Seeking Gaming Router expert advice

[LoWRiDeR82]

In theory the linksys being ac3200 dualband..
Would be faster than the asus that is ac2900 dual band... Right? Or am i completely wrong?

 

[FinneousPJ]

What's a gaming router?

 

[LoWRiDeR82]

What's a gaming router?

Yes ok thanks for the value you add to the thread. Remove the word gaming, the question stands the same.

 

[FinneousPJ]

Yes ok thanks for the value you add to the thread. Remove the word gaming, the question stands the same.

Well, I was just wondering if a gaming router has some extra features I wasnt aware of. In any case, your choice of router shouldn't affect latency except if it's getting overloaded. That should be unlikely.

 

[remixedcat]

Well, I was just wondering if a gaming router has some extra features I wasnt aware of. In any case, your choice of router shouldn't affect latency except if it's getting overloaded. That should be unlikely.

Most of those "gamer features" is just auto QoS for games added. You can manually add those same rules yourself with any decent router.

Instead of paying the "gamer hardware tax" you could get a WRTACS1900 or Netgear Nighthawk R7000 and put DDWRT on there which adds enterprise features and very robust QOS controls... Or look into Ubiquiti Unifi line of routers, switches, and APs. Highly recommend them. (note not shilling not paid by any companies mentioned here)..

For a larger, more complex RF house Ubiquiti Edgerouter (whichever fits your budget they got a few), a PoE switch Unifi Switch 8 PoE is cheap, and a few APs can be had for the price of a high end "gaming router" that wouldn't have as good RF and has babied down feature sets for other aspects of network controls such as client monitoring, wifi performance scores, RF tools, etc..

Please don't fall into the gamer router trap.

Also personally have and tested the WRT32X and it was complete trash even with DDWRT the RF was extremely unstable and had very bad performance. Stock firmware was a joke and a mess with a terrible UI. DDWRT made it less painful, but still bad. Instead of stabbing a wound it tapped the wound with a hammer handle. Easiest way to describe my experience with it. I didn't even bother with a review since so many others echoed it on all the other sites I hang out at. I might do it anyways if I feel like I need some pain in my life.

It's a massive performance downgrade from the 1900ACS that I tested and liked .. well when DDWRT was loaded. Stock firmware was bad but not the worst. I have a review up for that one though and one member here has mine. I traded it, and 2 aruba RAP109s for the Lenovo W530 I;m typing this on. That member liked it. I gave it to them with DDWRT loaded, of course.

 

[dirtyferret]

In theory the linksys being ac3200 dualband..
Would be faster than the asus that is ac2900 dual band... Right? Or am i completely wrong?

The linkys is a 3x3 AC 1900 router, the Asus is three streams on 2.4ghz and four on 5ghz. Throughput can vary if for some reason you decided to buy another identical router and use it on bridge mode (not exactly ideal use of money) but that does not necessarily affect speed. Most wi-fi clients use 2x2 AC 1200 antenna.

In basic terms one router being 3200ac vs 2900ac does not make one better then the other or vice versa.

How Fast Can Your Wi-Fi Go? - SmallNetBuilder

http://forums.smallnetbuilder.com/forumdisplay.php?f=18

www.smallnetbuilder.com

 

[LoWRiDeR82]

Most of those "gamer features" is just auto QoS for games added. You can manually add those same rules yourself with any decent router.

Instead of paying the "gamer hardware tax" you could get a WRTACS1900 or Netgear Nighthawk R7000 and put DDWRT on there which adds enterprise features and very robust QOS controls... Or look into Ubiquiti Unifi line of routers, switches, and APs. Highly recommend them. (note not shilling not paid by any companies mentioned here)..

For a larger, more complex RF house Ubiquiti Edgerouter (whichever fits your budget they got a few), a PoE switch Unifi Switch 8 PoE is cheap, and a few APs can be had for the price of a high end "gaming router" that wouldn't have as good RF and has babied down feature sets for other aspects of network controls such as client monitoring, wifi performance scores, RF tools, etc..

Please don't fall into the gamer router trap.

