Gaming router has a great impact on online gaming; in fact, without a high-quality router, your online gaming experience won’t be great no matter how powerful your computer is. Online gaming requires an incredibly reliable connection and it can be ensured by an excellent gaming router. A high-quality gaming router can minimize lag spikes and prioritizes network traffic for you when you’re gaming. Moreover, the gaming router is also required if you are streaming online. So if you are serious about online gaming, then it is time for you to pick up the best router for gaming. In this article, I am going to review 8 of the best gaming routers that our experts have picked from the market after they have tasted hundreds of routers. Keep reading the article to know the details!
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Top 8 Best Gaming Routers Of 2021
1. TP-Link AC4000 Smart WiFi Router
2. Asus RT-AC86U
3. TP-Link AC5400 Tri Band Gaming Router
4. Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500
5. Asus RT-AC5300
6. Zyxel Armor Z2 AC2600
7. Asus RT-AC88U
8. D-link DIR-885L/R
TP-Link AC4000 Smart WiFi Router
If you’re searching for the latest router technology then TP-Link AC4000 Smart WiFi Router will be an excellent choice for you. This router will be perfect for both beginners and enthusiasts thanks to its easy-to-use interface that grants access to some highly advanced features. This router is packed with smart home features that will be excellent for people who have smart appliances in their homes like smart TV, smart light, Amazon Eco, etc. This is a tri-band router and it is very easy to install and manage with a web console or a mobile app. This router has nine small LED indicators on the front edge for power, Ethernet, internet, all three radio bands, two USB ports, and WPS activity. The rear panel holds four gigabit LAN ports, a WAN port, a USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port, a reset button, a power button, and a power jack.
This smart router is power by a Broadcom 1.8GHz quad-core processor and 512MB of RAM. This router can reach maximum signal rates of 750Mbps on the 2.4GHz radio band and 1,625Mbps on each of the two 5GHz radio bands. TP-Link AC4000 uses Wave 2 802.11ac technology and it supports MU-MIMO simultaneous data streaming, direct-to-client signal Beamforming, and SmartConnect. This router uses Range boost technology that enables far-reaching WiFi for long-range coverage throughout the Home. It has an advanced security feature that protects the Wifi network and connected devices with a free lifetime subscription to TP-Link Homecare that features next-level antivirus, robust parental controls, and QoS.
Key Features
1. Easy to install
2. Very fast file-transfer speeds
3. Strong parental controls
4. Anti-malware tools
5. Alexa voice control
Asus RT-AC86U
This is an excellent router from Asus and it is perfect for online gaming. The Asus RT-AC86U is a super-fast, dual-band gaming router and it is equipped with the latest networking technology and loaded with features that are suitable for online gaming. If you are into online gaming, 4K video streaming, or just looking for a powerful MU-MIMO-enabled router then this router will serve your needs. This dual-band router will provide solid throughput and also protect your connection and connected devices from malware and questionable content. This router has a gamer optimization feature so it will get the network priority while you are playing online games. This router is also popular for robust parental controls and a user-friendly interface.
The Asus RT-AC86U router is powered by a 1.8GHz dual-core CPU and 512MB of RAM. This router uses NitroQAM (1024-QAM) modulation technology to deliver potential throughput speeds of up to 750Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 2167Mbps on the 5GHz band. Moreover, this router also supports Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output data streaming technologies. In this technology, the router delivers data to compatible clients simultaneously rather than sequentially. It also supports Beamforming, which sends data directly to clients rather than over a broad spectrum. This wireless router is designed for lag-free online gaming and flawless 4K UHD streaming so you can put your trust in this router for the excellent online gaming experience.
Key Features
1. Excellent throughput performance
2. MU-MIMO streaming
3. Excellent prioritization controls
4. Built-in network protection
5. Robust features and management settings
TP-Link AC5400 Tri-Band Gaming Router
This router from TP-Link is specially designed for online gaming enthusiasts. This router is packed with excellent features that include solid throughput speeds, built-in malware protection, and support for Alexa voice commands and IFTTT applets. A competitive online gamer requires a router that will let the gamer optimize his/her bandwidth to reduce or eliminate network lag. This router from TP-Link is powered by a 1.8GHz quad-core processor, three co-processors, and 1GB of RAM. So you will get a smooth online gaming experience with this router. This router supports three radio bands and you can reach maximum data rates of up to 1,000Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 2,167Mbps on each of the 5GHz bands. This router also supports the latest 802.11ac technologies for excellent network connection.
This router supports MU-MIMO technology that provides simultaneous data streaming as well as direct-to-client signal transmissions and smart connections. All these features allow the router to pick the optimal radio band based on network traffic. This gaming router has eight oversized red and black external removal antennas but they are not adjustable. It has eight gigabytes LAN ports and from these eight ports, you can use 2 ports for link aggregation which is very convenient. In addition to the LAN ports, this router has two USB 3.0 ports, a WAN port, a power button, a power jack, and a reset button. The WPS, Wi-Fi On/Off, and LED On/Off buttons are located in the front of the router.
