Gaming Routers – The Doorway to An Awesome Gaming Experience
Be it mobile or PC games, gaming has a worldwide craze. One thing every hardcore gamer needs is uninterrupted internet connectivity, especially when it is a multiplayer game. For this very purpose tech companies came up with the idea of gaming routers. Come! Let us see what gaming routers are.
What Are Gaming Router?
As the name states, gaming routers are designed specifically for providing low ping and minimal lag during online gaming sessions. These offer faster connectivity to help you enjoy hours of your favorite games.
But, a common question that many router buyers have in mind is – What makes a gaming router different from ordinary router?
There are some features which make gaming routers different from ordinary routers. Read further to know more.
Awesome Gaming Router Features
A gaming router has some features in addition to that of a normal router. These include:
- Faster connection to online gaming servers
- Up-to-Date Wi-Fi standards
- Multiple antennas
- Additional ethernet ports
- Network prioritizing of gaming devices
- Integration with IoT devices
- IFTTT compatibility
- Support for open-source firmware
- Quality of Service
The main feature that makes gaming routers stand out from regular routers is Quality of Service (QoS).
What is Quality of Service?
Quality of Service refers to the efficiency at which the gaming router prioritizes the gaming traffic. It minimizes loss of packet data concerning sonline games. QoS also routes all incoming and outgoing internet traffic via a separate flow.
But, for you to have the ultimate gaming experience there are a couple of things to keep in mind when purchasing a gaming router.
Things to Consider When Buying a Gaming Router
Given below are 5 things to consider when you plan to invest in a gaming router.
1) Quality of Service (QoS)
Think of QoS as bandwidth management for the gaming router. It helps you prioritize and allocate devices as well as applications depending on your preference. This helps you get maximum network speed for gaming sessions. The majority of gaming routers have this feature in simple as well as in “gamified” form.
Having a gaming router with adaptive QoS helps you prioritize network activity. A good Quality of Service setup helps you enjoy gaming, stream videos, and download stuff.
2) Smooth User Interface
Invest in a gaming router that offers a smooth user-friendly interface. Some of the best gaming routers offer simple and advanced tabs depending on the user. You should look for one that offers a direct approach to the router settings.
Make sure the gaming router has the option to view network traffic, see the connected devices, and manage QoS settings. Some gaming routers have a smartphone app which you can install to manage your network from anywhere inside the house. In simple words, setting up a gaming router should not be a cumbersome task.
3) 802.11ac & Gigabit Ethernet Connection
A vast majority of gamers prefer routers that offers them the option of wired connection. The reason? There is minimal loss of signal and better speed. Moreover, a PC gamer would not move around the house while playing Red Alert.
But, still there is nothing wrong with gaming on a wireless network. At present, the majority of devices come with the 802.11ac standard. Think of the 802.11ac as Wireless Gigabit Ethernet. This standard promises a speed of 1Gbps (1000 Mbps) and above.
4) Dual/Tri-Band
Ever heard the terms 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz? These are the “bands” of an internet router. A dual-band gaming router supports both of these bandwidths. A Tri-Band gaming router covers 2.4 Ghz, 5 Ghz and an additional 60 Ghz bandwidth.
Depending on how you setup the router, you can connect manually to the 5 Ghz network. A major benefit of having more bands is it lets you split the network traffic. For example, you can optimize the network by giving preference to gaming devices to the 5 Ghz band. Rest you can allocate to the 2.4 Ghz.
5) High-Bandwidth Range
A common misconception amongst many gaming enthusiasts is – Purchasing a faster router equals faster connection speed. You would never get faster speed than what you are paying the ISP (Internet Service Provider) for.
If you want to transfer heavy files like regular game updates or patches then you need a router that can perform both tasks with ease. Keep in mind to look for the maximum bandwidth a gaming router has to offer. For example, if you plan online games for the majority of time then always choose a Tri-Band gaming router.
Following the tips mentioned above will help you get the best gaming router.
That said, let us take a sneak peak at some of the best gaming routers of 2022.
Best Gaming Routers of 2022
Given below are the 3 best gaming routers you can buy to up the gaming session this year.
1. ASUS RT-AX88U
The ASUS RT-AX88U is one powerhouse of a gaming router. It comes with next-gen Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) technology. This gaming router has eight Gigabit Ethernet ports and supports link aggregation.
You have the user-friendly AsusWRT interface that offers smooth control of the entire router. It also comes packed with the leading QoS with Trend Micro Antivirus security and WTFast GPN.
ASUS RT-AX88U is a dual-band gaming router. It offers you 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz bandwidth. The 5 Ghz speed is where this gaming router beats everything else.
2. Netgear Nighthawk XR700
Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700 is a strong contender among every other gaming router. The XR700 has all the right ingredients for it to be the favorite of gaming community. It comes with one WAN and six LAN ports for powerful wired connectivity.
Nighthawk Pro is packed with 10 Gigabit LAN SFP+ port for unrestricted Ethernet bandwidth. It is the best combination of 802.11ac and 802.11 ad technology. Another major highlight of this gaming router is the Duma OS which has Geo-Filter to help you connect to the closest gaming server.
The XR700 comes with granular controls for the bandwidth. It helps you choose which device receives the maximum bandwidth and which does not. Overall, it is a strong contentder for an all-round performer as far as gaming is concerned.
3. TP-Link Archer C5400X
TP-Link has come up with a high-end gaming router – the TP-Link Archer C5400X. It wins the race when it comes to 5GHZ range at which it outperforms the competition. This gaming router offers a smooth user-interface with features including managing QoS, advanced network security, and the option to blacklist certain devices.
At 2.4GHZ band the TP-Link Archer delivers 117 Mbps and 112 Mbps. Meanwhile, at 5GHz it perfoms extremely well by touching 344 Mbps and 347 Mbps.
If you want to up the gaming hours without any connectivity issues, choose from any of the gaming routers mentioned above.
Conclusion
Though ordinary routers can help get the job done when it comes to gaming. But you need uninterrupted network connectivity during an online gaming session with friends. For this, you should choose a gaming router keeping the points mentioned above in mind.