Also personally have and tested the WRT32X and it was complete trash even with DDWRT the RF was extremely unstable and had very bad performance. Stock firmware was a joke and a mess with a terrible UI. DDWRT made it less painful, but still bad. Instead of stabbing a wound it tapped the wound with a hammer handle. Easiest way to describe my experience with it. I didn't even bother with a review since so many others echoed it on all the other sites I hang out at. I might do it anyways if I feel like I need some pain in my life.

It's a massive performance downgrade from the 1900ACS that I tested and liked .. well when DDWRT was loaded. Stock firmware was bad but not the worst. I have a review up for that one though and one member here has mine. I traded it, and 2 aruba RAP109s for the Lenovo W530 I;m typing this on. That member liked it. I gave it to them with DDWRT loaded, of course.

Thanks this is a very useful post. If you had to recommend 1 router, that is a single device without the need of additional AP/switch etc, which one would it be? I'd like something that is relatively simple to setup and works well.

 

[Chrispy_]

Wi-Fi is rubbish. Even the hyped up 3x3 MIMO super-duper G4MER-bling mega Wi-Fi "for gamers by gamers" Wi-Fi. Trust me, I've been paid literally five-digit figures to do certified Wi-Fi site-surveys for clients. Okay, I did lots of other things for that fee too, but the site survey was why I was sent and not an architect or engineer.

A rubbish, cheap, BT Homehub is more than adequate to provide perfect, consistent, wired <1ms latency to a whole bunch of client devices in your typical UK home. The 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands are not. They're overlapping, overcrowded, leftovers that suck but they're all thats available in the fiercely carved-up RF spectrum in the UK.

Get your primary gaming locations wired if you can. Otherwise, buy a cheap D-Link/Zyxel/Linksys wireless access point and hard-wire it to the room that you're most likely to use via CAT6 cable tacked to the skirting board, or use powerline adapters if that's not feasible. The problem isn't the routing of your router, it's the fact that Wi-Fi just doesn't work that smoothly because of competing networks, interference from other channels, and unfortunately (in the case of 2.4GHz), microwave ovens up to 25 meters away.

Get your AP hardwired Then, remove the basic antennae that come with the access point and replace it with 5Ghz high-gain antennae like this:
Amazon search: High gain WiFi antenna

Just imagine that the airwaves are like a really crowded bar with stupidly loud music and you are trying to talk to a person sitting next you. For a start, you need to shout, so high-gain (like >10dbi) helps. Also, the stupidly-loud music is playing at 2.4GHz so you should shout at a higher 5GHz pitch. That doesn't really solve everything because everyone else is still shouting really loudly too, so the only way to really hear each other is to move closer. Grab yourself some extension cables, and reduce the physical distance between your AP's antenna and your PC/laptop. It's like you're leaning in to someone's ear to shout at them.
Here's an example, works best with free-standing Wi-Fi antennae, obviously....

Ideally, the end result is that your ISP is the bottleneck and your router/WiFi connection never add any latency that's detectable by you. That means ping -t to your router, output to a logfile and left running for several minutes. Open the file after that and just scroll down and it should be full of 'reply from <gateway address> bytes=32 time=2ms'. You should never see double digit ping times in ms. When there's too much interference or something else farting all over the RF spectrum you'll get 3-digit ping times and even timeouts. That's not your router, access-point, or network adapter - that's simply interference because both the 2.4 and 5GHz spectrums in the UK are utter garbage; Far too narrow and far too cluttered. They're only available for consumer/private use because they're too useless for commercial/government/military. We get the unwanted, near-useless scraps of what's left.

 

[LoWRiDeR82]

Wi-Fi is rubbish. Even the hyped up 3x3 MIMO super-duper G4MER-bling mega Wi-Fi "for gamers by gamers" Wi-Fi. Trust me, I've been paid literally five-digit figures to do certified Wi-Fi site-surveys for clients. Okay, I did lots of other things for that fee too, but the site survey was why I was sent and not an architect or engineer.

A rubbish, cheap, BT Homehub is more than adequate to provide perfect, consistent, wired <1ms latency to a whole bunch of client devices in your typical UK home. The 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands are not. They're overlapping, overcrowded, leftovers that suck but they're all thats available in the fiercely carved-up RF spectrum in the UK.

