Best Gaming Router For 2022

Hey, so now that we’ve uncovered the dos and don’ts of choosing a gaming router, it’s finally time to dig into our list of the top 5 gaming routers.

Coming in as our number 1 spot is the Nighthawk AC1900. This router looks extremely cool and futuristic (albeit a bit spikey), but this spaceship-inspired router delivers some of the highest speeds and performance of any device that we’ve seen so far. With the AC1900, you’ll easily be able to crush your competition and win more games, and in the process you get to show off some interesting décor to your friends and family.

One thing that makes this device our favourite among the routers we reviewed is its ability for you to control your home network using voice commands. This brings up all sorts of mischievous ideas, but it doesn’t respond well to expletives or bad words. What it does do however, is allow you to easily toggle between the various wireless options without fiddling with the router’s firmware. Getting under the hood of your router can be a major pain in the posterior, so this is a welcome addition.

The brain behind the AC1900 is a 1GHz Dual Core Processor that supports 600+1300Mbps speed. You’ll have more than enough horsepower to share your favourite files around with your friends and family, and without experiencing unwanted bottlenecks and lag that other routers suffer from.

A cool thing is that the AC1900 is also easy to set up, with no annoying menus or manuals to figure out. In fact, you can do this using your mobile device via Netgear’s Up App, which is fantastic!

There are plenty more features of the AC1900 that can be seen on the router’s product page on Amazon.

Verdict

The Nighthawk AC1900 from Netgear is simply one of the best options to buy for gaming enthusiasts everywhere. By investing a  bit of your pocket money into this device, you can be assured that you are squeezing as much performance as possible from your connection, which will hopefully result in lower pings and a higher KDA overall.

The reviews that can be read about the AC1900 are astronomical, so it’s definitely a device that’s worth checking out if you are in the market for a premium gaming router at a fair price.

If you thought the AC1900 by Netgear was cool, then you’ll be amazed by the AC3200. You bring this bad boy out when you simply won’t settle for anything but very best in terms of Wi-Fi connectivity and aesthetic design.

Again, this router from Netgear looks like a spaceship, and it performs like one as well. The super high speed connectivity will put a stop to the intra-house arguments over who is hogging the connection once and for all. All of your flatmates will be able to enjoy 4K/HD video and online gaming simultaneously with its 3×3 data streams and 6 high-performance antennas.

Under the hood, you’ll find a 1Ghz Dual Core Processor to support its blazingly fast speeds. This powerful processor is needed for all the extra goodies it comes with, such as the Smart Connect feature that allocates the best possible band for maximal Wi-Fi performance.

Like any good router, the AC3200 also comes with QoS traffic optimization and advanced security features that support WPA/WPA2 encryption for safer home networks.

Taking a page from its predecessor, getting started with the AC3200 is a breeze with its easy installation and network management software. Forget about remembering passwords, subnets, and ip addresses only to change a few simple settings; the AC3200 can be accessed remotely via its mobile app that can be downloaded free of charge.

So, in summary, there’s a huge amount of positives to the AC3200. The only thing that really lets it down is its price point, as it reflects a significant investment on your behalf. But sometimes, paying a little off the top of your budget is well worth the advantages you’ll reap later on from owning one of the best gaming routers on the market.

Verdict

Yes, this router is expensive. It’s also not a toy. But when you use it for its intended purpose of high speed wireless and Ethernet capacities for every gamer and PC user in your home, it stands head and shoulders above the competition.

The AC3200 is also one of the only routers that has tri-band speeds and up to six antennas for improved speed, stability, and reach of your wireless connections.

Although the AC3200 may not be one’s first choice for a single gamer, it is the best solution if you have five or more gamers all scrapping for that delicious internet bandwidth. This device will put an end to intra-house arguments over your connection once and for all.

We’d hate to sound like your mother, but this could be seen as a more sensible option than the last two routers we have reviewed.

Simple, affordable, robust. These are the words that describe the RT-N66U from Asus. What we liked the most about this router is that although it features a classic design, it still has more than enough performance under the hood to be recommended to anyone who wants to tear it up online.

It also features a range of handy features such as concurrent dual-band transmissions and a wealth of Ethernet ports for the fastest, most reliable internet performance possible.

In addition to being a reliable router for your entire household, it also comes with a wireless data storage option that allows access to router-connected USB storage devices. You can share your favorite pics and screencaps of your victories directly from your router if your other hardware supports this.

You also get expanded wireless coverage with its three detachable high-powered antennas, meaning every nook and cranny of your household is pleasantly accounted for, leaving no blind spots.

Although the set up may not be as fancy or intuitive as some of the other routers in this guide, installation is still quick and easy. The menus are simple to configure, and your network will be detected automatically from the time that you plug your router in your phone line or cable connection.

In short, this router is a realistic solution for most households. It has a classic and visually appealing design, without the outlandish features seen in some of the most ostentatious routers that we have covered in this guide. It’s a definitely a good buy.

Verdict

The RT-N66U is a basic model that will suit most gaming households. It still comes with QoS and other traffic-shaping capabilities to handle a gamer’s demands, and it is still fast enough to get you online and dominating out of the box.

This is a great router for the budget gamer or someone who would like to spread around their budget to other devices for more impactful gameplay, such as buying an expensive graphics card, chair, or CPU.

It’s still well worth to consider the N66U if you’re on the fence, as the reviews so far look very promising.

The Nighthawk AC2600 is the upgraded model rom the AC 1900 that we covered earlier in this guide. A huge selling point to this one is its 4×4 channel connections, which means you get four downstream pipes and four upload pipes.

The amount of data pipes, or channels that your router affects how fast your connection will be, especially when downloading or uploading large files.

Having enough channels is particularly pronounced when torrenting, as a single computer on a network can easily clog up the connection for the rest of the computers if it is using an excessive amount of resources.

When you have a device such as the AC2600, each channel can be dedicated or switched around so that the whole ecosystem of data is supported. No one will be left in the dark thanks to its wide range of channels, and you can be assured that your performance and ping will be the best it has ever been

Other features of the AC2600 include:

• Compatible with Amazon Echo/Alexa – Control your home network using voice commands.
• AC2600 WiFi-800+1733 Mbps speeds; Ranked #1 in AC2600 performance by Small Net Builder
• Four-stream (4×4) WiFi Architecture for smoother 4K video streaming and lag-free gaming and 160MHz radio for double the bandwidth for mobile devices
• Multi-user MIMO technology for more throughput; Top spot in MU-MIMO router performance comparison by Small Net Builder
• Powerful 1.7GHz dual core processor and dynamic QoS for smooth jitter-free gaming
• Network storage-ready with superfast twin USB 3.0 and eSATA; Use ReadyCLOUD to access the storage anytime from anywhere
• Secure access to home services using OpenVPN — with iOS and Android app support

As you can see, this is the heavy duty option for gamers who want premium performance at an affordable price.

There aren’t too many downsides that come with this router, as it is generally known as one of the best devices that money can buy.

Below you can see some of the pros and cons of this router.