Games are increasing in size and even the scope of the games is increasing. With the large size of the games, along with multiplayer games, having a good router is a must. A normal router is never enough for a pro gamer and investing in a good gaming router becomes important. If you are looking forward to investing in a good gaming router, do not forget to consider the following five features. Before you look for the features, you need to first think about the type of games that you engage in which will help you to decide the type of gaming router that you will need.
1. Bandwidth range of the router
A common misconception about the bandwidth of the router is that a faster router guarantees fast speed. No matter how expensive a router is with fancy features, you would only get the internet speed that you would be paying for to the internet service provider. While buying a router, it is however a good idea to check the bandwidth range and the transfer rate of the router. If you are planning to invest in a good internet plan, then you would need an equally good router to support its speed. A faster speed of the router reduces the loading speed extremely.
2. Use at least an 802.11ac router
Most gamers prefer to use wired connections for playing games. The wired connection ensures minimal loss of signal and faster speed. Also, a wired connection is never a problem for gamers because they do not carry their laptop aimlessly while playing games. If you can only access wireless connections, then you should invest in an 802.11ac router which surely will act as a Gigabit Ethernet. However, if you can get access to a wired connection, you should surely opt for it to get the maximum speed.
3. Quality of Service (QoS)
QoS allows the users to manage the bandwidth. With QoS, it becomes possible to prioritize the speed for the device and application based on preference. For instance, using the QoS setting of the gaming router, you can prioritize the internet speed for gaming and streaming, including downloading things. Most of the routers support the QoS setting, which is available in the router setting which can either be accessed mostly from 192.168.254.254 or 192.168.10.1 depending on the router that you are using. If you are purchasing a gaming router, it is recommended that you prioritize gaming in the QoS setting.
4. Dual and Tri-Band
Routers have different bands. A dual-band router supports frequencies of both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. On the other hand, a tri-band router can either support one 2.4 GHz and two 5 GHz bands or one 2.4 GHz, one 5 GHz and one 60 GHz band. These frequency bands affect the speed of the internet. Connecting with the help of a 5 GHz band supports a faster internet speed connection. On the basis of the set-up of the router, the router can either automatically or manually be connected to a 5 GHz network. It is generally recommended that the network traffic is split up into different bands to increase the efficiency of the router. For instance, the tasks that you want to prioritize can be assigned to the 5 GHz band whereas the tasks of the lower priority can be assigned to 2.4 GHz.
5. User-friendly software and interface
A router should have easy to use software and interface Most of the routers support both basic and advanced tabs for the users depending upon the degree of customization that the users want to make. From this software, the user should be able to avail information like network traffic, list of connected clients and QoS setting. Nowadays, many routers support apps that can be installed on the smartphone and can be used to control the settings.
It is always a great idea to first list out the requirements that you are looking for in a router. After listing out the requirements, decide the budget of the gaming router. Now, shortlisting the gaming router on the basis of both features and the budget has become an easy task. When investing in a good router, it also becomes equally important to invest in a good internet speed too.