Acer Vero W6M Review: ‘Eco-friendly’ router is less green than promised | Tweakers

This is a shortened version of a review that appeared on Tweakers.

The Vero product line is a descendant of Acer’s Predator routers. The latter are aimed at gamers, while the Vero products are said to be greener than the average computer hardware. In this review we will of course examine whether that claim is correct. We also examine the other functions of the router, such as the software, setting options and WiFi speed.

Outwardly, Acer seems to be sticking to its environmentally friendly promise. The router is made of recycled plastic and feels sturdy. The Vero comes with an adapter and network cable. The adapter can supply a maximum of 36 W of power. That’s more than enough, since the Vero (hopefully) needs a lot less power.

Connections can be found on two sides of the device. On one side there is an on/off switch, (only) three network connections and a WAN port to which you can connect the modem. On the other side there is a power connection, reset button and WPS button. The latter can be used to quickly connect a device to the WiFi network.

The Vero can be managed in two ways: via the smartphone app or via the web interface. However, the possibilities via the app are less extensive than via the web. The former option makes it possible to manage Wi-Fi networks, activate parental control functions and change simple settings to improve internet quality, but it is also missing a lot.

You can go into great depth about setting up your router via the web. The menus are clearly laid out and the setting options are clear without hiding the advanced options. For example, there are excellent security options available, with which the router can automatically block malicious sites, among other things. The Quality of Service functions are also very extensive. This makes it possible to prioritize (or not) certain traffic, such as a specific program or device, so that you can improve the internet performance of important traffic. For example, if you’re playing a game, you can use this to ensure that the router prioritizes game traffic to avoid delays.

The parental control options leave much to be desired. For example, it is not possible to set a fixed schedule that blocks access to the internet at certain times. Also, users cannot install any other firmware on it. Handy users who would like to install additional software to customize their router from top to bottom should therefore skip the Acer for the time being.

We tested the router’s WiFi speeds and compared them to those of the similar TP-Link AXE75. We looked at the three available frequency bands: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz. In general, the higher frequencies can transfer data faster, but the range of the WiFi signal is somewhat smaller.

Moreover, the 6 GHz frequency band is not (yet) used much, which gives it an extra advantage if you live in a busy ‘Wi-Fi environment’, for example in an apartment with thin walls and ceilings and around neighbors. The lack of interference means you have a more stable connection with higher speeds than with the other frequencies. The 5 GHz band in particular is widely used in practice, which means that interference occurs more often. Your equipment must support this frequency. The latest smartphones and notebooks increasingly have 6 GHz support.

Because the network ports can transfer a maximum of 1 Gbit/s, there is little difference between the maximum achievable speeds of the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands. They are both close to 1 Gbit/s. At the 2.4 GHz frequency, the Vero achieves speeds of up to 233 Mbit/s. That is about the same as the TP-Link.

These throughput speeds are usually not achieved in practice, because there is often some degree of damping. Larger distances or walls cause the range to deteriorate. We tested how the routers perform at different attenuation strengths. It turns out that the AX75 generally performs better. With the TP-Link, more than 100 Mbit/s throughput is possible on the 5 GHz band from an attenuation of 50 dB, while the Vero is already virtually inaccessible. The Acer also has lower throughput speeds across the board on the 6 GHz band. At 2.4 GHz there is less difference. Both routers maintain a connection even with the highest attenuation of 64 dB.

However, the Vero generally handles noise better than the AX75. Noise occurs when several nearby wireless devices want to use the same Wi-Fi network. This happens, for example, in a small apartment; The router can become confused due to all the nearby WiFi connections of the other residents. The Vero is generally better at distinguishing noise from signal, as the throughput speed of Acer’s device does not decrease as much on average as with the TP-Link router.

Finally, we are still left with the question from the introduction: to what extent is the Vero really environmentally friendly? Although the device is promoted as a more environmentally responsible choice than other routers, this is not reflected in the energy consumption. The energy consumption of the device when idle is about average, while in active mode the router is a real biomass guzzler. With a maximum consumption of more than 20 W, the Vero is one of the least efficient routers we have tested so far.

We have mixed feelings about Acer’s Vero W6M router. The casing is sturdy and the software functions are fine, as long as you use the web interface instead of the smartphone app. There are also plenty of setting options, although there are fewer than with ASUS or Ubiquiti routers.

Although Acer advertises this router as an environmentally friendly device, this is not reflected in the housing. The energy consumption in particular is at odds with the green philosophy and seems more in line with a game router like the Acer Predator. The Wi-Fi performance loses out compared to the TP-Link Archer AXE75. The Vero only scores slightly better in terms of noise.

At a price of 149 euros, the Vero W6M is one of the cheaper routers with support for the 6 GHz frequency band. However, the AXE75 from TP-Link also offers 6 GHz support and is slightly cheaper at a price of 139 euros. In addition, the latter offers better performance and more setting options in many scenarios, especially in the area of ​​parental controls. If you live in a small apartment with a lot of noise from surrounding residents, the Vero may be a better choice.