator located at the top of the devices.

Exact specifications, prices, and availability of the Predator Connect routers will vary by region.