What Things Should A Gamer Consider When Buying A Gaming Router?

May 21, 2022

Whether you are a mobile game, PC, or a console, there is one thing that is common between all these gamers and that is the need for the internet. Without the internet, you cannot play online games with your friends or download the latest updates for your game. When you talk about playing games online then having the internet is not enough, you need much more than just the internet because lag, disconnectivity and other things aren’t gonna leave you behind.

If you are facing lag, disconnectivity, or other problems then it is time that you change your internet plans and perhaps your modem unit too. To help the gamers get the most out of their router or modern, we have prepared a list of some important things that a gamer needs to consider when buying a gaming router:

Hardware (Processor & RAM)

The first thing that you need to consider is the hardware which includes the processor and RAM. If you have a powerful processor then it will mean that your router will be able to perform at a very high speed which will result in the gaming router handling multiple connections and transferring data to connected devices at a very fast speed.

Along with the processor, you will also need to consider the RAM of your gaming router. We have different modern-day routers from companies like Asus that come with multiple gigs of RAM and these routers can easily outperform most of the other routers out there.

Multiple Band Wi-Fi Connectivity

You should pick a gaming router that has multiple band Wi-Fi connectivity features available. Nowadays, you will find most of the routers in the market having dual-band frequencies, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. Both of these frequencies have their own pros and cons but if you really want a good gaming router then we recommend that you pick a router that has a tri-band frequency option available.

Tri-band routers have an additional 5 GHz band added to the max. Having three different frequency bands reduces the signal noise & interferences which results in better speeds reaching your devices. These routers can transmit internet signals simultaneously to three channels at a time.

Wireless Standards

Wireless Standards are important to consider for gamers when buying new routers. Wireless Standards are a measure of standards that determines the connectivity standards for which your router is designed. Currently, the most widely used wireless standard in the market as of now is the 802.11ac but since the WiFi 6 is slowly coming out, it will be soon replaced by the WiFi 6 supported 802.11ax. 

As these wireless standards keep on changing with time, you should go for the router that has the latest wireless standards installed to ensure the highest level of connectivity and performance.

Security

You will also need to consider the security and encryption protocols of the router. In this age, the security of IoT devices including WiFi routers is very important because WiFi routers can give access to the whole network and all the devices connected to the internet. So, whenever you buy a gaming router, make sure that you keep security protocols in mind, and the security of the router should be one of the important things during your decision-making process. Automatic firmware updates should be turned on from the router interface at 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1. This will ensure you are receiving security updates periodically from your router manufacturer.

Quality of Service

Quality of Services or QoS is very important for online gaming because it helps prevent things like packet loss, jitter, and high latency, all of the things that can cause lag and disconnectivity during online gaming which can affect your online gaming experience. Almost every good router nowadays comes with QoS, which works by identifying which application requires the most network resources and then allocates the resources accordingly.

So, with QoS, activities like online gaming that require more resources and management than other things or devices like thermostats are given more priority which results in a better gaming experience. And if your router has a high-end processor, as we mentioned earlier, then built-in functions like QoS will perform much better. Router manufacturers like TP-Link produce outstanding gaming routers in which all these features are taken care of.

MU-MIMO

Multi User-Multi Input, Multi-Output, or MU-MIMO is a relatively new feature that is found on modern routers. This feature was introduced to increase the number of antennas & access points on routers. Along with this, the ability of each antenna to transmit and receive data also improved with this. 

This feature allows the router to communicate with multiple devices simultaneously. This feature reduces the amount of time that each device has to wait which results in better network speeds. For activities like online gaming, MU-MIMO works perfectly and improves the online gaming experience, which is why this is a feature that you must consider before making your final decision.

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