How can I setup a Mesh newtork with my Predator Connect W6 router?
To create a mesh network, set one router as a Mesh controller (A) and set another router as a Mesh agent (B)
Note: For best performance, please be aware that a controller should only have 3 agents under its network. If you add a fourth agent, it will perform a factory reset after connecting to the mesh network and switch back to router mode automatically.
Use the following steps to create a mesh network:
- Go to quick setup and set the main router as Mesh controller.
- Power on the other Predator router and set it as Mesh Agent.
- Place both routers close to each other.
There are two ways to onboard an agent to a Mesh network.
- Press the WPS button on both devices for 2 seconds at the same time.
- Connect the agent to the controller via LAN cable.
If the agent onboards to the controller successfully, the LED will be breathing blue, otherwise, the LED will become solid red.
Power off the agent device, move it to some other place and then power it ON. Then observe the agent’s LED color. (Agent’s LED color shows RSSI indication between controller and agent.
Blue: RSSI is good
- Green: RSSI is normal,
- Orange: RSSI is poor,
- Red: disconnected.
Mesh Topologies
• Topology – One agent
• Star 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.
Star topology – 3 agents
In star topology of 3 agents, the controller is simultaneously connected with three agents, and the medium between a controller and the agents can be wireless or wired connectivity.
Daisy Chain topology – 2 agents
In the daisy chain topology of 2 agents, the controller is connected with agent 1,
and agent 1 is connected with the agent 2, making a chain topology.
Medium between the agents and the controller can be wireless or wired connectivity.
The blue color line indicates a good signal strength.
Daisy Chain topology – 3 agents
In a daisy chain topology of 3 agents, the controller is connected with agent 1, agent 2 is connected with agent 1, and last agent 3 is connected with agent 2, making a chain topology of 3 agents.
Tree topology – 3 agents
In the tree topology of 3 agents, the 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 WiFi
In this topology, a controller is wirelessly connected with the agent and the blue color line indicates a good signal strength.
Agent information
From this tab, you can see the agent’s information including:
- Location
- Model number
- IP address
- Serial number
- Firmware version
- Devices connected with the agent
- Agent backhaul connectivity.
There are some limitations in our mesh which are listed below:
- 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.
- 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)
- 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/W6m, Acer Connect Vero W6m. Products that can act as agents: Predator Connect W6/W6m, 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 are 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.
- All devices are factory-defaulted as routers. Users can change the device role (e.g., Mesh controller, Mesh agent, or bridge) through Quick Setup.
- 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).
- Currently, only the controller supports Guest & smart Home WiFi, while it cannot be used in agent nodes. Agent nodes will not have any Guest & smart Home WiFi options.
- 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 an Ethernet connection.
- If the Mesh WiFi 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 W6m’s WAN port.
Connect your device to Predator Connect W6m via WiFi or LAN cable.
Please note that after switching to bridge mode, disable the DHCP server. Some functions like Home network priority, Hybrid QoS, Guest WiFi, Smart Home WiFi, IPv6, DMZ, Firewall, NAT, pass-through, port forwarding, VPN, WAN ping, WAN setting etc. may not work.
To access the Predator Connect web portal in a bridge mode, it is recommended using a static IP.
How to switch out of Mesh configuration
To switch back out of Mesh configuration, you will need to factory reset your router. Use the instructions below to perform a factory reset.
- There is a RESET hole beside the WPS button on the router. Insert a paper clip or similar object into the hole.
- Press and hold the RESET button for about 10 seconds until the LED starts blinking white. The factory default is restored when the main LED (the Predator logo in the middle of the router) gradually transitions between dim and bright (WAN connected).
- Then log in to the web admin portal with the admin password printed on the label at the bottom of the router.
