Best Router of 2015-2016 for gaming?

[Pachuca]

Hi Everyone,

 

I would like input on what the best all in one gaming router is for 2015-2016. I would like to get rid of the standard router that my ISP sent me for three reasons #1 so they can't monitor the household traffic and #2 to boost the signal/speed and #3 to function as a cloud backup for all our devices by attaching an external hdd or usb. So I was looking at this review from hardwarecanucks and this router seems great for what I need. The problem is the price and also it has some additional features which I'm not really interested in since they are buggy. I'm in a 3 story home with multiple users (around 6-8) at a time and the standard router that our isp gave us barely reaches the 3rd floor. I really like the cloud feature from this router and the easy to use GUI. Would anyone be able to suggest something similar to this ASRock G10 or even better? I have Fios aka fiber-optics from my isp if that makes a difference. I appreciate the help and thanks in advance.

 

 

 

[MariusJS]

1: There is no such thing as a "gaming router"

2: Why would you want all in one?

3: The ISP can monitor the traffic anyways

[BluPaperclip]

Your ISP can view your traffic unless you use a VPN. If you want to improve speeds, I would suggest using software like ROG Game First III or WTFast

[Pachuca]

23 minutes ago, MariusJS said:

1: There is no such thing as a "gaming router"

2: Why would you want all in one?

3: The ISP can monitor the traffic anyways

#1 ASRock G10 sure seems like a gaming router to me...

#2 all in one is to replace the one I have from my isp to function as a router/modem.

#3 my own router + vpn would make it more difficult for them to identify the users and invade our privacy ... it's just a precaution ... plus we pay a rental fee for using the standard one they gave us. I might as well upgrade to a better router and not have to pay the rental fee for it.

[MariusJS]

29 minutes ago, Pachuca said:

#1 ASRock G10 sure seems like a gaming router to me...

#2 all in one is to replace the one I have from my isp to function as a router/modem.

#3 my own router + vpn would make it more difficult for them to identify the users and invade our privacy ... it's just a precaution ... plus we pay a rental fee for using the standard one they gave us. I might as well upgrade to a better router and not have to pay the rental fee for it.

1: In what  way? as I tried to tell you there is no such thing as a "gaming router"

Best router of 2015-2016?

http://routerboard.com/CCR1072-1G-8Splus

 

 

Then to give you an actual recommendation: 

http://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-EdgeMax-EdgeRouter-ERLite-3-Ethernet/dp/B00CPRVF5K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1455472595&sr=8-2&keywords=edgerouter+lite

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA29J3R11245&cm_re=unifi_ac-_-9SIA29J3R11245-_-Product

 

As for a NAS, you would want a dedicated device.

[Razor512]

For device backups, the the best router I have seen so far is the netgear ones, especially their eSATA supported ones. Mainly because of their readyshare vault software (insanely easy to use incremental backups).

 

As for monitoring your local network, the ISP supplied often can pull some local network details, for example, the verizon fios supplied router shows them how many devices are on your network (they essentially get the MAC address). As far as I know, they do not monitor the LAN side communications (it would have too much of a performance hit, and offloading it would completely saturate the WAN.

 

 

Anyway, for a router, ignore any claims of "gaming". For WAN side performance, your experience is determined by how many concurrent connections the router can handle (for many modern ones, it is in the 30,000 connection range), the WAN to LAN, and LAN to WAN throughput, and QOS performance for when you need to use QOS (if your WAN connection is regularly saturated). http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/charts/router/view

 

If you look at many reviews, you will no longer see any LAN to LAN benchmarks because for many years now, even the cheapest switches have been able to achieve the full gigabit throughput.

 

If you do not need QOS, and are using a wired connection, you will not be able to tell the difference between a $30 router, and a $400 router, unless you had a 500mbit+ internet connection.

 

If you need good WiFi performance, that is where you start to notice a difference. http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/charts/router/bar/119-5-ghz-profile-dn

 

Higher quality transceivers are able to maintain their speed over a longer range, and when a router maker cheaps out on their RF hardware while charging a steep price premium, it shows when the speeds across the attenuation range is averaged.

