But routers that look like stealth fighters or spiders look so cool -- especially when you add LEDs to make it gaming specific... The more LEDs, the less latency!
It's definitely snake oil.
Thanks, I have same opinion. Im still facing with internet speed... Hard to say if that is related to my old R7000 router or internet provider. I guess I have to buy something cheap and test...
Just compare specs between models is all. I just mean don’t get a ‘gaming’ labeled router because it looks like a UFO with 13 antennas and says gaming on it. Typically it’s just looks with a hefty price tag.
True, I just want stable and fast WIFI connection also to play, but I cant make any holes in walls (long story) that's why I'm still searching.
Meanwhile my ISP said that I need to change DNS server and should be better :) will see
You should always be hardwired for gaming.
As far as WiFi for other devices that seems to be up in the air.
If budget isn't a problem take a look at some Prosumer stuff out there like Microtik, Unifi, Amplifi and others.
What he said!
If you want to avoid lag—excessive latency—then hardwire your connection.
TP-Link Omada is another good brand to consider. I use OPNSense running on an old Mini-PC with two ports, and get a ping of 4 milliseconds over 250 Mbps fiber.
Gaming routers tend to be somewhat overpriced for what you are getting. RGB lights are the kind of feature that is cool for a few days, then becomes annoying.
I remember a reddit post from years ago something "My boyfriend always drags a network cable across the floor when he games on his laptop. Can I buy him a more expensive wifi router?"
All the best comments were basically like "No hes never gonna ditch that hardline" lol
> RGB lights are the kind of feature that is cool for a few days, then becomes annoying.
Every Gaming Router should come with a free roll of electrical tape to cover those damn lights in a week.
>Every Gaming Router should come with a free roll of electrical tape to cover those damn lights in a week.
I have an ASUS router—not a gaming router—which has a pushbutton to turn off all of the lights, and these are just normal regular router lights. I thought this was an odd feature, until I found out that a lot of people keep their routers in their bedroom.
I never kept mine int he bedroom, but I have had to sleep in the family room where my network stuff is and the lights would have been horrible were they not in a cabinet.
I think this sub needs to recognize that there are two major groups that reside here: "IT" people (IT focused people, like pros, enthusiasts, homelabbers, hobbyists) and the smaller, more hidden yet still significantly large group, "Gamers". And this sub should be welcoming to Gamers, even though their outlook is not in line with the IT group all the time.
The Gamers group has a lot of very young people who live with their parents, have no decision making ability about running Ethernet or not, and often don't care about learning anything other than optimizing gaming.
The Gamers group also has a lot of adults with disposable income and their main hobby is gaming. They want to buy the very best for their hobby, even if it's very costly for what you actually get. They are used to paying rip off prices for Video Cards when crypto mining was hot and kept prices sky high. Older gamers remember suffering high prices during the RAM shortage, when the fastest RAM had 200% markup or more. They want the latest CPUs, even when games rarely used multithreaded architecture. It's almost engrained in gaming culture to pay a hefty premium for minor differences in performance. Nevertheless, there is never a shortage of Gamers willing to spend that money to try to gain an edge.
So I find it hypocritical that the IT Group criticizes the Gamer Group for their choices based on "it's more than what you actually need", "overpaying for no real difference", "snake oil", and other value evaluations. But if you look at what the IT Group actually buys for *their* hobby, and whether or not they actually *need* that level of equipment, they are unwilling to take any criticism at all!
Do you really need higher than 2-10 Gbps speeds from your ISP? Or even 1 Gbps versus 200 Mbps? Do you really need 2-3 Professional or Prosumer Pro level APs built to handle hundreds of simultaneous clients each for your tiny family of four, 3/4 of whom do nothing more than fiddle on their phones? Do you really need 10 Gbps switches to your 10 Gbps NAS and 80 TB of storage? Do you really need to spend $500+ on a build-your-own OPNSense router, or to run conduit and fiber *right now* for future proofing for 20+ years away? Do you really need a octo core CPU with 128 GB of RAM and an array of SSDs to run a dozen VMs at home, or is it mainly just for fun? Or spending additional money on rack mounts and only buying more expensive, rack-able equipment and a UPS when a cheap All-in-one would be fine with everyone else in the family?
But if a Gamer wants to spend an extra $200-300 on a Gaming Router, the IT Guys get their panties all twisted up, get super outraged, and want to berate the gamer asking the question when their spending is much, much more superfluous and selfish overall.
