Summary
If you spend any amount of time playing games online, you are aware that having a reliable internet connection is critical to your overall experience. Having the appropriate router is often part of this need. The correct router makes it possible to maintain a steady connection to online gaming servers and prevents latency, both of which are particularly critical when playing games that involve several players participating online. In spite of the fact that it is preferable to have an Ethernet cable hooked into the local area network ports of your personal computer, you should not notice too much of a difference if you have one of the finest wireless routers.
the Best Gaming Routers Available
There are a plethora of gaming routers available on the market, each of which makes the promise that it will improve your gaming performance. However, which gaming routers are the most effective? In order to provide an answer to that issue, I embarked on a personal mission to locate the most efficient router that would enhance my internet connection. My goal in compiling this buyer’s guide is to provide you with a collection of everything that I have discovered up to this point, beginning with the top gaming routers that you need to take into consideration first while searching for the finest gaming router. Frequently, I will be updating this tutorial.
Before you go out and get any routers for gaming, I strongly suggest that you take a look at my beginner’s guide to gaming lag. In it, you will find a variety of strategies to reduce your ping. It is possible that you might not need a new router at all. In many instances, relocating your wireless router to a different location or tweaking the antennas of your existing router could effectively enhance the performance of both your network and your online gaming experience. You are reading the proper roundup if you have done all of those things and your gaming connection is still suffering from the need for an update.
Did we test each and every router?
I wanted to get a feel of how the gaming routers of today compared to the ordinary routers that you may be tempted to upgrade from. In addition to evaluating how the gaming routers of today measured up against one another, I also wanted to see how they compared to the standard routers. In light of the fact that some of these gaming routers make use of the technological advancement known as Wi-Fi 6, I made it a point to examine a couple additional Wi-Fi 6 routers as well.
After all was said and done, we were left with more than a dozen routers to test. The complete list is as follows:
- $25 for the Zyxel Armor Z2 AC2600 (Update: Currently Unavailable) $100 for the TP-Link Archer A9 AC1900 (Update: Currently Unavailable) $59 for the D-Link EXO AC2600 $68 for the D-Link DIR-867 AC1750
- TP-Link Archer C3150 costs $99, whereas the Linksys EA8300 AC2200 costs $139.
- $265 for the Asus RT-AC86U
- Price: $199 for the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC2900 and $200 for the TP-Link Archer AX6000
- XR500 from Netgear, the Nighthawk Pro Gaming, costs $127.
- Nighthawk AX12 from Netgear costs $184.
- $289 for the Asus RT-AX86U and $159 for the TP-Link Archer C5400X
- 525 dollars for the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000
The method by which we evaluate gaming routers
Experimenting with routers is a challenging endeavor. Wi-Fi connections are notoriously sensitive, with a plethora of factors and critical elements that might have an impact on the speeds you experience. During our testing, we make every effort to take into consideration the variables that are being tested; nonetheless, there are certain aspects that are outside our control (and also beyond the control of your router).
To give you an example, the internet service provider connection that is particular to your house is comparable to a speed restriction put on your router. If, for example, you are paying for speeds of up to fifty megabits per second, then your router will not be able to send data from the cloud at a pace that is any quicker than that. The typical download speed of an Internet service provider (ISP) in the United States is somewhere around 100 megabits per second (Mbps); however, residents in places that have access to fiber connections may experience rates of 200, 500, or even 1,000 Mbps if they are really fortunate.
Considering that this poses an obvious issue, how exactly does one go about testing the maximum speed of a router such as the TP-Link AX6000, which boasts Wi-Fi 6 data transfer speeds that are far higher than 1,000 Mbps?
How fast are you going?
Our method completely sidesteps the Internet service provider. Instead of using a modem to get data from the cloud, we make use of a wired connection to retrieve data from a server located on the local network. It is a MacBook Pro that we use as our local server of choice. We utilize a CAT 7 Ethernet cable to link it to the router in order to minimize interference as much as possible. Additionally, we make use of an adapter in order to connect to the Thunderbolt 3 connection on the MacBook since it enables data transfer rates that are sufficient for our needs.
After that, we take a second laptop and link it to the wireless network of the router. After that, we measure the rate at which we download the data that the router is retrieving from the MacBook over the wired connection. This test is performed many times on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands of each router, and they are performed at a variety of distances. When everything is said and done, we are provided with an excellent opportunity to examine the speed at which each router is able to send data to a connected device, such as your phone, gaming PC, gaming laptop, or gaming console of choice.
