When it comes to gaming, we can say that almost all gamers prefer using Ethernet for their gaming needs. The reason is minimal latency, and almost no lag, which is the prerequisite for a smooth gaming session. But what if you choose to use Wi-Fi?
Then you’ll be facing hassles such as disconnection, lags due to wireless connectivity, coverage issues, etc. But what if we tell you that a gaming router can resolve these issues? Yes, gaming routers have been crafted to minimize the issues of regular routers.
In other words, they are meant to make up for the performance lost by regular routers as well as boost overall workability. Well, how can this happen? That’s what we’re here to tell you about. We’re sharing the ways gaming routers are different from regular routers and how they outperform or sometimes underperform them. So, let’s begin:
Design and Visuals
Your regular routers will come with basic designs, minimalistic enough that they will blend with almost all interiors. These can easily be placed at any place you want as long as they offer good coverage.
But when it comes to gaming routers, you can expect some pretty amazing designs that will surely complement your gaming setup. In other words, these can really pull off the ‘alien hardware’ outlook, making it stand out from your ordinary surroundings.
Not to mention, these routers mostly have additional antennas for extending coverage. Whereas you’d find that ordinary routers don’t come with multiple antennas often. So, in terms of design and appeal, we can say that gaming routers are far more fancier and aesthetic.
Performance
Now this is where we draw the lines. When it comes to gaming, we expect our router to give relentless performance. That means minimal latency, lesser ping, unbound coverage, no disconnection at all, and so forth. Let’s check out how gaming routers differ from ordinary routers:
Latency Management
Latency is by far the worst nightmare for any gamer. You’re looking at a target, it vanishes, and BAM! You’re dead! If you can relate, then we feel for you. It’s all because of high latency a.k.a lags.
In technical terms, latency is defined as the time taken for a data packet to reach its destination. The greater the time, the higher the latency; hence the lag. That’s why there’s ‘latency management’.
This feature allows routers to minimize latency for network-extensive tasks such as gaming. Gaming routers come with a latency management feature, which is why if you’re into gaming, and want little to no latency, then you should opt for one rather than going for an ordinary router.
All you need is good internet, for which we recommend Spectrum internet, and with a gaming router’s latency management, you’d get minimal latency. You can look for the best routers with latency management online and get one today.
Coverage and Speed
Another important factor is coverage alongside speed. For speed, we can say that it’s going to vary as it’s based on your internet plan. Here, the coverage plays an important part since if there’s a coverage issue, the speed will drop and disconnection will occur.
Again, gaming routers take the lead here by offering extended coverage via multiple brand frequency. In addition, even the 2.4 GHz band is able to offer reliable speed, which is fairly higher than regular routers.
Higher Bandwidth
In addition to the above, gaming routers tend to offer more bandwidth whereas regular routers don’t. For instance, if you’re using a regular router for gaming and streaming needs, then it will choke because it doesn’t support multiple devices using it simultaneously and doesn’t have features such as QoS or latency management.
On the other hand, you can get higher bandwidth and more streamlined performance when using a gaming router. These routers can operate effectively even with multiple users and with features such as QoS, they can offer efficient gaming performance than regular routers.
Gaming Features
Even if some may argue that regular routers can match the performance of gaming routers, still, the extended features that come with gaming routers. For starters:
- You get QoS (Quality of Service) that prioritizes bandwidth to the right traffic such as gaming.
- Latency management that minimizes lags.
- Enhanced security features with parental controls.
- Minimizes data loss and avoids disconnection.
- Enhanced number of user connectivity.
- Airtime fairness and strengthened connectivity.
Keeping this in mind, it’s fair to say that gaming routers offer more than just performance; they make the gaming experience great. It’s safe to say that if you’re using Wi-Fi for gaming, then having a gaming router is a good idea.
What Should You Choose?
Based on the above, we can say that gaming routers do stand out in terms of offering the performance needed for gaming. However, the one reason why it’s not recommended for everyday use is because it’s expensive.
You can buy regular routers at affordable rates; however, with gaming routers, you’ll need to spend more than $200 on average. In addition, finding the right gaming router is a complex task as well.
It’s obvious because since you’re spending so much, you’d want to have all the features for an absolute gaming performance. Hence, for that, you’d need to spend much more than a regular router.
If you’re on a budget, then you need to consider buying a gaming router. But if you’re building a gaming setup, then buying would surely enhance the aesthetic appeal entirely!