Get your primary gaming locations wired if you can. Otherwise, buy a cheap wireless access point and hardware it to the room that you're most likely to use. The problem is the routing of your router, it's the fact that Wi-Fi just doesn't work that smoothly because of competing networks, interference from other channels, and (unfortunately, in the case of 2.4GHz) Microwave ovens.

Get your AP hardwired via CAT6 cable tacked to the skirting board, or use powerline adapters if that's not feasible. Then, remove the basic antennae that come with the access point and replace it with 5Ghz high-gain antennae like this:
Amazon search: High gain WiFi antenna

Just imagine that the airwaves are like a really crowded bar with stupidly loud music and you are trying to talk to a person sitting next you. For a start, you need to shout, so high-gain (like >10dbi) helps. Also, the stupidly-loud music is playing at 2.4GHz so you should shout at a higher 5GHz pitch. That doesn't really solve everything because everyone else is still shouting really loudly too, so the only way to really hear each other is to move closer. Grab yourself some extension cables, and reduce the physical distance between your AP's antenna and your PC/laptop. It's like you're leaning in to someone's ear to shout at them.
Here's an example, works best with free-standing Wi-Fi antennae, obviously....

Thanks though wired is not an option for me and having tried powerline, it's slower than the 5ghz wireless of the crappy ZTE I have (with no latency difference at all).I am sure I can find a decent solution wireless.

 

[dirtyferret]

Thanks this is a very useful post. If you had to recommend 1 router, that is a single device without the need of additional AP/switch etc, which one would it be? I'd like something that is relatively simple to setup and works well.

My personal opinion; Netgear Nighthawk R6700 v3, uses the same broadcomm chip as the R7000 but there are relatively few 600mbps clients on the 2.4ghz channel. Ive set up three of them with no issues. The firmware is solid and fairly easy to use. The router lays flat so easy to place on a shelf.

Another option is the Asus AC68U, firmware is slightly better then netgear if you like to fiddle with it more. The case is well vented like the netgear nighthawks. The Asus just costs more and stands up. The Asus AC66U B1 is the AC68U but lays flat and can get hot thanks to its thinner plastic mold.

All the routers mentioned above use the same broadcomm chip.

 

[slightofhand]

Please don't fall into the gamer router trap.

QFT. And pretty much everything else she wrote!

3 years ago I got off the "Gaming Router" merry-go-round and moved to an Edgerouter Lite. Added 3 ASUS AC-66u routers-turned-into-Access-Points, and my 2400 sq.ft. home sitting on almost 1/2 an acre is now covered in 5 GHz sweetness. Gaming routers are nothing more than a marketing rip-off!

Greg

 

[LoWRiDeR82]

My personal opinion; Netgear Nighthawk R6700 v3, uses the same broadcomm chip as the R7000 but there are relatively few 600mbps clients on the 2.4ghz channel. Ive set up three of them with no issues. The firmware is solid and fairly easy to use. The router lays flat so easy to place on a shelf.

Another option is the Asus AC68U, firmware is slightly better then netgear if you like to fiddle with it more. The case is well vented like the netgear nighthawks. The Asus just costs more and stands up. The Asus AC66U B1 is the AC68U but lays flat and can get hot thanks to its thinner plastic mold.

All the routers mentioned above use the same broadcomm chip.

Thanks, if the price difference isn't too big then, instead of the AC68U I could get the AC86U , right now I can find them with minimal difference.

 

[dirtyferret]

Thanks, if the price difference isn't too big then, instead of the AC68U I could get the AC86U , right now I can find them with minimal difference.

go for it just realize Asus is notorious for selling the same router under different model numbers so shop around

 

[LoWRiDeR82]

go for it just realize Asus is notorious for selling the same router under different model numbers so shop around

Thanks for your help!

 

[remixedcat]

Thanks this is a very useful post. If you had to recommend 1 router, that is a single device without the need of additional AP/switch etc, which one would it be? I'd like something that is relatively simple to setup and works well.

The WRTACS1900s can be had for cheap as well as the R7000 netgears. I've seen em as low as like 100-120. Just remember to flash it with DDWRT.

 

[kurosagi01]

You used the hub as a switch and created APs and bridges with your other routers using an Ethernet backhaul? This would be the ideal set up but I think most apartments won't let you run Ethernet through the wall.

