game wi fi

If you're a PC-gaming enthusiast, you know about tốc độ. Gaming rigs are good only if they're tricked out with the latest and fastest CPUs, lots of memory, the quickest solid state drive (SSD), and, of course, the best graphics cards. But while that combination will definitely give you a fast machine, online gaming performance can still be hampered if it's connected vĩ đại a crowded network with an mạng internet connection controlled by an overburdened or old-fashioned wireless router. Plus, trang chủ networks are more taxed phàn nàn ever, now that so sánh many folks are working from trang chủ. So if game performance is important vĩ đại you, it's well worth your time vĩ đại take a close look at optimizing your network.

Start with what's connected. A whole family's worth of gear can mean oodles of phones, tablets, TVs, streaming video/music devices, and smart trang chủ gear all connecting to—and hammering—the beleaguered household router. (It's not an exaggeration that some households will have dozens of devices.) Any online gamers in the house must compete for that router's bandwidth with not only everyone else but also all those smart devices. And that can lead vĩ đại unpredictable, often subpar, performance.

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Now, on a basic level, many routers, even those we classify as budget routers, offer Quality of Service (QoS) settings that let you give priority vĩ đại devices or applications that require lots of bandwidth. But not many of them offer the gamer-centric settings and optimizations that you get with a dedicated gaming router. If network lag is messing with your game, read on vĩ đại find out which gaming routers we recommend. After the list of top picks, we'll go into more detail about how vĩ đại choose the one that best suits your household, your play style, and your budget.

Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks

Buying Guide: The Best Gaming Routers for 2023

Gaming Router vs. Regular Router: What's the Difference?

Perhaps the biggest difference between a gaming router and a typical consumer router is how it handles QoS, or bandwidth prioritization duties. Almost all routers offer some sort of QoS. This can be as basic as the generic Wi-Fi Multimedia (WMM) extensions that automatically prioritize network packets carrying data necessary for voice over IP (VoIP) and đoạn Clip conferencing apps. Or the QoS can be as granular as drag-and-drop prioritization that lets you assign a higher priority vĩ đại specific devices connected vĩ đại the network, essentially making sure they experience better performance phàn nàn other devices.

Gaming routers go a step further, by offering prioritization for specific gaming systems and applications, and allowing you vĩ đại decide how much bandwidth each client is entitled vĩ đại. That can be especially important if you have multiple online gamers in the same household, who are all competing for the feed from the same pipe. For example, Linksys gaming routers have firmware that automatically gives network priority vĩ đại devices that are equipped with the Hãng sản xuất Intel Killer Prioritization Engine. When the router detects a device equipped with Killer networking hardware, it gives that device the lion's share of bandwidth vĩ đại ensure smooth, lag-free online gameplay.

Many gaming routers also use a modified management console with a gamer-friendly user interface that makes it easy vĩ đại assign bandwidth priorities on the fly. Netgear recently began outfitting its gaming routers with DumaOS, an interactive, gamer-friendly operating system developed by Netduma. It has a sleek-looking dashboard that lets you see what is going on with your network at a glance, with graphs showing real-time CPU and bandwidth usage, currently installed apps, guest networking status, Wi-Fi status, and mạng internet status.

(Credit: Netgear)

It also has a Geo-Filter feature that can help reduce lag by limiting the distance vĩ đại the host servers you play on. By setting your trang chủ location on the map and specifying a distance range, you can prevent players and servers that are outside of your range from hosting your game.

You can also use customized software vĩ đại enhance online gaming performance. Using firmware from sources such as OpenWRT, DD-WRT, and Tomato, you can unleash the full potential of your router vĩ đại enhance overall signal strength, monitor real-time usage, and prioritize bandwidth usage. To bởi this, though, the router must tư vấn open-source firmware upgrades. Make sure you have a good idea of how routers and firmware work together before you decide vĩ đại go this route.

Dual-Band or Tri-Band: What's Best for Gaming?

Any gaming router worth its salt will offer at least two radio bands. The 2.4GHz band is the most widely used band and tends vĩ đại get more crowded phàn nàn the 5GHz one. You'll get much better range on the 2.4GHz band, but it can't match the speeds that you get with the 5GHz. Every router that comes through PC Labs is thoroughly tested across all bands, but you should be aware that different bands can have an impact on performance.

(Credit: Netgear)

If your gaming system is in close proximity vĩ đại your router, the 5GHz band will provide the best throughput performance. If you have numerous devices connecting vĩ đại your network, a tri-band router is your best bet, especially if you're also employing range extenders vĩ đại reach the far corners of your trang chủ. Tri-band routers add a second 5GHz band that you can dedicate vĩ đại certain devices or applications. For example, you can reserve an entire 5GHz band just for gaming (so long as your PC-gaming rig or your console supports 5GHz Wi-Fi) and use the other 5GHz band for high-bandwidth applications such as đoạn Clip streaming, massive tệp tin transfers, or torrent downloads. This leaves the more crowded 2.4GHz band miễn phí for everyday tasks such as trang web surfing and connecting vĩ đại smart-home devices such as lights, cameras, locks, and security systems.

Buying for Tomorrow: MU-MIMO, Beamforming, and Wider Channels

Of course, if you are a dedicated online gamer (or you have one in your household), you know that network demands for the latest games seldom move in the direction of "less demanding." So you'll want vĩ đại make sure you choose a future-proof router.

Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) technology is a big feature vĩ đại look for today. It allows for simultaneous data streaming vĩ đại multiple clients, as opposed to sequential streaming. This is a very handy feature; the main caveat is that each client device has vĩ đại tư vấn MU-MIMO vĩ đại take advantage of the improved throughput. As new gear gets added vĩ đại your network in coming years, however, it's more and more likely vĩ đại tư vấn MU-MIMO, so sánh you'll be glad you opted for it in your router. (For more on MU-MIMO, kiểm tra out our primer, Understanding MU-MIMO Wireless.)

