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If you are a serious gamer, you know how important it is to have a fast and reliable internet connection. You don’t want to suffer from lag, jitter, or packet loss when you are in the middle of an intense online match. That’s why you need a gaming router that can handle your bandwidth needs and prioritize your gaming traffic over other devices on your network.
A gaming router is not just a regular router with a fancy name. It usually has some features that make it stand out from the crowd, such as:
- Wi-Fi 6/6E support: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) is the latest wireless standard that offers faster speeds, lower latency, and more capacity than Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac). Wi-Fi 6E is an extension of Wi-Fi 6 that uses the 6 GHz band for even more bandwidth and less interference. If you have Wi-Fi 6/6E compatible devices, such as the latest smartphones, laptops, or consoles, you can benefit from these advantages.
- Tri-band technology: A tri-band router has three wireless bands: one 2.4 GHz band and two 5 GHz bands. This allows you to dedicate one of the 5 GHz bands to your gaming devices, while the other band can be used for other devices that need high-speed internet, such as streaming or downloading. This way, you can avoid congestion and interference on your network.
- MU-MIMO and OFDMA: These are two technologies that help a router communicate with multiple devices simultaneously, instead of sequentially. MU-MIMO (multi-user multiple input multiple output) allows a router to send and receive data to and from several devices at once on the same channel. OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access) allows a router to split a channel into smaller sub-channels and assign them to different devices according to their needs. These technologies improve the efficiency and performance of your network, especially when you have many devices connected.
- QoS and gaming mode: QoS (quality of service) is a feature that lets you prioritize certain types of traffic over others on your network. For example, you can give gaming traffic the highest priority, so that it gets the best possible speed and latency, while other traffic gets lower priority. Some routers have a dedicated gaming mode that automatically optimizes the QoS settings for gaming.
- Gaming dashboard and app: A gaming dashboard is a user interface that lets you monitor and control your network settings, such as bandwidth usage, device connections, speed tests, ping tests, etc. A gaming app is a mobile version of the dashboard that lets you access these features from your smartphone or tablet. These tools can help you fine-tune your network performance and troubleshoot any issues.
With these features in mind, we have selected some of the best gaming routers for 2023 based on their specifications, reviews, and prices. Here are our top picks:
| Router | Wi-Fi Standard | Bands | Speed | MU-MIMO | OFDMA | QoS | Gaming Mode | Gaming Dashboard | Gaming App | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TP-Link Archer AX11000¹² | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) | Tri-band (1 x 2.4 GHz + 2 x 5 GHz) | Up to 10756 Mbps (1148 + 4804 + 4804 Mbps) | Yes (8×8) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $296.99 |
| Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000² | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) | Tri-band (1 x 2.4 GHz + 2 x 5 GHz) | Up to 11000 Mbps (1148 + 4804 + 4804 Mbps) | Yes (8×8) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $351.62 |
| Netgear Nighthawk Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6E Router (RAXE500)³ | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) | Tri-band (1 x 2.4 GHz + 1 x 5 GHz + 1 x 6 GHz) | Up to 10800 Mbps (1200 + 4800 + 4800 Mbps) | Yes (8×8) | Yes | Yes | No* (*but has DumaOS software for gaming optimization) | Yes* (*DumaOS dashboard) | No* (*but has Nighthawk app for general settings) | $598.18 |
| Asus ROG Strix GS-AX5400²⁴ | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) | Dual-band (1 x 2.4 GHz + 1 x 5 GHz) | Up to 5400 Mbps (574 + 4804 Mbps) | Yes (4×4) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $201.30 |
| TP-Link Archer AX50 (AX3000)¹³ | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) | Dual-band (1 x 2.4 GHz + 1 x 5 GHz) | Up to 3000 Mbps (574 + 2402 Mbps) | Yes (4×4) | Yes | Yes | No* (*but has HomeCare software for QoS and security) | No* (*but has Tether app for general settings) | Yes* (*Tether app) | $69.99 |
Pros and Cons of Each Router
TP-Link Archer AX11000
Pros:
- One of the fastest and most powerful Wi-Fi 6 routers on the market
- Supports tri-band technology, MU-MIMO, and OFDMA for maximum performance and efficiency
- Has a dedicated gaming mode that automatically optimizes the QoS settings for gaming
- Has a gaming dashboard that lets you monitor and control your network settings, such as bandwidth usage, device connections, speed tests, ping tests, etc.