The answer is yes; if you connect that game console to the router directly with an Ethernet wire, you will get much quicker rates. Additionally, we tested the wired speeds, and we did not find any discernible differences between any of the routers that we examined. Each one came within a megabit or two of 940 Mbps, which is the speed that one would anticipate from a connection that is capable of Gigabit Ethernet.
When it comes to wifi speeds, the graph that is shown above displays the peak speeds that each router is capable of achieving on the 2.4GHz band (blue) as well as the faster 5GHz band (red) at 5, 37.5, and 75 feet of distance.
This is what first comes to mind when I look at these findings. To begin, it is not difficult to identify the three Wi-Fi 6 routers that we tested as being at the top of the list. These routers achieved maximum speeds on the 5GHz band that were far quicker than any other router that we tested. It is important to keep in mind that we are doing these speed tests on a laptop that is compatible with Wi-Fi 6. Those bars would probably be a great deal shorter if we weren’t taking them.
With the TP-Link Archer AX6000, we were able to measure an average speed of 1,523 Mbps on the 5 GHz band at a distance of 5 feet. This made it the router with the highest speed among them. Despite the fact that the average speed dropped to 868 Mbps when we extended the distance to 75 feet, it is still a quicker speed than any of the Wi-Fi 5 routers that we tested were able to achieve, even when they were in close proximity to one another.
It is important to point out that those Wi-Fi 6 routers did not completely dominate the competition on the 2.4GHz band (again, blue wireless standards). On the 2.4GHz band, the router that had the highest average speeds across all distances was actually the Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500. However, this router does not support Wi-Fi 6 in any way. Following closely behind it is the D-Link DIR-867, which also happens to be the router that we tested for this roundup that achieved the distinction of being the least expensive. Because of this, in addition to the fact that it comes with a quality of service engine that has the ability to prioritize gaming traffic, it is an obvious choice to make when it comes to terms of value in this sector.
The fact that this particular Netgear model was also the fastest Wi-Fi 5 router on the 5GHz band is evidence that it is a rather competent piece of hardware. While this was going on, our top selection for the overall category, the Asus RT-AC86U, was just behind it with the second-fastest Wi-Fi 5 speed on the 5GHz band. However, its speed became somewhat slower while it was in the medium range. For this particular speed test, both the previously described DIR-867 and the Zyxel Armor Z2 achieved satisfactory results.
Speeds in the real world?
A clear picture of what these routers are theoretically capable of is provided to us by the measurement of peak speeds in a controlled test environment; nevertheless, you will not be able to experience speeds that are so high in your own house. You should keep in mind that your router can only get data from the cloud at the pace that your Internet service provider (ISP) permits, and that the signal strength will vary from house to home depending on the layout of the property and the number of obstacles that are in the way.
To take this into consideration, we carried out a second round of experiments. In this particular instance, I put each router through its paces in my own residence, which is a shotgun-style house that is around 1,200 square feet in size and has AT&T fiber internet speeds of up to 300 Mbps. My speed tests were performed on a Dell XPS 13 laptop that is a few years old and does not support Wi-Fi 6. To get a good look at the kinds of speeds that the majority of people would experience if they brought one of these routers into their homes, the objective was to evaluate the situation.
My data collection process consisted of doing a multitude of speed tests from five distinct places inside my residence. These locations ranged from the living room, which is where the router is located, to a rear bathroom located at the other end of the house. A television that was streaming live video from PlayStation Vue (RIP) was always present throughout all of my testing. This was done to imitate the typical network traffic that occurs in a home in a controlled manner. Additionally, it was done so that my very patient roommate could at least watch television while respectfully keeping off the Wi-Fi during my experiments.
After doing a number of speed tests on each of those sites, I compiled the results and took the average of them all. As a result of the fact that Internet service provider speeds might change during the day, I would repeat this same procedure with each router at a later time in order to account for this as much as possible. After that, I would take the initial round of tests and average the results with that.
There were fourteen routers, five different locations inside my house, three tests for each location, and a minimum of two rounds of testing done. When you take into account the extra tests that I carried out in order to verify a result or evaluate the influence of certain characteristics, the total number of speed tests now stands at about one thousand and counting.
The averages turned out to be quite informative. It turned out that the Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500 was the best performer on the 5GHz band. It achieved an average speed of more than 250 Mbps throughout all of my speed tests, even those that were conducted at the rear of my home, which is generally a location with weak signal strength. The Amplifi HD Gamer’s Edition came in second place. This particular model makes use of plug-in mesh extenders to assist in the transmission of the signal across the home. When we assessed max speeds, it was one of the poorest performers; however, unless you have a lightning-fast internet connection that is at least 500 Mbps, you won’t even realize that it is one of the worst performers.