Another key emerging tech vĩ đại look for, beamforming, also helps vĩ đại improve throughput. As the name suggests, it involves shaping the signal itself, in the interest of efficiency and increasing range. It transmits a Wi-Fi signal in a more focused manner straight at a client, rather phàn nàn broadcasting in all directions. To gain the benefit, both devices need vĩ đại tư vấn beamforming tech, so sánh that each can communicate its relative position vĩ đại the other, and thus focus the signal in the proper direction.

Be aware that, while all Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) devices (more about which in a moment) tư vấn beamforming, not all 802.11ac routers bởi. (Also, know that some router makers refer vĩ đại the beamforming feature in their products with their own proprietary names.)

(Credit: Linksys)

Many of the latest routers also offer a wider channel bandwidth of up vĩ đại 160MHz, compared with the typical 40MHz and 80MHz channel widths that you get with older routers. As with MU-MIMO, you'll need 160MHz-compatible clients vĩ đại access the wider channels. But it makes wholehearted sense vĩ đại opt for 160MHz in a new gaming router now, seeing as, lượt thích with MU-MIMO, tư vấn for it will become increasingly common in new devices you add vĩ đại your network down the road.

What Is Wi-Fi 6?

802.11ax is also known Wi-Fi 6 or High Efficiency (HE) Wireless, and there is no shortage of Wi-Fi 6 routers on the market. This standard is an evolution of 802.11ac technology. It promises increased throughput speeds (up vĩ đại 4.8Gbps), less network congestion, greater client capacity, and better range performance courtesy of several new and improved wireless technologies including Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) and Target Wake Time (TWT). OFDMA improves overall throughput by breaking Wi-Fi channels into sub-channels, allowing up vĩ đại 30 users vĩ đại share a channel at the same time. Target Wake Time (TWT) is designed vĩ đại reduce power consumption by allowing devices vĩ đại determine when and how often they will wake up vĩ đại begin sending and receiving data. TWT tech is expected vĩ đại extend the battery life of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, as well as battery-powered smart trang chủ devices such as security cameras and đoạn Clip doorbells.

All these capabilities make Wi-Fi 6 perfect for Wi-Fi mesh networks, which are fast becoming the most popular choice for broad trang chủ networking, even more so sánh now that they're starting vĩ đại drop in price.

Aside from its suitability as a mesh protocol, 802.11ax takes advantage of previously unused radio frequencies vĩ đại provide faster 2.4GHz performance, and it uses refined uplink and downlink bandwidth management vĩ đại provide enhanced QoS. It also offers uplink and downlink MU-MIMO streaming. (In contrast, 802.11ac supports only downlink MU-MIMO.) As with the 802.11ac protocol, 802.11ax is backward-compatible and works with devices that use 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi radios. Although 802.11ax routers are widely available, there are still many client devices that don’t yet tư vấn this latest standard. If you're thinking about upgrading now, read our explainer first.

Some gaming-specific routers now also tư vấn the latest Wi-Fi standard, Wi-Fi 6E. This spec is the same as Wi-Fi 6, as far as software and features go, but routers that tư vấn 6E can access the newly released 6GHz band. That provides a huge bandwidth boost, so sánh it helps with bandwidth-hungry apps, especially games, as well as chronic connection problems due vĩ đại congestion in more crowded environments, lượt thích an apartment building. However, your Wi-Fi 6E-enabled gaming device must be located in the same room (or very nearby) vĩ đại connect vĩ đại a Wi-Fi 6E router using the 6GHz band, as 6GHz signal range is much shorter phàn nàn 2.4GHz range.

More vĩ đại Know: Ports, Security, Access Controls

Most gaming routers use the same hardware inside that traditional Wi-Fi routers bởi, but you'll often be able vĩ đại tell the gaming models apart from the rest on sight. They usually sport a somewhat different exterior-chassis design phàn nàn their general-purpose counterparts. Shop around, and you may see unusual flair, such as a stylish enclosure or even LED illumination effects.

On a more utilitarian level, look for a router that has at least four gigabit LAN ports, so sánh you can offer up wired connectivity vĩ đại nearby gaming consoles, printers, and PCs. At least one USB port, preferably supporting USB 3.0, comes in handy for attaching peripherals you want vĩ đại share across the network, such as portable hard drives, flash drives, and printers. A router with two such USB ports offers a lot more flexibility.

(Credit: Netgear)

Parental controls are important, too, especially if you happen vĩ đại have younger children. They allow you vĩ đại block access vĩ đại certain sites (think: adult content), limit online gaming or overall network access vĩ đại specific hours and days of the week, and monitor network usage for each client. A guest-networking feature is also worth looking for if you often have digitally savvy houseguests, as it lets you provide limited wireless access vĩ đại your network using a separate SSID and password. This way, your guests can access the mạng internet, but they can't see other network assets, such as folders, files, printers, and the identities of other connected clients. (Plus, you can assign guests vĩ đại a radio band that won't interfere with your gaming!)

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(Credit: Asus)

All routers, of course, offer some type of security. Wi-Fi Protected Access (in WPA and/or WPA2 flavors) is the most common, and it requires that each client use a password vĩ đại access the network. Support for Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) is also common and very convenient, as it allows you vĩ đại add WPS-compatible clients vĩ đại your network with the push of a button. For more robust security measures, though, look for a router that supports WPS-Enterprise or Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) authentication.

So, What Is the Best Gaming Router vĩ đại Buy?

You'll find a rundown of our favorite gaming routers' specs below. Once you've found the right model for your trang chủ and budget, you'll also want vĩ đại see our tips for setting up your router and boosting your Wi-Fi signal.