Does a Gaming Router Increase Internet Speed?

If you’re new to this site then welcome! This blog is all about creating the most ideal home theater, gaming room, and man cave set up. Throughout this site you’ll find a multitude of resources you can use to help you with whatever you’re set up looks like.

Today I’m writing about whether or not you should go with a gaming router. I’m assuming that you’re reading this article with an already established Wi-Fi connection in your house. Maybe it’s not giving you the speed you need for online gaming or you’re just wondering if it’s worth upgrading your wi-Fi set up.

Network companies always want you to get the fastest plan available. They always advertise different monthly payments that lead to higher numbers in terms of download and upload speed. They even pitch special features by claiming their routers are good for gaming. But are these really that significant?

This article will help you understand if the gaming router is a necessary purchase for you and will also help you with ways to increase your current Internet speed.

So does a gaming router increase internet speed?

Gaming routers increase internet speed and can do unique things such as pair you with the closest server, lower your ping rate, all while giving you the fastest Internet speed possible. They do this by prioritizing your gaming connection over other activities in your house. Most casual gamers will find that these features are not always entirely necessary to have a great experience with online gaming.

When it comes to Internet speed, it’s worth noting that not every household needs the same amount of Internet speed. It really depends on how many devices your household will have in use. It also depends on what type of activity these devices will be demanding from your Wi-Fi network. If you know that you’ll have at least one gaming set up running in conjunction with other users in the house playing Netflix, YouTube, or twitch streaming, then a higher speed and caliber Internet set up is required. For a single person living in a one bedroom apartment, the demand is much lower on your network.

Linus tech puts it best: it doesn’t make sense for a single man to buy a minivan if he has no kids. In the below sections, i’ll talk about what makes gaming routers so special, when you should upgrade, and some good product examples. The sections at the bottom will show you what type of metrics are required for different activities online and how that affects data usage.

What Makes Them Special?

Gaming routers can do a couple of unique things. I did a lot of research on different models and some of them come with some specific functions. Not all gaming routers can do the same thing, so it’s good to look at the ones you were interested in and compare them with each other.

There are a few things that are also worth understanding so that you were not being falsely advertised to. Don’t go on an ISP plan that has a high latency metric. That’s one of the first things you should look at, and it should be well below 70 if possible.

Gaming routers have a QUOS algorithm programmed into them. These algorithms will prioritize the type of traffic that is sent to your router. They are especially good at prioritizing came traffic when playing. If your little siblings don’t mind, then they might have a slower connection while you’re playing Fortnite. These algorithms ultimately help reduce the amount of lag in a multiplayer match. I would question a gaming router product that does not have this algorithm description because this is what makes them stand out.

Gaming routers have a more powerful processor and have optimized hardware. This is a feature of any high-quality router. Faster and better hardware will naturally speed up its ability to provide you the best Internet connection possible. This is also why it’s important to note that other routers can provide the same level of Internet speed if they are of good quality. The better the processor and hardware of your router, the more multitasking it can handle.

Other than that, gaming routers are not that much different than other high-quality routers. A lot of them try to look flashy and look like they’re built only for gaming, but that doesn’t mean they won’t have a standard rival router to compare to.

So as you can see, there are some features in which serious gamers will want to invest in. For casual gamers or people that also play games off-line, a regular router that checks the boxes you need them to is also perfectly fine.

Some gaming routers come with other special features. A good example is the NetgearXR 500 series which I’ll talk about in the below section.

This one is actually pretty cool! This one was the first one I came across that actually had feature is unique to the Netgear brand. Take a look below at the list to see what I’m talking about.

This one comes with a Geo filter feature. All this means is that it will be able to pair you to the closest online servers with respect to your location. It will do this every single time with no questions asked. Some people on gaming PCs might not think this is a necessary feature, but for console gamers, this could mean everything. Consoles give you no ability to choose which server you want to join unless the game has this feature. Being automatically paired to the nearest server will lower your ping rate. This essentially reduces the amount of time it takes for your console to communicate every button push with the server in real-time.

The XR 500 series is an expensive option, so there is an alternate you can get for a much lower price. 

Netgear XR300

The Netgear XR 300 comes pretty close. It literally does everything the first one does but it’s half the price! You might be wondering what the trade off is, then?

In terms of capability, it is the same but it doesn’t use all the top notch hardware as it’s big brother. Before you think anything else: understand that the average and casual gamer will not notice a difference in this.

Unless you’re a professional gamer who wants every edge you can have over other regular gamers, then The XR 300 series will be perfectly fine. You’ll find that this router crushes most normal routers with its capabilities in general.

7 Immediate Ways to Improve Internet Speed For Gaming

1. Download Wifi Sweetspots or Network Analyzer if you have an iOS (Wifi Signal Strength or Wifi Analyzer for Android). Either of these apps can help you find the fastest connection speeds in your house.
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2. Move your router away from the floor. If your router is on the floor, the signal is going straight into the ground and isn’t dispersing the signal as well as if could be.
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3. Close applications using the internet. If you have a competitive match coming up, turn off your phone and all browsers open in your pc or other ones (putting them in airplane mode).
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4. Face antennas sideways so that they are not both sticking up and parallel to each other. I’m not a technical expert on why this works but this has actually made a difference in my internet speed. It has something to do with evenly dispersing the signal in multiple directions.
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5. Find the right wifi channel. There are 11 wifi channels and if you’re on the same channel as one of your neighbors, you’re internet might not work at all. Set your router to “automatic” so it can detect other router channels or run an app on your phone to find out which channel is best to use.
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6. Get rid of interference. If your router is surrounded by your Olympic gaming medals, the material makeup of these medals can actually hinder the signal going to devices. Anything that emits or disrupts radio waves should be avoided.
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7. Set your router to reboot on a schedule. If your router isn’t running as fast as it’s supposed to be, it’s likely that it just needs to be rebooted. Every router has the ability to be put on a reboot schedule. Just set it to 3am every day and it will keep connections running fresh.

When Should I Upgrade My Router?

Conclusion 

Hopefully this information wasn’t too much to process at once. As you can see, there’s a lot of things that go into making a gaming router sufficient for your experience. I narrowed down all my research and personal experience into this article to give you the best understanding possible. It was hard digging up a lot of this information because a lot of it is just people asking questions on forums and no one responding! Linus Tech Tips is a really good resource if you have any questions about your network security or other technical questions with respect to gaming.

Of all the research I did, I found that most people can adjust some of their network settings to create a seamlessly smooth gaming experience online. The gaming routers are just a way to get that additional leg up in your experience. They are also good if you have a lot of people in your household gaming at once. Gaming parties are always fun and awesome, and I’m sure a gaming router would be the perfect fit for something like this.

If you have any questions or additional comments, feel free to reach out to the emails I provide in my other articles. I’m also taking article suggestions for various topics on what this blog covers. Feel free to send those over my way if you have any and I’ll do my best to respond. Thank you for reading and be sure to stay tuned for the next article and check back regularly. Thanks for reading.