I have our modem & router in the family room with a roku hardwired to it along with a powerline adapter. A second adapter sits in my master bedroom with an old router set up as an AP and another hardwired roku.

Can't I get rid the ISP ZTE box altogether? I thought these routers can do the whole thing if setup with the correct settings, without the need for the ZTE. Was I wrong?


Thanks but as I mentioned above, not an option to use cables

Pretty much ferret and OP can't you cable route them around which you shouldn't need go drilling any holes in the wall? I've routed a cable around the top of the door and use some masking tape or something? (I've got something to hold the cable on my wall which requires making a hole, forgot what they're called lol) or you could try routing edge of the carpet/floor and then tape it down. May look silly but at least you'll get better speed.

 

[John Naylor]

1. WiFi is OK for TVs and phones ... even a laptop ... but I have two ethernet cables running to my desk for a reason ... the spare is for the lappie.

2. I just replaces my router and switch with an 8 port router from Asus (GT-5300) ... main reason I bought the expensive model I did was it had 8 ethernet out ports and allowed me dump the old switch.

3. The router works fine ... everything else is a PITA.

a) Be aware that most of the gaming features on Asus routers require you to allow data collection.
b) The manual differs substantially from the router utility screens and many instructions are inaccurate.
c) The names and functions of associated utility software (i.e. making USB printers into network printers) referred to in the manual are not appropriate for the current hardware.
d) Asus tech support is non-existent. I have used forums, telephone, anmd email. Only emails are responded to .. I have about a dozen emails all containing th exact same text, all signed with differen 1st name telling me to restore the router to factory settings, and then sending them various files so that 'they can help me get on the internet". I am on the internet, I have been on the internet since day 1.... my problem is with the printer utility .... the USB printer is plugged into the router but only 1 of 8 machines can print. Tho the problem has nothing to do with "getting on the internet" the Bot that now serves as tech support will not talk or respond to me until "i get on the internet"..... seems that the fact that we are exchanging emails should eliminate "getting on the internet" as a problem is lost on them.
That being said, am not a fan of Linksys ... as has abeen said perviously, I would recommend the equivalent Netgear model ... products on pare with more expensive units and they have live bodies who answer the when and emails when you need help.

 

[LoWRiDeR82]

Pretty much ferret and OP can't you cable route them around which you shouldn't need go drilling any holes in the wall? I've routed a cable around the top of the door and use some masking tape or something? (I've got something to hold the cable on my wall which requires making a hole, forgot what they're called lol) or you could try routing edge of the carpet/floor and then tape it down. May look silly but at least you'll get better speed.

Nop cabling not an option unless powerline that doesn't work that well.

1. WiFi is OK for TVs and phones ... even a laptop ... but I have two ethernet cables running to my desk for a reason ... the spare is for the lappie.

2. I just replaces my router and switch with an 8 port router from Asus (GT-5300) ... main reason I bought the expensive model I did was it had 8 ethernet out ports and allowed me dump the old switch.

3. The router works fine ... everything else is a PITA.

a) Be aware that most of the gaming features on Asus routers require you to allow data collection.
b) The manual differs substantially from the router utility screens and many instructions are inaccurate.
c) The names and functions of associated utility software (i.e. making USB printers into network printers) referred to in the manual are not appropriate for the current hardware.
d) Asus tech support is non-existent. I have used forums, telephone, anmd email. Only emails are responded to .. I have about a dozen emails all containing th exact same text, all signed with differen 1st name telling me to restore the router to factory settings, and then sending them various files so that 'they can help me get on the internet". I am on the internet, I have been on the internet since day 1.... my problem is with the printer utility .... the USB printer is plugged into the router but only 1 of 8 machines can print. Tho the problem has nothing to do with "getting on the internet" the Bot that now serves as tech support will not talk or respond to me until "i get on the internet"..... seems that the fact that we are exchanging emails should eliminate "getting on the internet" as a problem is lost on them.
That being said, am not a fan of Linksys ... as has abeen said perviously, I would recommend the equivalent Netgear model ... products on pare with more expensive units and they have live bodies who answer the when and emails when you need help.

So you think the XR500 of netgear is better than the ASUS RT-AC86U? Someone suggested me to go for dd-wrt compatible routers that's why I didn't consider the netgear.

