Do gaming routers really work?

judmann

judmann

judmann

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8 Oct 2006
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531
im after a wireless router and would like to know do they really work or is it just a gimmick,
i do a lot of gaming and my son would also like to game on his xbox whilst at the same time my daughter would be telling the world on facebook what shes been upto.
is there a router that could do all this at the same time without making me lag in game ,so i just wondered what people thought.
many thanks.
i have been looking at these wireless routers.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=NW-000-SC&groupid=595&catid=669&subcat=

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=NW-148-DL&groupid=46&catid=1596&subcat=1609

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=450535

http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-DGL-4500-Xtreme-Selectable-802-11n/dp/B000Z7AKGC/ref=dp_cp_ob_e_image_2

not sure if i was allowed to post last link as it gives a price but in $ any admins may delete last link if needed and i apoligise if im not.

if non above can anyone recommend a good modem router.
many thanks.
 
I don't think a 'gaming' router will be any better than a normal one, is fact 'gaming' is just the latest marketing buzzword which is used my marketing types in order to sell overpriced stuff to people who are easily influenced, to put it nicely.

Save yer dosh and get a router by a well regarded brand.
 
Yes in theory they should 'really work' if the QoS is handled correctly, but as mentioned this isn't anything new that can't be done on other hardware.

However, what would worry me is in cases where you are just plugging the router into another 'modem' device - it's really the modem that needs the QoS because that is where the bottleneck lies. Your internal network will rarely be saturated by other people using the internet (unless you have a very fast internet connection and are using Wireless), the real problem is how the packets are prioritised going to and from the outside world.

Upload traffic in particular can cause lag spikes and while your network router might be giving higher priority to gaming packets, your actual modem device may just start shoving everything through and saturating your presumably limited upstream dsl/cable bandwidth.

The above is just speculation on my part of course, it may be that some routers get round this by controlling what is sent to the modem.
 
What a load of marketing garbage, any router worth buying can do QOS but it may help if you max out your connection while playing games but the QOS will only apply as far as sending the traffic out. Broadband providers strip QOS after that point anyway. If you want better results you'd be better spending your money on max premium, which offers a priority QOS path through BTs network and a higher upstream bandwidth for good measure.
 
Lucky bugger, i'm stick of Virgin and this ADSL line...

Still, that should be fine. Don't get a 'gaming' router, just stay with a reliable brand like D-Link, Belkin or someone else.
 
My brothers both play PC games on the same 2mb connection along with a 3rd on a wireless laptop fine. No problems at all! As long as you have a decent enough router then dont go shelling out for anything else unless you see that its the routers problem.
 
First port of call is the wired route. But if that fails I imagine these gaming Routers are just a gimmick, best to go with a reputable brand such as Belkin?
 
ive now been looking into these homeplugs instead of wireless what are these like and what kind should i be looking to get because there seems to be so many brands.
also how security safe are they.
 
Homeplugs are very safe. I have used the Netgear 200Mbs plugs (flaky throughput) and have now settled on the excellent Devolo AV200 plugs. Superb reliability and able to stream 1080p without a hitch. My wiring is 30 years old and PC sits behind an RCD to top it all off! Why I didn't switch to these for my desktop before is beyond me! :)
 
So are these homeplugs good for gaming.and how secure is my pc from someone else using a laptop upstairs,can someone turn me off from another laptop upstairs.
 
To be honest, if you can run a wire. If not, then homeplugs are better than wireless. Both wireless and homeplugs will increase your latency. Doesnt matter for streaming media / browsing internet, but for gaming you want a direct wired connection to the router.
 
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