- Has a gaming app that lets you access the gaming dashboard from your smartphone or tablet
- Has eight external antennas and beamforming technology for better coverage and signal strength
- Has eight Gigabit LAN ports and two USB 3.0 ports for wired connections and file sharing
- Has advanced security features, such as antivirus, firewall, parental controls, etc.
Cons:
- Expensive
- Bulky and heavy
- May require firmware updates to fix some bugs and issues
Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000
Pros:
- Another one of the fastest and most powerful Wi-Fi 6 routers on the market
- Supports tri-band technology, MU-MIMO, and OFDMA for maximum performance and efficiency
- Has a dedicated gaming mode that automatically optimizes the QoS settings for gaming
- Has a gaming dashboard that lets you monitor and control your network settings, such as bandwidth usage, device connections, speed tests, ping tests, etc.
- Has a gaming app that lets you access the gaming dashboard from your smartphone or tablet
- Has eight external antennas and beamforming technology for better coverage and signal strength
- Has eight Gigabit LAN ports and two USB 3.0 ports for wired connections and file sharing
- Has advanced security features, such as antivirus, firewall, parental controls, etc.
- Supports link aggregation, VPN fusion, WTFast game accelerator, AiMesh system, etc.
Cons:
- Expensive
- Bulky and heavy
- May require firmware updates to fix some bugs and issues
Netgear Nighthawk Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6E Router (RAXE500)
Pros:
- The first router to support Wi-Fi 6E technology that uses the 6 GHz band for more bandwidth and less interference
- Supports tri-band technology, MU-MIMO, and OFDMA for maximum performance and efficiency
- Has DumaOS software that lets you optimize your network settings for gaming, such as QoS, geo-filtering, ping heatmap, etc.
- Has a DumaOS dashboard that lets you monitor and control your network settings from your web browser
- Has six external antennas and beamforming technology for better coverage and signal strength
- Has five Gigabit LAN ports and two USB 3.0 ports for wired connections and file sharing
- Has advanced security features, such as antivirus, firewall, parental controls, etc.
Cons:
- Very expensive
- Bulky and heavy
- Does not have a dedicated gaming mode or app
- Does not support link aggregation or mesh system
Asus ROG Strix GS-AX5400
Pros:
- A more affordable Wi-Fi 6 router that still offers fast speeds and low latency for gaming
- Supports dual-band technology, MU-MIMO, and OFDMA for good performance and efficiency
- Has a dedicated gaming mode that automatically optimizes the QoS settings for gaming
- Has a gaming dashboard that lets you monitor and control your network settings, such as bandwidth usage, device connections, speed tests, ping tests, etc.
- Has a gaming app that lets you access the gaming dashboard from your smartphone or tablet
- Has four external antennas and beamforming technology for better coverage and signal strength
- Has four Gigabit LAN ports and one USB 3.0 port for wired connections and file sharing
- Has advanced security features, such as antivirus, firewall, parental controls, etc.
Cons:
- Does not support tri-band technology or Wi-Fi 6E
- May require firmware updates to fix some bugs and issues
- Has fewer LAN ports and USB ports than some other gaming routers
- May not be compatible with some non-Asus mesh systems
TP-Link Archer AX50 (AX3000)
Pros:
- A budget-friendly Wi-Fi 6 router that offers decent speeds and low latency for gaming
- Supports dual-band technology, MU-MIMO, and OFDMA for good performance and efficiency
- Has HomeCare software that lets you optimize your network settings for QoS and security
- Has a Tether app that lets you monitor and control your network settings from your smartphone or tablet
- Has four external antennas and beamforming technology for better coverage and signal strength
- Has four Gigabit LAN ports and one USB 3.0 port for wired connections and file sharing
Cons:
- Does not support tri-band technology or Wi-Fi 6E
- Does not have a dedicated gaming mode or dashboard
- May require firmware updates to fix some bugs and issues
Conclusion and Recommendation
As you can see, there are many options to choose from when it comes to gaming routers. The best one for you depends on your budget, your devices, your network size, and your gaming preferences. However, based on our research and analysis, we recommend the Asus ROG Strix GS-AX5400 as the best gaming router for 2023. It offers a great balance of speed, performance, features, and price. It supports Wi-Fi 6 technology, has a dedicated gaming mode and dashboard, and has advanced security features. It is also compatible with the Asus AiMesh system, which allows you to create a seamless mesh network with other Asus routers. It is a router that can handle your gaming needs and more.
We hope this article has helped you find the best gaming router for 2023. Happy gaming!