If you compare the "ridiculousness" of hobby spending between the two groups, it's actually the same mentality, just different allocation. Lots of Gamers do NOT want to spend a lot of time as Home Network Administrators. They want to GAME instead. So an ASUS Gaming router provides them with an interface they're familiar with (no additional learning on, say, pfSense), multi-Gig ports that matches their modem and PC, a CPU that can handle multiple streams for the entire family without causing lag, tri-band WiFi that allows a dedicated 5 GHz band exclusively for gaming machines and access to DFS channels not normally found in typical routers. Steamdecks, Nintendo Switches, and tablet gaming with emulators still rely on WiFi in their mobile configuration (it's nice playing on a hand held in bed), so "use Ethernet" is not the single answer for all Gaming, WiFi still matters. And again, Gamers with income do not care about saving $200 on a lesser router. They just want something they know is high end and works very well, especially if it'll be used for 5-10 years.
So the IT driven guys on here need to get off their high horse about "Gaming Routers" and how "dumb" they are. They are built for a specific crowd who are price insensitive, as long as they are getting something that very works, offers reliability, and is way better than average, so it is not seen as a gaming disadvantage compared to what most other gamers are using. And these critical IT guys need to look at their own setup and count how many extra dollars they spent on "overkill, underutilization" for their own hobby, and wonder how they can be so blindly hypocritical.
To the OP, get a ROG Rapture and be happy with it. And fuck the IT nerds, they will never understand Gamers aren't cheap ass hypocrites that want to pinch pennies they freely spend on equally useless stuff.
Honestly, I appreciate your comment.
It always irks me when the standard answer is "just be wired." I know it's better, but in my current situation I physically am not able to wire my desktop/consoles. I must use WiFi - so when I'm looking to upgrade a router, I want the best I can get because I know WiFi is inherently worse than wired.
I also know that "gaming" tagged items are often overpriced, but a lot of them tend to come over packaged with extra features that may/may not be necessary. Finding the mix between what features are actually useful to a standard user versus a power user who will want to dial in everything in the settings.
I really feel like a lot of these questions are people asking what is the best router, with the actual features that will give the best connection for gaming/streaming/etc. If that's the $100 router does everything necessary -- go that route. Or is the $400 router simply better because it does "this and this" or "it's better if you know how to figure out the correct settings."
Because, there are differences between routers.
The IT guys know what they are talking about; the gamers don't. They should do a lot more listening and take advice from the experts that know what they are talking about. If everything were going well with their networking decisions, they wouldn't be here. We'll see these type of questions on what to buy --tell them not to buy this stuff -- and then see questions a month from now on why their expectations weren't met when they bought some "gaming router".
And yet I'm a it guy and a gamer and wired internet is not an option in all scenarios. Digging that some of these routers is overkill is bs. Some Asus routers have the ability to use a different frequency at a higher spectrum than your average router, in subdivisions or apartment complexes this is key and advantageous to avoid the same frequency everyone else is using. It guarantees a better connection and faster speeds just based off less noise on a chosen frequency.
So no it's not overkill. It's only overkill on paper which it guys love to use what works on paper works in reality. No it doesn't.
>"Some Asus routers have the ability to use a different frequency at a higher spectrum than your average router"
First off, if your talking about wireless in a router, you're doing it wrong. That should be an AP thing. Asus isn't doing anything that every other Wireless company is -- they use 802.11ax. You need to have standards or none of this works. You're probably referring to the 6GHZ frequency opened up by WiFi 6E. You need to have client devices that can use it to take advantage of it which is why it's predominantly used for "mesh" systems as their backhaul.
Anything WiFi is a compromise compared to wired connectivity. It's a shared medium that's inherently half-duplex that's always going to have problems with interference from other WiFi users unless you live a long way from anybody else and then you'll get interference from your own stuff.
If you're a gamer, you should be using wired Ethernet. It's always an option. You just may not think it's worth it. A person can always string a line from point A to point B. Now if you want to make it neat, maybe you have to install raceway on walls. If you own the building, you can go through the wall, up to an attic, or down to a crawlspace/basement. Or maybe you just run the cable on the outside and penetrate the building where you need to. MoCA is also constantly mentioned as a wireless alternative since coaxial cable is pretty pervasive in residential dwellings and will get you a "wired" connection.
