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I need to improve my gaming connection. What is the best router for gaming?
Remember that things like your motherboard and video card have to be fast enough to keep
up with the graphics and gameplay. You can’t immediately assume it is the router.
I’ve upgraded everything else.
Including your connection? Do you have DSL or T1?
Yes, I have DSL. I think it’s the router that’s the choke point now.
Any gaming router needs to have Gigabit Ethernet ports. Then the gaming console can use the
1,000 Mbps router.
That sounds sweet.
You should use a wired router over a wireless, to avoid interference. And make sure your
gaming has priority in the quality of service rankings.
So that my game doesn’t slow down because Dad is surfing the internet.
If you have several devices on your home network, you need a dual-band router. Especially if
you want to play wireless over the router.
I wish I could do tri-band. Or is that a real band?
You might like the ASUS RT-N66U router. It costs a lot, but it is fast and handles traffic
flawlessly.
Why not a router made just for gamers?
D-Link has some high end gaming routers. They automatically give gamers priority when allocating
bandwidth.
I’d give D-link a D for other reasons. What other options do you have?
Western Digital sells the My Net 900. It has a quality of service system that gives gamers
priority, while handling VoiP and wi-fi multimedia.
So I could play music while playing the game. Cool.
If budget is a limiting factor, the EnGenius Gaming Router is a good deal. It has only
a single band, but it gives gamers priority.
Netgear is affordable, and it’s dual band.
But it has a challenging user interface and limited USB support.
I guess I’ll start the search for gaming routers and pick the best one that fits my
budget. At least there are a lot of options on the market.
It’s not like gamers spend their money on much else.