 

[remixedcat]

Yes definitely go for DDWRT or other 3rd party firmware! It's often way better than the stock crap the mfrs put on them.

 

[dirtyferret]

Nop cabling not an option unless powerline that doesn't work that well.



So you think the XR500 of netgear is better than the ASUS RT-AC86U? Someone suggested me to go for dd-wrt compatible routers that's why I didn't consider the netgear.

You can install dd-wrt on many Netgear routers including the two I recommended.

DD-WRT for R6700 | MyOpenRouter

www.myopenrouter.com

You don't need an eight port router unless you plan to run Ethernet all over your apartment which you have stated several times you can't.

 

[TheLostSwede]

My two cents on the subject, having worked for a router manufacturer and having tested a lot of different routers over the years.
Qualcomm/QCA ARM based routers are heads and tails over other consumer routers in terms of stability and uptime.
I have a Netgear R7800 and recently switched over to Voxel's firmware, as Netgear appears to have been too busy with their new products to release any new firmware in the past 7 months...
That said, I have never owned a router that is as a stable as this one. Never had to reboot it (not including firmware updates), never had to reset it and baring power outages, it has never turned off. It's already a few years old, but it's not showing any signs of aging. Some routers seemingly start to die after a couple of years, so you end up having all kinds of issues, from reduced Wi-Fi performance, to various glitches and issues.

Personally I find DD-WRT and OpenWRT a pain to use. Yes, there's a lot of features, but there's so many things that seemingly work a bit by chance, or not, as it may be. That said, many consumer routers are based on OpenWRT, just with a better UI and better drivers.

 

[Chomiq]

OP - have you tried scanning for occupied Wifi channels in your area? Find one that's least occupied and set your wifi to it. That being said, I would only use wired connection for gaming online.

 

[dirtyferret]

...can't you cable route them around which you shouldn't need go drilling any holes in the wall? I've routed a cable around the top of the door and use some masking tape or something? (I've got something to hold the cable on my wall which requires making a hole, forgot what they're called lol) or you could try routing edge of the carpet/floor and then tape it down. May look silly but at least you'll get better speed.

1. my powerline adapters deliver my full ISP speed plus we plan to move in a year so I'm not going to drop two Ethernet ports in our walls.
2. you ever been married?? masking tape! My wife sees one wire sticking out from behind the TV and asks can we do something about that!
3. you ever have two toddlers? running cable along a carpet, may as well place a neon sticker on the cable saying "pull this hard as you can as often as you can". Also see number #2.

 

[kurosagi01]

1. my powerline adapters deliver my full ISP speed plus we plan to move in a year so I'm not going to drop two Ethernet ports in our walls.
2. you ever been married?? masking tape! My wife sees one wire sticking out from behind the TV and asks can we do something about that!
3. you ever have two toddlers? running cable along a carpet, may as well place a neon sticker on the cable saying "pull this hard as you can as often as you can". Also see number #2.

Answer your question, I was trying to find the name for these, thought they had special name lol.
Ha I only mention masking tape because it won't require making hole in a wall for these:

Amazon.com: Cable Matters 200-Pack Nail-in Cable Clips Cord Organizer: Electronics

Amazon.com: Cable Matters 200-Pack Nail-in Cable Clips Cord Organizer: Electronics

www.amazon.com

If you had freedom to use nail clips then use them to sort the cable routing around the house/apartment to tuck them away whether on floor or around the ceilings.

Your wife would not want to see the mess behind my parents TV then, wires galore for all the sound system and karaoke machines.

 

[silkstone]

T

My personal opinion; Netgear Nighthawk R6700 v3, uses the same broadcomm chip as the R7000 but there are relatively few 600mbps clients on the 2.4ghz channel. Ive set up three of them with no issues. The firmware is solid and fairly easy to use. The router lays flat so easy to place on a shelf.

Another option is the Asus AC68U, firmware is slightly better then netgear if you like to fiddle with it more. The case is well vented like the netgear nighthawks. The Asus just costs more and stands up. The Asus AC66U B1 is the AC68U but lays flat and can get hot thanks to its thinner plastic mold.

All the routers mentioned above use the same broadcomm chip.

The R6700 can also be upgraded to a R7000 via firmware