Online gaming best router

Right behind it, the D-Link DIR, which also holds the distinction of being the cheapest router we tested for this roundup. That, coupled with the fact that it includes a Quality of Service engine that can prioritize gaming traffic, is what made it an easy value pick among this field. That Netgear model was also the fastest Wi-Fi 5 router on the 5GHz band, which tells us that it's a pretty capable piece of hardware.

One last note: We don't have full access to our test lab this year as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, so we haven't been able to run this same test with some of the newer models we've reviewed. Once we're able to test everything in a controlled setting once more, we'll update this section with fresh data.

Measuring top speeds in a controlled test environment gives us a clear look at what these routers are technically capable of, but you won't see speeds that fast in your home. Remember, your router can only pull data from the cloud as fast as your ISP speed allows and signal strength will vary from home to home based on the layout and the amount of obstructions in the way. To account for this, we ran a second batch of tests. The goal was to get a good look at the types of speeds most people would experience if they brought one of these routers into their home.

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. To gather my data, I ran an abundance of speed tests from five different locations in my home, ranging from the living room where the router lives to a back bathroom on the opposite end of the house.

Throughout all of my tests, I always kept a TV streaming live video from PlayStation Vue RIP to simulate normal household network traffic in a controlled fashion and also so my very patient roommate could at least watch TV while politely staying off the Wi-Fi during my tests. After running multiple speed tests from each of those locations, I averaged everything together. ISP speeds can fluctuate throughout the day, so to help account for this as best as I could, I'd run this whole process again with each router at a later time.

Then, I'd average that data with the first batch of tests. Fourteen routers, five locations in my home, three tests per location, two rounds of tests at minimum. When you add in the additional tests I ran to double-check a result or measure the impact of specific features, it amounts to roughly 1, speed tests and counting.

Those averages proved telling. The top finisher on the 5GHz band turned out to be the Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR, which averaged more than Mbps across all of my speed tests, including ones in the back of my house where the signal strength is typically poor. 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 Mbps or faster, you won't notice that at all.

As for our top pick, the Asus RT-AX86U, it finished with an overall average download speed of Mbps, which is a strong finish and stronger still when you add in the exceptional lag performance. With an average speed of In that back bathroom I mentioned, it averaged a download speed of That tells me that the DIR would work best in small homes like mine -- anything bigger, and you'll want something with better range.

The Asus RT-AX86U features a stylish design and lots of helpful features for gaming, including a Quality of Service engine and a mobile boost mode for gaming on your phone. It saw the smallest dip in speeds in that back bathroom on the 2. 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.

In fact, they were the two bottom finishers in terms of average overall download speeds on the 5GHz band. One last point -- my glut of at-home speed tests allowed me to take a look at latency, too. As I said before, there's only so much your router can do to bring lag down, especially if you're connecting to a busy server that's thousands of miles away.

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 that in mind, I made sure to run each of my dozens and dozens of speed tests connecting each router to the same server located a few hundred miles away and I logged the ping to that server each and every time.

Limiting the number of devices connected to your Wi-Fi at a time can help ensure each device gets better performance. Securing your wireless router is also important not just for security but also for your performance. 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.

Use a strong password and consider disabling any guest networks. You might even consider not broadcasting your network ID, which makes it far less likely someone will access your network with the tradeoff that setting up new devices can be a little more time-consuming. Follow him on Twitter baggingspam. Best Router for Gaming Get online with these gaming routers.

Best Router for Gaming. Best Budget Router for Gaming. Pro Gaming Router XR Best Wi-Fi 6 Router for Gaming. Was this article informative? YES NO. If you buy something through this post, IGN may get a share of the sale. For more, learn more. Top 10 Anime of IGN Logo Recommends. Only time will tell. Starfield Jared Moore 5. Jackson as Nick Fury, sans eye-patch. Secret Invasion Adele Ankers The design looks as if the device was made by Aperture Science , and the name certainly does a nod to the famous game.

More so does the circle that glows with light. The app lacks parental controls, and even the website does not provide options to blacklist sites. If you have a budget to spend, then choose nothing less than as WiFi 6 is not only faster than WiFi 5.

But it also comes with additional benefits such as increased network capacity and improved efficiency using the orthogonal frequency-division multiple access OFDMA technology. These streams can be utilized in various ways. You will also be getting support for Google Assitance voice commands and Alexa.

