![[Cover] Best WiFi Router for Gaming](https://www.techlifeland.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Cover-Best-WiFi-Router-for-Gaming-1024x683.jpg)
Got your hands on the new Dell Alienware to play games? Or an Xbox One? While you will love play everything from Overwatch to Call of Duty, don’t miss out on getting the right gaming router.
If you are an avid gamer, it can become annoying to experience lags. A delay in gameplay of even a few microseconds can make you lose to your competitor.
While having the right gaming equipment can ensure you a better gaming experience, there is another important thing you shouldn’t forget – your internet bandwidth. Depending on the type of game you are playing, for instance, you may need different minimum gaming speeds. Your normal router may be unable to prioritize your gaming needs, but that is where a gaming router steps in. Whether you are playing on your laptop, PC or your console, you need good gaming speeds.
It’s why you need to look for a good “QoS” or ‘Quality of Service” algorithm on your router, which always places your gaming need above other activities. Some of these gaming routers even provide a ‘geo-filter’ feature which ensures that when you play multiplayer games, you are always using servers closest to you in terms of geographical location. This guarantees the lowest ping, thereby less lags.
Along with an astute understanding of your network traffic and appealing aesthetic design, the gaming router provides the solution to all worries of slow processing, common with a standard router. Use it to enjoy the gaming experience on the PS4, Xbox One or your PC.
If you are confused among the many options in the market, read on to know our top picks.
Quick Picks
Top 5 Best Routers For Gaming: Product Review
Wi-Fi routers for gaming are meant to prioritise gaming over everything else and ensure that you get a smooth experience with constant internet connectivity. Here are the best of these routers.
#1. NETGEAR Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500 – The Popular Choice of the Avid Gamer
- Minimize ping and maximize performance with four 1 Gigabit Ethernet ports for lag free, wired connectivity and 1.7 GHz...
- Amp up your Wi-Fi with AC2600 dual band router that delivers blazing fast speeds up to 2.6 Gbps
- Put your gaming traffic in a designated express lane with advanced quality of service, bypassing network congestion and...
This gaming router is everything you have been wanting for your gaming experience. Powered by a1.7 GHz dual core processor, it’s got 4 ethernet ports of 1 Gigabit each, it can never fail your expectations for lag- free wired connectivity.
Its Quality of Service algorithm is exemplary, providing your gaming device the required priority and bypassing all congestion in network traffic. Never have to worry about glitches while you are connected to this router.
The geo filtering technology helps you connect to the nearest servers reducing ping, which translates to lesser lags and more gaming fun.
It also provides you with the feature to monitor the bandwidth usage on your network in real time. Get to know who is hogging your internet and for what.
This is a router that will allow you to transform your gaming and computing experience.
Pros
- Widens range of the Wi Fi
- Simple setup
- Boosts connectivity and speed
- Very stable. No frequent rebooting required.
Cons
- Does not interface smoothly with modem
#2. TP-LINK AC5400 Tri-Band Gaming Router – The Lightning Fast Router
- JD Power Award- Highest in customer satisfaction for wireless routers 2017 and 2019
- Wi-Fi Router Made for Gamers: Leading edge 1.8 GHz 64 bit Quad-core CPU and 1G RAM accelerates loading
- 8 Gigabit LAN ports and 1 Gigabit WAN port, with Link Aggregation, you can team two ports to double connection speed
The TP-LINK AC5400 is a powerful wireless router offering many benefits. Packed with a 1.8 GHz 64 bit Quad Core CPU, it sports a decent 1G RAM, helping you experience lightning fast internet and a gaming experience that can only be defined as extraordinary.
Wondering how this router manages to attain such fast speeds? The answer is its tri-band system. It dedicates an entire band from the Wi Fi to gaming. The other two bands can be dedicated to other traffic. This ensures that the entire network is channelled well.
In addition to being a solution for your lagging response rates, this is your safety wall as well. It has a built-in anti-virus that protects your device from all kinds of cyber threats, keeping your data safe.