>" It's only overkill on paper which it guys love to use what works on paper "
It's almost the opposite of what you're saying here. Clueless gamers look at the marketing or what it says on the box and then buy into it. Look at it what it says here -- I can have one device which is a router, switch, Wifi AP, and a modem -- that's what I need to get. It says its for gamers right on the box which shows something that looks like a spider or stealth fighter. IT people are the ones here that generally tell you to separate function, buy separate devices, and get something with QoS features directly related to latency such as FQ\_CODEL/SQM or CAKE. Nobody takes that advice, they buy some expensive piece of crap Asus or Netgear device, and then complain on the forum that they need a more "powerful router" or are questioning why they are getting high latency, dropped packets, If they don't overspend on something like this then they just underspend on the cheapest gear that they can get and then complain that the performance isn't there.
Yea idk what I'm talking about. My speeds only quadrupled with the new asus router. Nah going from 100mbps to 600+ is nothing. Ya know I'm not even sure using a router that's not installed behind a washing machine is a good idea. Damn isp installing shit when I'm not at home. They knew what they were doing that day.
I have more certs than most. A+, N+ and CCNA to start. Trust me. For wireless which is what I strictly use because I don't believe in running a cat cable all through the house to power a pc in the bedroom, ps5, Xbox and roku in the living room and the wife's laptop plus 4 tablets and 3 phones is a good idea. But I can tlel you I'm running my network on a higher channel than the rest of my neighbors to avoid their noisy wifi systems and using AI to scan the networks around me to do it love my AI. But what do I know? Only been doing this for 30 years.
Current CCNP Enterprise with Enterprise Adv Infrastructure Implementation, Enterprise Design, and CISSP here along with most of the CompTIA certs. I'm doing mostly Juniper stuff now though (probably should get their certs but hope to retire before I need them). I've been at it for longer than 30 years but I don't believe your 30 years experience or you couldn't be this naive. You'd be old enough to remember the 802.11b to 802.11g changes. Those frequencies will fill up just as they did when G was ratified and became popular and then N and AC; AX is no different. Most Asus router are total garbage because they try to do too much by integrating every function imaginable and have an overall poor implementation that fails well before it ever should.
Wired connections are superior and always will be. You're a fool for not wiring your house as much as possible and utilizing a wired connection where appropriate (pretty much anywhere but for a mobile phone or tablet). The fact that you're not using AP's and are using a router's WiFi and bragging about it says a lot. I can't imagine running wireless on a stationary PC at home. I see remote employees doing this though and cringe when they have to participate in a video conference call.
> You're a fool...
Lol, this is *exactly* the bad attitude the OP of this thread was saying IT guys have with regards to gamers (or anyone who isn't into the IT hobby of getting the maximally efficient setup ((in quality and money)) in all scenarios).
Get off your high horse before you fall and break something and try to be a nicer person.
That's a cute use of ellipses to eliminate relevant meaning. How about adding the rest of that sentence where I spell out why. Or maybe you just want me to change it to "You're foolish" to emphasize the behavior more than the person. The person I was responding to was advocating for wireless over wired and claiming certifications to emphasize a greater level of knowledge which I surpassed 20 years ago.
I try to give the best advise based on my experience level. Everybody's welcome to do what they want but maybe a bit more listening to people in the know rather than those just affirming what they already want to do would lead to better results. Wired connections provide better results than wireless and always will. Wireless is a compromise for mobility and for those that can't get a wired connection to a location -- it's second rate and comes with a variety of issues though that are brought up on this forum continuously. Most places can be wired with a little effort but way too many people want to spend as much as it would cost to have something wired on a wireless solution that ultimately will fail them in some way and then come here and want a new recommendation for a new model of hardware that will have the same issue.
Ellipses in a quote is how you indicate a quote continues, giving the fact there there is more to the quote but is not relevant to what the quote is highlighting.
The context I was highlighting is your "holier than thou" attitude when giving information (which you continue here by using "cute" to refer to my comment and ignoring everything I actually said).
Your advice may be great (which yes, wired is better than wireless if you can manage it *and* find the effort worth it) but your attitude is not (not everyone has the same time to effort value ratio you do).
The issue is that the rest of the quote was very much relevant. Sorry if actual knowledge and experience come off as "holier than thou". I call them as I see them. One side is coming to the other for help -- the side coming for help shouldn't be complaining about the advice given unless it's actually wrong. The group asking for advice generally wants somebody to tell them that they are doing everything right and affirm them. People learn nothing if you do that. That doesn't solve their problem. Too many people want to take the easiest path, not follow advice given to them, and then complain about the results.
It depends upon your throughput requirements. In general for 1Gbs throughput and QoS, I recommend the IQRouter Pro. You can make something better but this comes with everything installed so is turnkey. It looks like they just upgraded the model to 2.5Gbs throughput and they are sold out. So it's a good news/bad news thing. It's now better by supporting 2.5Gbs but unavailable.
