If you spend a lot of time playing the hottest games online, you’re bound to run into some network connectivity issues now and then. You could experience the frustrating lag that comes with a slow or weak wireless connection, or you could be booted from your favorite game just as you’re winning, causing a stain on your otherwise impeccable win record and leaving you red in the face.
If you already have high-speed internet, chances are you’ve experienced one or both of these situations in the past, frustrating as they may be. The truth is, unless you’re typically playing with a wired LAN connection, they’re almost inevitable. Online game sessions will drop. You will experience lag. It can be maddening, that’s for sure.
But you don’t have to stress, all you need is a gaming-centric router.
Why do I want a gaming-centric router?
Today’s gaming-centric routers offer power, convenience, and quality in relatively inexpensive packages. You can have the best of the best for only a couple hundred dollars, which is far cheaper than the hardware needed to run said games. A router can make all the difference when it comes to an impressive Call of Duty kill/death ratio, and it could keep you in the running far longer in your favorite online tournament.
What should I look for in a new router?
Before you go out and buy one, look at what’s connected to your router. Every single device in your home — be that a phone, tablet, TV, or smart-home devices like Alexa — take bandwidth from your router. So if you’re playing in a home with lots of connected devices on a router that can’t handle it, you’re going to run into lag issues. You’ll need to buy one that can handle as many devices as you have connected.
You’ll also want to look for a gaming router that offers prioritization for your gaming systems and applications.
If you live in a home with multiple gamers, you might also want to get a router that allows you to control how much bandwidth everyone in your household gets. Some also have a modified management console to adjust bandwidth priorities easily depending on your needs.
Consider looking for routers that have a Geo-Filter because that can limit the distance to the host server you play on, which will reduce lag.
Finally, make sure your gaming router is at least 2GHz so you can use the 5G one for faster speeds. A Tri-band one is even better because then you could reserve one 5GHz for just gaming.
Other features you might want to consider include Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) technology for faster data streaming, beamforming, and wider channel bandwidths up to 160Hz. You’ll also want at least four gigabit LAN ports, at least one USB port, and a router that offers good security.
How do I pick?
It can be difficult to navigate the numerous routers out there, especially if you’re used to whatever your ISP saddles you with during your first install.
No worries – we’ve selected nine of the best gaming routers out on the market to make things simple. No matter your budget, whether you don’t want to miss a second of the action in Fortnite or simply want a stronger wireless signal all around the house, these gaming routers will boost your gaming experience significantly. Soon, the only things that’ll be holding you back are your own personal shortcomings.
