Before purchasing a gaming router, it’s essential to determine your intended use for it. Many gaming routers have features to help optimize your connection, like traffic monitoring or prioritizing game packets. Let’s check what are the best options available for 5 Best Gaming Routers of 2023.
Gaming routers must offer enough range to connect with all your devices throughout your home, making a gaming session possible on every house floor. Mesh gaming routers may be ideal for larger homes as they cover an expansive area.
1. TP-Link Archer AX11000
The Archer AX11000 offers all of the advanced capabilities you’d expect in a gaming router, from the support of cutting-edge wireless encryption technology to customizable network priority controls with five presets and one-sixth that lets you tailor traffic for maximum performance.
The router supports Gigabit Ethernet connectivity and features two USB 3.0 ports – one of which can operate in link aggregation mode – along with eight gigabit LAN ports, as well as a 2.5 Gbps WAN port, anti-virus protection, and parental controls. A lifetime subscription to TP-Link HomeCare support and parental controls are included as standard features.
We found the AX11000 delivered impressive speeds and kept up with competing routers in our test homes, topping our device-to-device throughput and ping tests while ranking second best for WoW latency and Cloudflare jitter. Furthermore, its WiFi 6 range covers over 3,500 square feet; unfortunately, it does not feature features like Asus’ Gamers Private Network that allows you to register specific games for enhanced performance.
2. Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000
The Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 WiFi 6 router was created with gamers in mind. It offers unparalleled performance and cutting-edge networking technologies, making it the go-to choice for any gaming setup.
This tri-band router broadcasts three 5GHz bands at 2.4GHz and two at 5GHz, providing speeds up to 1148Mbps on each. Though actual per-device speeds will likely be much lower, the GT-AX11000 can manage multiple devices at the same time.
Asus packed this router with gaming-specific tools. Game Boost helps lower latency for supported games, while Gamers Private Network lets you register a limited number of titles to create an exclusive network tailored specifically for them.
The Asus ROG app makes setting QoS profiles simple, configuring parental controls, monitoring connected devices, and changing RGB lighting from within its app. However, it would have been nice if RGB lighting could be controlled from here. It is one of the more expensive routers in our roundup, but one which should satisfy most gamers.
3. Asus RT-AX5400
Asus offers gaming-specific routers, such as those from Republic Of Gamers (ROG), and cheaper routers under its brand name. TUF Gaming AX5400 stands out as an example, featuring WiFi 6 capability, which is perfect for gamers, while its link aggregation capabilities help it handle superfast fiber broadband connections.
Not running custom gaming firmware doesn’t stop this router from offering plenty of gaming features, such as a dedicated gaming Ethernet port that can be given priority over other devices and software to reduce ping times; mobile app support provides an additional boost for mobile games; there is even a single 5Gbits/sec USB socket to use as basic NAS functionality or provide backup internet if your main router fails.
The Asus TUF Gaming AX5400 is easy to set up yet offers impressive specifications at a very reasonable price. While not the fastest gaming router on the market, with dual-band WiFi 6 connectivity and multiple gaming-specific features, it’s worth consideration.
4. NETGEAR Nighthawk RAXE300
Netgear’s Nighthawk range now supports WiFi 6E standard, which uses an additional GHz frequency band for faster data transfer rates and reduces interference to enhance performance on devices like 4K/8K TVs, AR/VR headsets, and gaming consoles.
The RAXE300 offers speeds up to 7.8Gbps across your home network, making it suitable for gigabit broadband and most modern devices. Unlike competing routers, it supports wireless 6E protocol – giving more speed on new 6.4GHz channels while still working with existing devices – unlike many competing models that support it. Our 5-GHz band tests showed it to deliver solid throughput at close distances with consistent throughput over its full capacity range.
Connect wired devices via its two Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports that support link aggregation up to 2 Gbps. In addition, there’s a USB-C port for file sharing and media server support – though no modem is included – although you get three years’ direct access to Netgear’s technical support engineers for 24/7 help should something go wrong!
5. TP-Link AC1200
This TP-Link AC1200 provides superior WiFi performance at an unbeatably affordable price. Boasting dual-band wireless AC speeds of 1200Mbps to provide your devices with better connections and remove WiFi dead zones, this router also supports MU-MIMO and Beamforming to deliver faster speeds for enhanced user experiences.
It features two Gigabit Ethernet LAN ports to easily connect wired devices and can even switch into access point mode to share your wired network with wireless devices.
Parental controls on this router enable you to set separate profiles for every household member, enabling you to monitor and restrict what they do online and block websites as needed.
The router features a simplistic design with four external antennas equipped with Beamforming technology for expanding the WiFi range. However, its performance falls short of more expensive models like the Asus RT-AC5400 due to an older single-core processor with less bandwidth capacity and reduced maximum 5 GHz downlink throughput than its rivals such as Linksys EA9500 and D-Link DIR-895L/R routers.
FAQs
Q: How do gaming routers improve online gaming overall performance?
A: Gaming routers prioritize gaming site visitors, reduce lag, and provide a solid connection, optimizing the net gaming revel via minimizing latency and ensuring faster facts transfer.
Q: Can I use a gaming router for different gadgets except gaming consoles?
A: Yes, gaming routers may be used for all internet-linked gadgets, offering more advantageous performance for gaming consoles, PCs, streaming gadgets, and more.
Q: What functions ought I look for in a gaming router for optimum overall performance?
A: Look for capabilities that include MU-MIMO era, beamforming, low latency, excessive records transfer speeds (measured in Mbps or Gbps), and superior QoS settings to prioritize gaming visitors.
Q: Do gaming routers guide the cutting-edge WiFi standards?
A: First-rate gaming routers generally assist with cutting-edge WiFi standards like WiFi 6 (802.11ax) to make quicker and more reliable WiFi connections.
Q: How does a gaming router cope with multiple related gadgets?
A: Gaming routers with MU-MIMO (Multi-User, Multiple Input, Multiple Output) era can take care of more than one linked device concurrently, ensuring a stable and efficient connection for each.
Q: Can a gaming router improve my ping for the duration of online gaming?
A: Yes, gaming routers are designed to decrease latency, decreasing ping during online gaming periods, presenting a greater responsive and competitive gaming revel.
Q: Are gaming routers clean to set up for users with restricted technical know-how?
A: Many gaming routers include user-pleasant interfaces and setup wizards, making them handy to customers with varying degrees of technical understanding.
Q: Do gaming routers offer safety capabilities to shield against cyber threats?
A: Yes, gaming routers regularly include integrated safety capabilities along with WPA3 encryption, firewalls, and firmware updates to protect against cyber threats and unauthorized entry.
Q: Are these gaming routers suitable for professional esports gaming?
A: Yes, satisfactory gaming routers are appropriate for professional esports gaming, imparting the performance and reliability wanted for aggressive online gaming at the highest degree.