 

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/charts/router/bar/77-max-simul-conn

 

In all of the various tests, you will also see that all of the routers with "gaming" in their name, end up costing more and delivering less performance.

just like with "gaming" headsets, the gamer tax hits all products equally as hard.

 

here is one of the latest to come out. http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/32945-trendnet-tew-827dru-ac2600-streamboost-wifi-gaming-router-with-mu-mimo-reviewed

[Pachuca]

33 minutes ago, Razor512 said:

For device backups, the the best router I have seen so far is the netgear ones, especially their eSATA supported ones. Mainly because of their readyshare vault software (insanely easy to use incremental backups).

 

As for monitoring your local network, the ISP supplied often can pull some local network details, for example, the verizon fios supplied router shows them how many devices are on your network (they essentially get the MAC address). As far as I know, they do not monitor the LAN side communications (it would have too much of a performance hit, and offloading it would completely saturate the WAN.

 

 

Anyway, for a router, ignore any claims of "gaming". For WAN side performance, your experience is determined by how many concurrent connections the router can handle (for many modern ones, it is in the 30,000 connection range), the WAN to LAN, and LAN to WAN throughput, and QOS performance for when you need to use QOS (if your WAN connection is regularly saturated). http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/charts/router/view

 

If you look at many reviews, you will no longer see any LAN to LAN benchmarks because for many years now, even the cheapest switches have been able to achieve the full gigabit throughput.

 

If you do not need QOS, and are using a wired connection, you will not be able to tell the difference between a $30 router, and a $400 router, unless you had a 500mbit+ internet connection.

 

If you need good WiFi performance, that is where you start to notice a difference. http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/charts/router/bar/119-5-ghz-profile-dn

 

Higher quality transceivers are able to maintain their speed over a longer range, and when a router maker cheaps out on their RF hardware while charging a steep price premium, it shows when the speeds across the attenuation range is averaged.

 

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/charts/router/bar/77-max-simul-conn

 

In all of the various tests, you will also see that all of the routers with "gaming" in their name, end up costing more and delivering less performance.

just like with "gaming" headsets, the gamer tax hits all products equally as hard.

 

here is one of the latest to come out. http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/32945-trendnet-tew-827dru-ac2600-streamboost-wifi-gaming-router-with-mu-mimo-reviewed

So is there anything you would recommend that wouldn't break the bank and provide for coverage in a 3 story house, plus act as cloud device? I kind of like this one mostly because I can't stand routers with those ugly looking antennas http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/32110-d-link-dir-868l-wireless-ac1750-dual-band-gigabit-cloud-router-reviewed

[Pachuca]

36 minutes ago, MariusJS said:

1: In what  way? as I tried to tell you there is no such thing as a "gaming router"

Best router of 2015-2016?

http://routerboard.com/CCR1072-1G-8Splus

 

 

Then to give you an actual recommendation: 

http://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-EdgeMax-EdgeRouter-ERLite-3-Ethernet/dp/B00CPRVF5K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1455472595&sr=8-2&keywords=edgerouter+lite

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA29J3R11245&cm_re=unifi_ac-_-9SIA29J3R11245-_-Product

 

As for a NAS, you would want a dedicated device.

What's a NAS?

[MariusJS]

3 minutes ago, Pachuca said:

What's a NAS?

Network attached storage

You mentioned you wanted your HDD on the network

[Razor512]

28 minutes ago, Pachuca said:

So is there anything you would recommend that wouldn't break the bank and provide for coverage in a 3 story house, plus act as cloud device? I kind of like this one mostly because I can't stand routers with those ugly looking antennas http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/32110-d-link-dir-868l-wireless-ac1750-dual-band-gigabit-cloud-router-reviewed

When you go with internal antennas only, you sacrifice range. Since the antennas cannot be repositioned, the companies stick with very low gains on both bands. Another factor that will impact the range, and performance over the range, is the transmit power.

 

The router you linked to also has poor storage performance, and thus it will not work well for tasks such as backing up your hard drive to the USB storage.