Key Features
1. Fast throughput performance
2. Eight LAN ports and one WLAN
3. Works with Alexa and IFTTT
4. Built-in malware and anti-virus tools
Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500
The Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500 is a dual-band router that offers excellent network support for online gaming thanks to its gamer-friendly management interface and solid close-range throughput performance. This router provides all kinds of settings that are required for a better gaming experience. This router has a slick design and it will help you prioritize network traffic as well as let you monitor things like latency, bandwidth, memory, and CPU usages. This router has a Wi-Fi On/Off button and a WPS button on the top and two USB 3.0 ports on the left side. There are four gigabit LAN ports and a WAN port available on the backside of the router. A reset button, a power button, and a power jack are also located on the backside of this router.
This is a very powerful router and it is equipped with a 1.7GHz dual-core processor, 256MB of flash memory, and 512MB of RAM. It is a 4X4 router and it will provide a Wifi speed of up to 800Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 1,733GHz on the 5GHz band. This router also supports Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output data streaming and Beamforming. It also supports 160 MHz WI-Fi, which doubles the 80MHz channel width on the 5GHz band so that you can achieve faster throughput speeds. This gaming router from Netgear uses DUMAOS, an interactive gamer-friendly operating system that will allow the gamers to focus on bandwidth allocation, resource monitoring, and network prioritization. From the DUMAOS dashboard, you can easily monitor what is going with your internet connection.
Key Features
1. Easy to install
2. Gamer-friendly management software
3. Good close-range throughput speed
4. Excellent file-transfer speed
Asus RT-AC5300
If you are looking for a high-quality router that will provide throughput in 2.4GHz and 5GHz band then you can pick this router. This is an excellent router for online gaming, 4K video streaming; moreover, it also provides an abundance of management settings which is very important for online gaming. This router is designed for large homes that require maximum bandwidth for online gaming and 4K video streaming. It uses the latest 802.11ac technology and it has three individual radio bands to deliver game-worthy throughput to multiple clients. Some other key features of this router are game-enhancement options, MU-MIMO data streaming, 4X4 data transmissions, and many more. This router has a very stylish look; it has a matte-black enclosure with red trim and beveled edges. It has eight removable and adjustable antennas.
This router is considered as very powerful because it is equipped with a 1.4GHz dual-core processor and it uses 802.11ac circuitry with three individual radio bands. So you will get throughput speeds of up to 1,000Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 2,167Mbps on the 5GHz bands. This router also supports Beamforming, sending signals directly to clients, Smart Connect, etc. Smart Connect allows the router to automatically choose the best band for optimal throughput. It has a Web-based ASUSWRT management console that displays a list of settings that includes Guest Network, AiProtection, Adaptive QoS, Traffic Analyzer, etc.
Key Features
1. Very fast throughput
2. MU-MIMO enabled
3. A web-based ASUSWRT management console
Zyxel Armor Z2 AC2600
If you are looking for a router that will provide solid single-user throughput then the Zyxel Armor Z2 AC2600 will be an excellent option. This is a Dual-Band Wireless Gigabit Router and it uses Qualcomm’s StreamBoost bandwidth-management technology that provides a user the best possible online-gaming and video-streaming experience. This router supports MU-MIMO streaming technology so it will offer a good selection of management settings for the user. This router has a stylish design that will be liked by gamers. This router has four adjustable, non-removable external antennas and five slim LED indicators on the front edge for Power, Internet connectivity, 2.4GHz, and 5GHz connectivity, and WPS activity.
This router is powered by a 1.7GHz dual-core processor and you will get a maximum throughput speed of 800Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 1,733Mbps on the 5GHz band. This router also supports the latest 802.11ac technologies as well as the MU-MIMO streaming which is very important for online gaming. This router also supports Beamforming technology that allows the router to send signals directly to clients rather than over a broad spectrum. This router has four Gigabit Ethernet ports, a WAN port, and Reset, Power, Wi-Fi, and WPS buttons. There are a USB 3.0 port and a USB 2.0 port available on the right side of the router.
Key Features
1. Speedy single-user throughput performance
2. Supports MU-MIMO streaming
3. Uses Qualcomm’s StreamBoost bandwidth-management technology
Asus RT-AC88U
This is an excellent dual-band router from Asus and it is packed with features that make it one of the best gaming routers currently available in the market. From this router, you can expect to get solid 5GHz throughput while playing online games. This router supports Multi-User Multiple Input, Multiple Output technology so this router can serve multiple Wi-Fi clients simultaneously without sacrificing bandwidth. However, in order to take advantage of this technology every client must contain an MU-MIMO-compatible network adapter. This router has eight Gigabit LAN ports and multiple USB ports. This router is very popular among gamers because of its excellent management options and user-friendly interface.