The design of the Nighthawk AX8 certainly makes it a router that would attract eyes and be a conversation starter.

It arrives with its antennae folden down, which looks a lot like wings giving it a look of a spacecraft from Star Wars. The problem with WiFi 6 is that not many devices currently support it, making it viable only if you are looking to futureproof yourself.

Another caveat is the price. The Nighthawk AX8 delivers excellent performance and should be sought only if you are looking to go ahead of the curve as the price is something to be considered. You are in a game, hard carrying your team from the depths of defeat, and you are almost there to victory landing the final blow on a significant kill, but suddenly disaster occurs.

If you love gaming and want to game competitively, then you are definitely in need of a gaming router as it will enhance your experience and will make the difference in stabilizing your internet in critical moments of an online game. It will perform the essential tasks of a router, making sure the data which is being introduced into the network reaches the desired destination. When it comes to gaming, certain things are designed explicitly, keeping gamers in mind.

The first thing a gamer would need from a gaming router is low ping along with low lag when competing in online games. Then they also come up with fast connectivity when it comes to playing games on the Lan. Now what makes the difference when you are using a gaming router is that it does everything a standard router can do along with the sweet elements that will improve your connectivity.

First, you get built-in features that enable your router to prioritize gaming, network traffic. How good can this be done depends on what budget you are having? Going for a good gaming router will pay off by providing better performance along with functionality. Quality of Service QoS is essential when it comes to a gaming router. QoS is how efficient your gaming router is when it comes to prioritization of gaming traffic.

Stabilizing Latency, connectivity, and frame rate, Qos is one of the essential components when it comes to delivering you smooth gaming experience. Moreover, it minimizes packet loss when you are playing in an online game.

There is a separate flow maintained to give you that performance by routing all other internet traffic. QoS is not the only benefit a gaming router provides, as there are also features to handle network congestion and how the router will be able to deal with it. Comprising on a gaming router while upgrading your internet connection seems like a good idea, but can lead to disappointment later. Here are some terms you should be familiar with so you can understand the specs a router has, enabling you to make the right decisions when buying a gaming router.

If you are familiar with computers, then you might already know what these terms mean. When it comes to routers too, the higher the processor speed, the better the efficiency of transferring data to required devices and handling of connections. This is rather simple as it means the rate of receiving data reaching your router from the ISP. Better internet speeds will improve your gaming experience and is a must for competitive gaming.

The Wireless standards your gaming router is designed on can make an impact on how your router performs with various devices. As of now, we have Then we have the newer standard Wi-Fi standards have a tendency to change as time passes, so it can be beneficial to future proof yourself and try to look for the latest standards when choosing a router.

As most of you already know, network latency must below as it is the lag time the data packet takes when departed from the game server to reach your computer.

When the network latency goes higher than milliseconds, you will notice lag input or missing frames when in an online game, regardless of your ISP connection is optimal. Various bands allow routers to transmit to several channels at the same time.

The best routers in the market are triple-band, meaning they can transfer up to three channels at a time. Multi-device households will benefit as well, since gaming routers are better equipped to handle several devices and users using the network simultaneously.

Gaming routers are just as important as gaming PCs and peripherals, especially for online gaming, so of course we take our job seriously when testing them. Before recommending one in this buying guide, we make sure that each one not only performs as promised, but is also a cut above the rest. After all, although there are a lot of options out there, only a few stand out. We start with the design. We test its build, physical features, and look — although a whole lot of them are going to have that gamer aesthetic.

We make sure that it has enough ports for that all-important wired connection, is effortless to set up, has support for such technologies as QoS, and has features like parental controls in case you have young ones at home.

Naturally, we test its performance as well, seeing how it measures up against our file download test as well as the Ookla speed test — especially in comparison to its rivals.

And, because you need to know how exactly it performs in real world scenarios, we take it for a spin by playing a few of the most demanding and popular online titles out there. At the end of the day, what matters is that the gaming router delivers robust performance, an excellent feature set, and a solid build that is worthy of its price — even if that means paying a little more.

If you're encountering a problem or need some advice with your PC or Mac, drop him a line on Twitter. North America. Included in this guide: 1.