 

If you have backup software that you are already using and it supports SMB shares, then for the current fastest available USB and eSATA storage for a router, the WRT1900ACS is currently the best available, though it is very steep at almost $180. The WiFi performance is also very good, and the range is decent, though the stock firmware is very limiting (not many advanced functions).

 

Based on your needs, I recommend looking at the storage performance to ensure that it is at an acceptable level for you. http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/tools/charts/router/bar/174-ntfs-write-usb-3-0

 

If your home is in the 2500-3000 square food range, then you will likely need an additional AP in order to maintain good speeds throughput the home.

And if you have one of those homes where the builder went overboard with the marble flooring, or other dense materials, along with plaster or other sense wall materials, then WiFi coverage will be bad regardless of the router, and you will need an AP on each floor.

[Pachuca]

thanks everyone, you gave me a lot of food for thought. I will have to do more research to see what is best for my needs. Stay tuned...

[NetworkPeet]

Hey i am also serching for a gaming toilette - i think it would be the best hardware to give a shit

[Pachuca]

So I have narrowed my search down to these:

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/32393-linksys-wrt1900ac-ac1900-dual-band-wireless-router-review

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/31913-first-look-cisco-linksys-ea6500-smart-wi-fi-router-ac-1750-hd-video-pro

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/32695-linksys-wrt1200ac-dual-band-gigabit-wi-fi-router-reviewed

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/wireless/wireless-reviews/32110-d-link-dir-868l-wireless-ac1750-dual-band-gigabit-cloud-router-reviewed

 

The real question is should I wait for some of the 2016 stuff to come out before purchasing these? Also what's the point of mu-mimo? Doesn't every router support multiple users?

[MariusJS]

Is there any reason u chose to look at consumer stuff instead of for example whay I linked earlier?

[Pachuca]

1 minute ago, MariusJS said:

Is there any reason u chose to look at consumer stuff instead of for example whay I linked earlier?

Yes, I have to get something that my wife would like too. She wouldn't appreciate the awesomeness of all those antennas sticking out lol.

[MariusJS]

Just now, Pachuca said:

Yes, I have to get something that my wife would like too. She wouldn't appreciate the awesomeness of all those antennas sticking out lol.

What antennas sticking out?

The unifi I linked earlier looks like a smoke detector, the AP is round, white and nothing more than that...

 

And the router part is square and black, nothing sticking out...

[Pachuca]

1 minute ago, MariusJS said:

What antennas sticking out?

The unifi I linked earlier looks like a smoke detector, the AP is round, white and nothing more than that...

 

And the router part is square and black, nothing sticking out...

oh, sorry I was looking at the wrong link. That one I'm also considering, thank you.

[Pachuca]

final result... I went with the D-Link DIR-868L Wireless AC1750 only because I got a great deal for it on ebay at $75.

[TomDeen]

We had many major issues connecting old router. We bought  TP-Link AC1750 internet provider, and router saw a signal. All our wireless devices now always  working. TP-Link AC1750 this router jonsguide gives me a more reliable and secure connection which is necessary for many online gaming. To fully optimize online playing, i use portforwarding.

[Pachuca]

20 hours ago, TomDeen said:

We had many major issues connecting old router. We bought  TP-Link AC1750 internet provider, and router saw a signal. All our wireless devices now always  working. TP-Link AC1750 this router jonsguide gives me a more reliable and secure connection which is necessary for many online gaming. To fully optimize online playing, i use portforwarding.

update: the dlink worked great for a while. Now I'm getting some weird choppy lag when gaming, but to be fair I'm getting this problem when playing on the Verizon ISP modem too so I think it might be a problem in their hardware. Streaming movies and downloading is fine. I'm planning to replace it with a newer model and see if that will fix thie choppy gaming for me than will check the dlink again to see if i'm having problems on it or if it was a faulty verizon modem. 

[AlbertRalph95]

Asus AC-88U seems like the best wifi router for gaming to me. It ahs all the bells and whistles for any latest wifi router as well having great throughput and extra LAN ports. 

[Jarsky]

necro thread.....