If you are a hard-core PC gamer or know a thing or two about gaming, you know that speed matters.
No one likes dying in a game just because of persistent lag issues after trying and practicing hard.
With the entire family using the same router (PC, Laptops, Mobile phones, Tablet), it becomes cumbersome to use.
Due to work from home, the internet has increased, and everyone needs a great speed, especially the gamers.
So if you’re looking for an upgrade, you have come to the right place.
A gaming router offers you to prioritize the bandwidth each client gets. It is best suitable if there are multiple gamers in the same house.
One can quickly get confused about the vast complexity of networking jargon when it comes to choosing the best Wi-Fi router.
While selecting the most appropriate router, you need to answer two questions:
- How fast you want your internet connection to be?
- What is your coverage area?
Given below are the best gaming routers of 2020.
After reading this article, I am sure you will know which one will work best for you.
1. TP-Link Archer C5400X
This gaming router with eight antennas is a wireless gaming router. It is one of the best gaming routers in the market. This monster is what the gamers desire.
The Tri-band gaming router uses 802.11ac wireless, where one band is dedicated to 2.4GHz while the other two groups for 5GHz.
These bands can deliver the speed up to 2,167Mbps. It even supports Alexa and IFTTT applets. This router has built-in malware protection, basically antivirus tools.
Yes! It’s a bit expensive, but it’s quite worth it. It has eight LAN ports, and with link aggregation, you can double up the transfer speed between the router and the computer.
The only thing that disappoints is its inability to decrease latency.
Pros:
- Fast performance
- 8 LAN ports
- Supports Alexa and IFTTT
- Antivirus tools
Cons:
- Expensive
- Not so good file transfer
- Large footprints
- Lack of technology to decrease latency
2. TP-Link Archer C9 AC1900
With a 2.4GHz and 5GHz throughput bands performance, it is suitable for medium to a large home. It has beamforming technology and is very easy to install.
It’s quite affordable.
The router includes four Gigabit LAN ports and two USB ports. It delivers a read speed of 23.51Mbps and 14.28 write speed over its USB 3.0 port.
It has an impressive rate according to its price.
Though it isn’t the best, the features are appreciated when compared to the amount. It lacks MU-MIMO (Multi-User Multiple Input, Multiple Output) data streaming support.
But again, you don’t need it at home. It delivers a fast speed at a close range and a decent pace at long-range.
The router is ideal for home users who won’t find the speed offering to be a significant issue.
Pros:
- Solid speed
- Affordable
- Good Wi-Fi speed
- Space-saving design
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Can’t match the faster routers
- Design limits wall mounting
3. Netgear Nighthawk R7000P AC2300
The Netgear Nighthawk R7000P AC2300 is a dual-band wifi router. It has three removable antennas, which can be adjusted as well.
The gaming router has one USB 3.0 port, four Gigabit LAN ports, a WAN port, and also a USB 2.0 port. It is easily manageable.
You can quickly determine your internet upload and download bandwidth speed with the help of the Dynamic QoS setting.
It is compatible with Alexa. Its parental control lets you limit the daily internet time for any website or app. It has MU-MIMO data streaming support.
The gaming router has a 1GHz processor and 11 AC speed & performance.
Make sure that all the character freezing is avoided so that you can enjoy a lag-free gaming experience.
Pros:
- Almost 40 to 50 people can use it at the same time
- High processor
- Parental control options
Cons:
- It cannot assign bandwidth to specific devices and gaming applications.
- Long-range performance could have been better
- Average file transfer performance
Also, if you want to get the best price for the router you can visit Amazon.
Related Article: 9 Best Ways to Collect Donations Online
4. ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000
It’s a Wi-Fi 6 router. It comes with eight removable antennas.
The router seems a bit bulky, but you’ll like this router if we look past the appearance and dig deeper. It is a fantastic upgrade for hardcore gamers.
Also, its durable processing power can easily compete with a storage server.
GT-AX1100 has two 5GHz bands, which give 4804Mbps and one 2.4GHZ band, which offers a rate of 1148Mbps.
Its 5GHz band gives it an edge over other dual-band routers. It offers home users tons of useful features. It can both work as a primary router as well as an AiMesh node.
The router has also AiProtection, which gives you a Parental Control feature.
You can turn one of its LAN into WAN as well. It also works with Alexa and IFTTT. It can do more than you can think of doing with it. This router is all about gaming.
Pros:
- Fast and reliable Wi-Fi performance
- Can perform a lot of things
- Mesh ready
- First Wi-Fi 6 router
- Amazing 2.5Gbps wired connector
Cons:
- Expensive
- Bulky
- Complicated to set up
- Not many LAN ports available
5. AUSU RT-AX88U Gaming Router
The AUSU RT-AX88U router is an evolution of 802.11ac technology. It proves you with a speed of up to 4.8Gbps. It allows almost 30 users to share a channel at a particular time.
RT-AX88U has 8Gigabit Ethernet ports. It delivers 2.4GHz and 5GHz performance.
There are 8 network ports present. It has Dual WAN affiliates link aggregation.
Also, it has Trend Micro antivirus along with WTFast GPN. It comes with 3 antennas and a Quad-core 1.8 GHz processor.
The gaming router supports 802.11n and 802.11ac; this way, the old users aren’t left behind. This affordable router has brought next-generation Wi-Fi to the market.
Pros:
- Stunningly fast with 802.11ax clients
- Strong performance over 802.11ac
- 4×4 MU-MIMO and OFDMA
- Amazing 5GHz speed
Cons:
- Lacks 10 Gbps network port
- Less bandwidth than Tri-band models
- High price
6. Netgear Nighthawk XR500 Gaming Router
With a low-latency and high-performance design, XR500 is perfect for serious gamers. It has USB 3.0 ports, 4 gigabit LAN ports, 1 gigabit WAN port.
Also, it’s quite easy to set up.
The router is one of the fastest routers to date when combined with services available via Router Login.
It comes with 512MB of RAM and with a flash-storage space of 256MB. The gaming router uses NetDuma’s Duma OS software to bring a new software platform to the router. It has a powerful 1.7GHz processor.
The DFS (Dynamic Frequency Selection) feature enables you to tinker with 5GHZ channel when experiencing any interference.
Pros:
- Super-fast
- Extra features for gamers
- Easy to install
- Low-latency design
- Amazing close-range
Cons:
- Expensive
- No broadband modem
- Unhelpful documentation
- Zyxel Armor Z2 AC2600
- Technical Specifications:
- Wi-Fi: 802.11ac
- Processor: Dual-core 1.7GHz
- Weight: 1.26 lb
- Antennas: 4
The good MU-MIMO performance and reliability can handle big gaming files.
Although it has an average USB port speed, it has excellent traffic analysis software.
The best feature is that it prioritizes bandwidth, depending on each connection. It can handle various devices at the same speed.
In addition, the design of this is minimalistic and looks like an alien, but don’t worry, it won’t abduct your family members.
The Zyxel Armor Z2 AC2600 is a good router according to its price.
Conclusion
These are the top six popular gaming routers in 2020. These powerful gaming routers make it much easier to play without any lags and make your life easier.
So, all you hard-core gamers get yours now.
James is the Founder & CEO of GurusWay.com. Majoring in Business and other life-changing sectors, James covers helpful content and shares his experience with the targeted audience.