Hello, myself Christopher Gustafson, and here I am with another informative article specifically meant for gamers. I have spent over a decade of leadership in Cloud, Infrastructure, and Cybersecurity, and I intend to make a digital transformation a little more approachable for everyone so they can understand it better.
When it comes to online gaming, apart from the gaming skills and spirit, the next important thing you need in online gaming is a high-speed and stable internet connection, without which your skills and hard work might not pay off the way you wanted them to.
Well, the mention of an unstable network reminds me of the time when I lost a bet against a child of 7 in front of my whole crew simply because my internet connection was unstable that day. Being a pro player, I was hurt to the core. But fear not, you can save yourself from the embarrassment. Read on.
Can Gaming Routers Result in Better Gaming Experience?
Big yes! Not that the routine routers are unsuitable. It’s just that if you are an avid gamer, you might want to switch to gaming routers because of their efficiency and better performance.
A gaming router enhances your gaming experience, making it lag-free and smooth. It gives you better performance because it is more suited to the operating system, resolution, and configuration of online gaming.
An outdated router may not be capable enough to handle the bandwidth a gaming router can. It comes with extra Ethernet ports and multiple antennas that enable you to maximize the internet speed.
Having extra Ethernet ports may give you the benefit when multiple devices are connected to your router. A gaming router will give you uninterrupted speed when it comes to being efficient at maximum usage.
Also, you can visit the Facebook profile of BCCA to know the gaming routers that will suit your purpose.
Points to take into consideration while setting up a Gaming Router
I recommend getting a gaming router installed if you are a gaming enthusiast. I had one installed back then, and it made all the differences that I, as a gamer, would want.
However, you must keep in mind the following tips to get the most out of your gaming router.
Switch On Quality of Service or QoS
Gaming routers are equipped with Quality of Service settings that ensure that you experience little to no lag while you are gaming. It prioritizes your gaming traffic over other internet activities.
Regular routers may have basic QoS settings, but gaming routers are said to enhance your gaming experience by specifically categorizing your gaming data packets over other web-related activities.
So, even when someone at your home is binge-watching or downloading files, you need not worry about the internet speed at your end, thanks to the gaming router.
Using Gigabit Ethernet Ports
Ethernet Ports are the best one-stop solution when you want a lag-free, smoothest gaming experience. The wifi connectivity may be excellent, but that surely doesn’t last forever. It may be subject to fluctuations anytime, any day.
A router with gigabit Ethernet ports can sustain the speed of the internet up to 1000 Mbps. If your internet service provider does give you the privilege to enjoy that speed, your regular routers might not be able to bear the load of it. In this situation, you can trust gaming routers to handle the capacity.
You can even utilize powerline adapters. All you have to do is plug one near the gaming console or your PC and the other one near the router. You can then use an Ethernet cable to connect both of them. These will give a better gaming experience as compared to simply using wifi.
Current Wi-fi Standards
Some routers do not have Ethernet; in this case, you can go for routers that can handle modern wireless standards and requirements. Since most outdated routers will not be able to handle the current high-speed internet capacity.
You can look for signs such as AC2600 or A1500 to check the standards. While AC can be counted as a good option, the AX variant is more compatible with new-age gaming. They also come equipped with ideal router settings for PlayStation gaming. These are perfect for the new-age gaming enthusiasts.
RAM and CPU
While you may not have considered RAM and CPU while choosing a router, you must know that they are of equal importance for routers. No, your router does not have high-intensity apps, but you should know that your router does have to bear the high volumes of network data.
If your router has insufficient RAM or a weak CPU, it might not be able to handle the large bandwidth required for gaming. Games do involve timely updates and lots of additional files. The download files and associated chats can lead to an influx of data that your router may not be able to bear.
Router Reboot
Old routers tend to freeze when there is too much bandwidth to handle. Although the most common troubleshooting step is to turn it off, wait for a few minutes, and turn it back on, you might even need to reboot your router sometimes.
Rebooting allows your router to reestablish connection between the devices on your network and the internet. It also resolves connectivity issues, if any.
Furthermore, your router may have temporary glitches or bugs, rebooting often fixes those bugs and helps refresh network settings. In short, it restores your router to its default state.
Universal Plug and Play
While installing a router, ensure that it has a Universal Plug and Play or UPnP. It’s a common feature that simplifies port forwarding. Since internet protocols communicate on different ports, your router gets to determine the traffic each device should get.
UPnP can automatically set up port forwarding on routers, which can be helpful when you playing games online. It allows the devices inside a private network to communicate with devices on the internet without the requirement of manual router configuration.
Conclusion
These are the things that you should keep in consideration while getting a router installed. Apart from these, you should also do proper research on which router will serve your purpose best.
Nonetheless, setting up a gaming router is not a daunting task. Choosing the right router, familiarizing yourself with its features, reading the manual for instructions, if any, and following the installation tips will give you a faster, smoother gaming experience.