And through the routers app, you can prioritize whatever youre doing by switching modes between streaming, gaming, web browsing, etc. After running multiple speed tests from each of those locations, I averaged everything together. Two USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports are a nice treat if youre looking to connect multiple storage devices that everyone on your network can access at once. Don't rely on your old router, as you might be working with an outdated Wi-Fi standard (like Wi-Fi 4 aka 802.11n). The GT-AX11000 is large, with a gargantuan base, eight swiveling antennas, and massive 10.8Gbps maximum throughput. We moved the three routers with the best long-range performance to the center of the house and repeated the same tests, this time with the houses existing Wi-Fi turned off. Meanwhile, it was the bargain-priced D-Link DIR-867 that, once again, led the way on the 2.4GHz band. Single-band routers only support the 2.4GHz band, which is fine enough for web browsing and downloading most files, but dual-band routers add a second 5GHz channel that provides much faster wireless speeds. In this article. Combine all of these distinctive features and advanced capabilities and its pretty obvious why a dedicated gaming router is a smart choice for those that want a competitive edge when playing games online or just better support for a house filled with connected devices. However, cutting too close to the bone will leave you stuck with subpar performance or missing features you may want. The Asus TUF-AX5400 is geared for gaming with dual-band Wi-Fi 6, which offers a stable connection and low-latency communication between your gaming system and the router. The Nighthawk Pro Gaming Router XR1000 from Netgear is solid evidence of this. Otherwise, most router features arent worth worrying about. We'll help you find the right gaming router with our picks below, which offer solid connectivity and top-notch gaming features and click here to find them in the UK. Read our full Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 review. We also ran the same tests, but swapped out World of Warcraft for Overwatch, a first-person shooter game where lag could be a lot more noticable. It wasn't a standout in our lab-based top-speed tests, but with plug-in range extenders that are about as easy to use as it gets, it excels at spreading a stable, speedy Wi-Fi signal from room to room. Latency spikes like those can be a killer when you're gaming online -- but fortunately, the RT-AX86U earned the lowest average ping time of any router I've ever tested, never spiking any higher than 25ms. It offers the same excellent suite of gaming features as other gaming routers from Asus, including a customizable Quality of Service engine and game-and-platform-specific open NAT port-forwarding rules. For serious gamers a good router is a must-have and will deliver the low-latency performance they need. We ran the multi-device benchmark once on each 5GHz radio on each router, both with and without its gaming features enabled; for the tri-band routers, we tested each band separately, and even tested with the game stream on one band and everything else on the other.We also looked at each routers size, specs, security, ease of setup, and included features, especially gaming-related ones. Despite high top speeds in our first round of tests at the lab, neither of those Wi-Fi 6 routers tested well in my home. Unlike the Archer AX11000 and Asus GT-AX11000, the GX90s two 5GHz radios arent identical. The youngest of King Tritons daughters and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea and, while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. They both serve up wireless internet for your computers, phones and other gadgets, and theyre based on the same wireless standards. The result is lower ping times (the time it takes for a signal to travel from your gaming PC or consoles to the game servers and a more responsive experience in online games. And as far as speed goes, you get 1,625Mbps on the two 5GHz bands and 750Mbps on the 2.4GHz. She makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land but ultimately places her life and her fathers crown in jeopardy. And even though the performance is surpassed by other more expensive Wi-Fi 6 models, the RT-AC86U can deliver a safe and reasonably fast online experience for every family member. The newest models use Wi-Fi 6E or Wi-Fi 6, which are both substantially faster than the previous 802.11ac standard (retroactively named Wi-Fi 6). The Amplifi HD Gamer's Edition, which uses plug-in mesh extenders to help relay the signal around the house, was the runner-up -- it was one of the worst performers when we measured top speeds, but unless you have a blazing-fast internet connection of 500Mbps or faster, you won't notice that at all. The TP-Link Archer A9 AC1900 struggled on the 2.4GHz band, too, with an average latency of 34.8, though it did manage to do a little better on the 5GHz band, with an average ping just below 20ms. Best-picks The Best Gaming Routers 2023 By Matt Safford last updated 6 March 2023 Reduce lag, amp up your network speed and make sure your gaming packets get prioritized. We'll be sure to continue testing new gaming routers in the months ahead, but beyond that, we started to see the very first routers that support Wi-Fi 6E at the end of 2020. What's most impressive about the RT-AX86U is how it handles latency. TL;DR - These are the Best Router for Gaming: Netgear Nighthawk X6S (R8000P) Asus TUF-AX5400 Linksys Hydra Pro 6E Nighthawk Pro Gaming Router (XR1000) TP-Link Archer AX10000 Netgear Orbi. With an entire dashboard of customization tools, you can optimize the router's performance in a dizzying number of ways, from CPU usage monitoring to stats that identify what apps and devices are using the most data and connection tools that let you adjust connections by ping rates and location. Be aware, just having a gaming router doesn't mean you're going to automatically get the best home network instantly. If you care enough about gaming to be considering a gaming router, you probably already have a few Wi-Fi 6 devices and will likely buy more. Still, a good gaming router should help minimize those occasional latency spikes that can be a real killer when they hit your network at a critical moment during an online match. With a chunky frame, RGB lighting, and eight antennae, the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 looks like a gaming beast. Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 . The Nighthawk Pro Gaming Router can help you ensure your gaming systems are getting the best connection possible with QoS that'll let you give more priority to your games than other web uses, like live streams, VoIP, or web browsing. The best gaming routers 2023 By Michelle Rae Uy Contributions from Matt Hanson last updated 6 October 2022 The best gaming routers are the secret weapons to gaming Included in this guide: 1. It isn't just a Wi-Fi 6 router, but rather a Wi-Fi 6E router, which brings access to even more potential, thanks to the 6GHz spectrum it adds on top of 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. That's an outstanding result. Thats just the default; you can pin just about any panel from any section to this dashboard, giving you an easy way to quickly access settings and stats you care about most. The fastest among them was the TP-Link Archer AX6000, which we measured an average speed of 1,523Mbps on the 5GHz band at a distance of 5 feet. That means there should be plenty of unimpeded speed and connectivity to go around. For tri-band routers, we tested each 5GHz band separately, with and without gaming features, and then once with the World of Warcraft computer connected to one 5GHz radio and everything else on the other one. Best gaming router overall (Update: Out of stock), Best gaming router design (Update: Back-ordered), Read our Asus RT-AX86U Wi-Fi 6 Router review, Best Racing Wheels and Pedals for iRacing, Best Game Subscription Services: How to Choose, Asus was first to announce a Wi-Fi 6E router, Best High-Speed ISPs for Gigabit Internet, Best Controllers and Accessories for Xbox Cloud Gaming, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Best Overall Gaming Router ASUS RT-AX88U Router Wi-Fi 6 Entre $246.43 $349.99 Save $103.56 While it's not marketed as a gaming router, the RT-AX88U would not disappoint a pro gamer,. Average transfer rate of 245 Mbps. The main two you'll want to look out for are Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)with Wi-Fi 6E expanding Wi-Fi 6 to include a 6GHz bandand Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), as they deliver the fastest wireless speeds currently available. A fantastic budget VPN router. I can't say the same for the Netgear Nighthawk AX12 or the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000, though. Once we're able to test everything in a controlled setting once more, we'll update this section with fresh data. Sure you don't want potentially malicious users accessing your home network, but you also don't want your neighbors piggybacking onto your network, as they'll eat into your bandwidth and potentially drag down your network performance. However, its throughput fell off quickly in our tests which is why you'll want to use this gaming router in the same or an adjacent room. Its beautifully designed, incredibly responsive, and is chock-full of useful information on its very first screena gigantic dashboard that shows your internet status, guest Wi-Fi network status, CPU usage, and current download and upload traffic. Just make sure to pick a suitable location for it and configure its settings . However, there are ways to save that wont leave you with a less capable device. Fourteen routers, five locations in my home, three tests per location, two rounds of tests (at minimum). But, if you've got the latest devices or networking cards with Wi-Fi 6E, the Linksys Hydra Pro can dial things up big time. One last point on latency. It held its own on the speedier 5GHz band, too, beating out several wireless routers that cost significantly more. With excellent bandwidth-allocation controls to let you use the massive throughput as you wish, this router puts incredible performance into the user's hands, for gaming or anything else. The average ISP download speed in the US is somewhere around 100Mbps, while those living in areas with access to fiber connections might enjoy speeds of 200, 500 or -- if they're really lucky -- even 1,000Mbps. Amplifi's app lets you choose between Latency and Throughput modes depending on your needs, and it includes helpful features like signal strength indicators for the plug-in extenders. What did make a difference? Beyond that, you get all the latest features to enhance your connected experience, like MU-MIMO, QoS, beamforming, WPA3, and parental controls. The Wi-Fi standard of the router is Wi-Fi 6. It's a vital part of any setup, especially for those looking to get in on some of thebest multiplayer gamesand stream on Twitch or YouTube. It also supports TP-Links OneMesh system, so you can use it as a node in a mesh system, though unlike the Asus it doesnt support wired backhaul. Wi-Fi connections are finicky, with lots of variables and key features that will affect your speeds. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. During your search for a gaming router, you'll undoubtedly come across units designed for Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n) that look very attractive thanks to their low prices, but you should avoid this siren's call. In fact, the router with the fastest average speeds across all distances on the 2.4GHz band was actually the Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500, which doesn't support Wi-Fi 6 at all. (Learn more in our article Wi-Fi 6 vs Wi-Fi 6e: What's the difference? Limiting the number of devices connected to your Wi-Fi at a time can help ensure each device gets better performance. Besides letting more data flow in and out of your home, gaming routers allow data to flow faster in both directions. There are plenty of other settings available, like parental controls, data theft protection, and guest networks, which can all be set up using the Netgear app. (One of the Gigabit LAN ports is a gaming port, and you can enable a feature to let the router prioritize traffic from that port.) Dont worry about future performance for devices you might not ever get. We ran each test with the gaming features off, then again with them enabled. Well send you the fastest internet options, so you dont have to find them. (For the fastest speed and lowest latency, of course, you should use Ethernet, not Wi-Fi.). Plus, with the use of OFDMA and MU-MIMO, even if more devices join the network, there shouldnt be any noticeable difference in speeds. The same for the fastest speed and connectivity to go around 're able to test everything in a controlled once! 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