While on the higher end of the cost spectrum, it is more of an investment than a purchase because of its versatility.
Pros
- No drops in connection
- Easy to configure Graphical User Interface
- Easy wireless connections
Cons
- Might have firmware issues.
#3. Linksys WRT AC3200 Dual-Band Open Source Router – The Flexible Router
- Fast wireless router provides Wi-Fi coverage for your home (works with existing modem)
- Open source firmware offers advanced customization; Certified operating systems: MacOS (10.X or higher), Windows 7,...
- Tri stream 160 technology doubles bandwidth from 80 MHz to 160 MHz
This Linksys AC3200 wireless router is aided by an open source firmware which makes it eligible to be customised. It has the Tri stream 160 technology which doubles the bandwidth from 80 MHz to 160 MHz. It also has the MU MIMO (Multiple User Multiple Input Multiple Output) system which means multiple devices can share the bandwidth and still get the same high internet speed.
To make things even simpler, it has an easy -to-access app that allows you to customise the router and the Wi Fi at any time.
The router even has a USB 3.0 port that allows you to plug in external storage devices and exchange data over the network. This is more than your regular router and you can have a lot more control over its configuration than any other router.
Pros
- Easily programmable
- Looks very sleek
- Provides lesser ping in all games.
Cons
- Frequent signal drops and instability
#4. ASUS ROG (AC2900) – The Versatile Gaming Router
- Triple-level game Accelerator - optimizes your online gaming packets all the way from your PC to the game server..Power...
- Geforce now recommended router – enjoy an unrivaled cloud gaming experience with no latency.
- Aimesh supported - works with Asus AiMesh compatible routers to create a powerful, flexible, seamless whole-home Wi-Fi...
The best thing about this wireless router is its Triple-level game accelerator, which is a guarantee that your game will not keep buffering when you are busy moving up levels.
This also works to protect your devices from internet threats and you can get a lifetime subscription to its anti-virus software free of cost.
This is one of the budget routers in the market and works quite well for heavy gaming. It will prevent lags and protect your network for an economical price. But it will also look great. This router is has the patent ASUS Aura lighting, which can be used to light up your gaming center or even be configured to display the status of your network. You can count on this router to be kind to your pocket and enable your gaming bug.
Pros
- Excellent traffic monitoring
- Enables a wide Wi Fi range
- Simple installation, easy to use
Cons
- GUI is slow to load
#5. ASUS RT-ACRH13 Dual-Band – The Best Gaming Router for your Budget
- Dual band AC1300 with the latest 2x2 MU MIMO technology for combined speeds of up to 1267 Mbps
- 4 external 5dBi antennas for improved Wi Fi range and multi device performance; Connected devices must be 802.11ac...
- Monitor and manage your network with ease from your mobile device using the intuitive ASUS Router App
It is an amazing router if you want an unobstructed gaming experience. It uses the 2×2 MU MIMO technology to provide combined speeds of up to 1267 Mbps. It 5dBi antennas are its handy tools to provide you with the maximum range of Wi Fi connectivity.
When you are done gushing over the speed and efficiency of the router, you can also get down to customising and managing it with the easy ASUS Router app. Not just internet, you can also share your data from all secondary storage devices by connecting them to the USB 3.0 port of the router.
Along with its ASUSWRT interface that makes setup child’s play, you can count on this router to make your gaming and internet experience ineffable and surprisingly swift. This is the kind of speed you should get used to while gaming.
Pros
- Simple interface
- Wide coverage of Wi Fi
- Stable connection
Cons
- The connection might lag when there are too many devices using the network.
Gaming Router Buying Guide
Before you go out to buy a router, assess our current situation with regard to the computer or gaming console that you own. The router has to be compatible with the specifications of your device so that it can run smoothly. You need to be wirelessly connect to it from your laptop, PC or your console in seconds.
What’s your internet speed?