When it comes to our top selection, the Asus RT-AX86U, it concluded with an overall average download speed of 218Mbps, which is a great finish. This finish is even better when you take into account the remarkable latency performance that it exhibited.
On the other hand, the D-Link DIR-867, which was far less expensive than its competitors, once again took the lead on the 2.4GHz band. With an average speed of 85.9 Mbps across my location, it was the best performer; nevertheless, I would like to point out that speeds fell significantly while traveling at a greater distance. In the rear bathroom that I indicated, it had an average download speed of 32.3 Mbps, which is around 62% slower than the general average. This is a worse drop-off than I found from virtually every other router that I tested. That leads me to believe that the DIR-867 would function most effectively in houses that are on the smaller side, such as mine. Everything that is larger will need you to have something that has a greater range.
The Wi-Fi 6-equipped TP-Link Archer AX6000 was another highlight in my testing, with great average speeds on both the 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands and outstanding range from room to room. This was despite the fact that my house does not include any client devices that are compatible with Wi-Fi 6. On the 2.4GHz band, it had the least amount of a decrease in speeds in that back bathroom, and it also finished in the top five of the rankings for the same statistic on the 5GHz band.
However, I am unable to draw the same conclusion about the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 or the Netgear Nighthawk AX12 at this time. Neither of those Wi-Fi 6 routers performed well in my house, despite the fact that they both achieved high peak speeds during the first set of testing that we conducted at the laboratory. In terms of average total download speeds on the 5GHz band, they were the two lowest performers in the competitive field. Both of these products are presently priced at around $400, but, in my opinion, the TP-Link Archer AX6000, which is now available for $180, is a far more suitable upgrade option for those who are prepared to begin using Wi-Fi 6. There are other alternatives available to you that are less expensive, such as the GT-AC2900, if you are just interested in the gaming-oriented features that are offered by the Asus ROG range.
What is the latency?
A last point: I was able to examine latency as well because of the abundance of speed tests that I am able to do at home. One thing I’ve said previously is that your router can only do so much to reduce the amount of latency that you experience, and this is particularly true when you are connected to a server that is located hundreds of miles away. Nevertheless, a decent gaming router should be able to help avoid those rare spikes in latency, which can be a real killer when they strike your network at a vital point during an online battle.
In light of this, I made it a point to do each and every one of my dozens and dozens of speed tests by connecting each router to the same server that was situated a few hundred miles away, and I carefully recorded the ping to that server at each and every one of them. That ping would arrive at around 15 milliseconds in the majority of instances, but I also saw a great number of spikes that were far higher than that point in time.
The Linksys EA8300 was the biggest offender, as it delivered average latencies of 37.5 milliseconds per second on the 2.4GHz band and 35.4 milliseconds per second on the 5GHz band. It ranked dead last on both fronts. Although it did manage to perform a bit better on the 5GHz band, with an average ping that was just below 20 milliseconds, the TP-Link Archer A9 AC1900 suffered on the 2.4GHz band as well, with an average latency of 34.8 milliseconds during that time period.
What is the leader of the pack? That is the Asus RT-AX86U, which is our top recommendation. My house was subjected to a total of ninety speed tests, and it did not experience a single spike that was more than twenty milliseconds.
One last consideration is latency. The majority of these gaming routers and others like them will perform tasks such as directing your gaming traffic to the server that is physically located closest to you or preventing you from accessing public rooms that include rivals who are particularly sluggish. These kinds of features may be helpful in avoiding typical latency issues, but on their own, they won’t be able to significantly lower your latency in any way, shape, or form.
What should one be on the lookout for?
In the next few months, we will make it a point to continue testing new gaming routers, but beyond that, we have begun to see the very first routers that enable Wi-Fi 6E by the end of the year 2020. Routers such as this will provide access to the recently opened 6GHz band, which they will be able to utilize as a kind of extra-wide private highway for Wi-Fi 6 traffic. Asus was the first company to unveil a Wi-Fi 6E router, and it is, without a doubt, a high-end gaming router.
We are going to continue evaluating what is now available, including routers that are inexpensive, routers that use mesh technology, and other high-end, next-generation contemporary routers of note. You can anticipate that this site will be updated on a regular basis anytime we evaluate new hardware that has the potential to be a good match for gamers. Additionally, please let us know in the comments section if there are any particular models or features that you would like us to investigate further.