This router has an excellent build design. There are LED indicators available in front of this router. These indicators are for bands, Internet (WAN) connectivity, Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS), LAN connectivity, and USB port activity. Asus RT-AC88U is powered by a Broadcom 1.4GHz dual-core processor and Broadcom’s NitroQAM technology so you can expect up to 3,167Mbps of combined throughput from this router. The 2.4GHz band will provide a throughput speed of 1,000Mbps and the 5GHz band will provide a throughput speed of 2,167Mbps. You can manage this router Via a user-friendly Web interface where you can find settings that include Network Map, Guest Network, Adaptive Quality of Service (QoS), bandwidth monitor, and many more.
Key Features
1. 2. 4 Gigahertz coverage with a 4 transmit, 4 receive (4T4R)
2. ASUS Protection powered by Trend Micro
3. Supports Smart Connect
4. Supports Adaptive QoS
5. AiProtection with Parental Control
D-link DIR-885L/R
This is an excellent gaming router from D-link that offers excellent throughput performance, MU-MIMO data streaming, as well as provides supports for open-source firmware. This router is very popular among online gamers because of its excellent performance and unique design. Moreover, this router has a user-friendly management interface which is excellent for a beginner gamer. This router also supports MU-MIMO data streaming which is very important for online gaming. This router has an unusual design compared to other routers that I have discussed above. It has a pyramid-shaped, cherry-red enclosure which makes it very stylish. It has four removable and adjustable antennas.
This router has four Gigabit LAN ports, a WAN port, a USB 3.0 port, Reset, Power, and WPS buttons, and a switch in the back. It is powered by a 1.4GHz processor and you can expect a maximum throughput of 1,000Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and up to 2,165Mbps on the 5GHz band. D-link DIR-885L/R supports the latest 802.11ac technologies as well as dubbed Advanced AC SmartBeam, band steering, etc. It has a Web-based management console and you can use it from both your computer and smartphone. From the console, you can manage client IP addresses, connection type, configure DHCP, IPv4, and IPv6 network settings, and many more.
Key Features
1. Strong throughput performance
2. Supports open-source firmware
3. Supports MU-MIMO data streaming
4. Stylish design and user-friendly interface
FAQs About Best Gaming Router
1. What Is The ASUS Router IP Address?
The ASUS router IP address lets you access the ASUS router’s web interface to configure router settings. You will also require a name and password to login to the web interface. There are few IP addresses available for ASUS:
192.168.1.1
192.168.100.1
192.168.0.1
2. What Do You Do If You Forget Your Router Password?
If you have lost your router password or forgotten it then you have to reset your router to bring back the factory setting. Then you can use the default login password to access the router settings.
3. How Do I Access My ASUS Router Settings?
You can easily access your ASUS router settings. First, open a browser on your computer and then type 192.168.1.1 into the address bar. Now you will redirect to the login page. Now Type the device’s username and password in the boxes and click on the Login button. You have access to the ASUS router settings.
4. How Do I Reset My TP Link Router?
Reseating the TP Link is very simple but you have to keep the router on when reseating it. Now locate the reset button at the back of the router. Now press and hold the reset button for about 10 seconds and wait for the system LED starts to flash quickly. Now release the button and wait for the router to reboot. Congrats, you have reset your router. But remember, reseating the router will erase everything you have done to personalize this router
5. How Far Does 5GHz WiFi Reach?
The 5GHz band provides less coverage but transmits data at faster speeds. The 5GHz band can only cover 10–15 ft. This is because higher frequencies cannot penetrate solid objects, like walls, floors, etc.
6. What Is The Netgear Router IP Address?
The Netgear router IP address lets you access the Netgear router’s web interface to configure router settings. You will also require a name and password to login to the web interface. There are few IP addresses available for Netgear:
192.168.1.1
192.168.0.1
.
7. What Does AC1750 Mean?
AC means that the router has support for the 802.11ac wireless networking standard. The number after the AC suggests the maximum theoretical bandwidth of the router. For example, 1900 means 1900 Mbps, 3200 means 3200 Mbps.
8. Which Is Better For Streaming, 2.4 GHz Or 5GHz?
5GHz is better for streaming high-quality videos because higher radio frequencies allow faster data transmission. So 5GHz allows much faster network connections as well as data transmission than 2.4GHz.
Final Thoughts
Finally, when you are out in the market to buy a gaming router you should consider the CPU speed, throughput speed, price, and other gaming features. The routers we have mentioned above are the best you can get from the market so you can put your trust on our list without any hesitation. If you have any queries then leave it in the comment section. Our experts will provide you the information.