Check whether you have a fast internet connection. Remember, your router works off the internet. If you do not have that your router would be useless.
Also, keep in mind how many devices are going to be using this network. Each router has a different capacity and you can decide the one you need based on how many devices you want connected to a single network.
How fast is the router processor?
Can your router work without a processor and RAM? Unlikely. These are the core components of your router. Do be sure to check their specifications before being enamoured by the design of the router. It is important to have the internal mechanism at its best before you go on to check other specs.
The kind of wireless standard (whether 802.11 ac or 802.11 ax) your router works on, will define the kind of performance you get. Make sure you choose one that is designed for the latest wireless standards.
What’s the network latency?
Another important criterion for evaluating the performance of your router is checking its network latency. This is the amount of time a data packet takes to go from the computer server to the game server. If this is not low, get ready to face a lot of lags and waiting time while playing your favourite game.
The multiple Wi-Fi connectivity of your router is the means through which it can transmit signals to multiple channels. The modern routers are capable of transmitting to three channels at a time. When you decide to invest in one, be sure to check this so that your money is well-spent.
Does it have enough ethernet ports?
An additional concern in your potential router could be with regard to the Gigabit Ethernet ports. If you have multiple wired devices, this could be a major concern in your router. Check how many such devices you have before you go out to buy one.
FAQs
This is the usual query by many regular gamers who are hesitant to put in so much money when they already have a router. Granted, a gaming router does not come cheap, but there is a reason why it does not. There is a world of difference in the gaming experience between using a normal router and installing a gaming one.
The work of a normal router is also to channelize your network traffic and provide the required connectivity to the devices that need it the most, but it is unable to figure out the priority needs of a gaming device. The gaming router, with its QoS algorithm does that. It gives the priority to your gaming and allows you to have a lag and buffer-free gaming experience.
The gaming router has also been attuned to ensure the right amount of internet distribution is done for every other kind of work as well. With its stable connection and wide range, the right kind of gaming router can dispel all your woes of a slow internet connection.
The answer is, yes. You will definitely find a world of difference between the normal router and the gaming router.
There are three ways of channelizing your router traffic-
– Based on service- Whether your game is video-based or app-based, you can simply name the service and the router will direct the internet.
– Based on network- The kind of connection for which you want priority is what you need to specify and the router will do that. Choose to prioritize your wireless connections or your wired ones. You get to decide and prioritize.
– Based on the address of the device- You can either use the IP address of your device to channel the router or you could use the MAC address for this.
It is easy to configure your router and choose which way you want to direct the internet. It is an easy way to ensure that something as heavily dependent on the internet gets the required speed.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking to enhance your gaming experience, a gaming router for your PC, Xbox One or PS4, is a very good Investment. There can be no fun in buying the latest gaming consoles when there is no internet to support the exhilaration of the game. The gaming router can bring about a major change in the speed of gaming and provide you with the required performance even with bulky games.
The options to choose from are many but the NETGEAR Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500 and the TP-LINK AC5400 Tri-Band Gaming Router are our clear favourites. There are others to choose from but remember to look at our buying guide before you decide to get one. Keep in mind your present devices and the requirements with those. Choose an economical option, but be sure to not be shocked by the prices because the best ones are higher up on the price scale. Nevertheless, they live up to their name and price. Think it through and choose a good one. You will not regret the switch to a gaming router.
Related Topics
- Best Gaming Router for Ps4
- Best Gaming Routers for Xbox One
- Best Gaming Monitors for PC
- Best Ethernet Cable for Gaming
- Best WiFi Adapter for Gaming
Sources:
- PcMag, The Best Gaming Routers
- Netgear, Gaming Wifi
- What Are Gaming Routers and Are They Worth Buying?
- PassTools, How to Reduce Lag and Increase Your Internet Speed for Gaming
- Highspeedinternet, How Much Speed You Need for Online Gaming
- PCGamer, How to set up your home network for optimal gaming performance
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