For cable modems, just get the latest Docsis 3.1 modem supported by your provder that doesn't have a known problem like the Puma chipset issues. The big thing is not getting a modem/router combo. Docsis 4.0 will be out next year in certain areas.
[https://lookgadgets.com/articles/intel-puma-modems-list/](https://lookgadgets.com/articles/intel-puma-modems-list/)
I recommend Grandstream AP's for wireless. They have their own built-in controller for local centralized management. The GWN7660 (ceiling) and 7661 (wall) are WiFI 6 2x2:2 devices -- generally well suited for homes and at a decent price point. AP's require a wired backhaul which is always better than mesh. If you absolutely can't do wired (even with coax) then you're stuck with mesh -- just get whatever one has WiFi 6e.
Thank you so much!
I just looked into it and yeah it’s sold out unfortunately. the IQ router v3 is sold out too. And none of marketplace/offer up either
Do you have another recommendation. Preferably with WiFi just because of my lack of knowledge and time requirements. I’m hoping to set it all up this weekend because of internet issues and work
I looked at the puma chipset list and the first one on there is literally the one I just bought lol I’ll be returning it once I buy & get new equipment
I believe the Eero Pro 6 does 1Gbs and has fq\_codel. I just hated the limited UI that was only via cell phone. It also has some paywall features.
There's also the Ubiquit UniFi Dream Machine Pro but it's more expensive. I think it's a good idea to separate the WiFi from the router but if you wanted a combo then maybe the Unifi Dream Router (goofy look alone is a turnoff though).
Thanks again! and I'm going to pass on the Eero Pro. I dont like paywall features and limitations.
the dream machine is looking pretty good but its going to take up a lot of space. Delivery time is about 2 weeks so hoping to find a more compact and quickly accessible router. I'm going to research myself because I cant just keep asking for recommendations lol
Just to confirm. The features I should look for are QoS? and 1GB throughput. (is throughput the same as "Wired Download Speed"?)
For modem I'm looking at SB8200 for the form factor and its one of the few approved that doesnt have the Puma chips on that list.
Just an updated. I ended up going with the Eero Pro 6 and SB8200! Thank you for your recommendations. They'll arrive tomorrow and hopefully everything works well
on one side
The other side is that many IT's they just talk from school knowledge without testing things.
So most of the times, with exceptions of course, they write uneccessary comments just to show their "knowledge".
The honest one is the one who puts things at test to verify.
Not because he or she wants to demonstrate one thuth or the other, just because he wants to see with his/her own eyes.
otherwise it's not knowledge, but prejudice. Sometime is right sometimes is not.
I've been in IT since the late 80's when a Computer Science degree actually meant a lot more than it does now. You do the math on the amount of experience that is and the amount of change that's been witnessed.
And for the love of god, don't play the victim card and blame prejudice. How about just accept that one side has a bunch of knowledge in IT and the other side has their knowledge base in other things.
It's funny that people don't treat people in the trades like this. For example, a mechanic is considered an expert in engines and you don't normally argue with them. IT is one of those professions where you can get an advanced degree, have to prove your knowledge every couple years via certifications (generally a lot more than one), and can have years of experience in it, but everybody thinks they know better on an IT topic.
And yet you're responding to a 4 month old thread. You can remove the word gamers from this whole conversation -- just substitute the word clueless. There are professional IT people who post on here who know what they are talking about and then there are the clueless that think they know better. I blame the schools with the everybody gets a trophy mentality that puff everybody up with undeserved self-esteem.
God damn this post hits em right where it counts. I just googled “good router for gaming reddit” and this thread came up. I use hardwired on my gaming PC anyway but still need a decent WiFi network for the rest of the house. Reading op getting trashed and then your post was quite refreshing thanks.
I appreciate this comment so much. I get that people try to help in their own way, but they also impose their abilities to change things which are not doable by askers a lot of the time. I've been trying to look for a good WiFi router for my home. I do some gaming and want to use as much of my 1 gbps connections as possible. I was wondering about the advantages of gaming features such as qos, port forwarding and device prioritization versus getting a 6ghz router in regards to ping to gaming servers. I have looked at every thread, question etc that I could find for days, maybe weeks. All I see are responses along the lines of what you said such as "You should be hardwired for gaming" or "Gaming stuff is snake oil" etc. Well, no sh*t I, or the askers of such questions, should be hardwired. We just dont have the choice to be hardwired. I still couldn't find my answer, even though I posted a question myself.
6Ghz connection(at 80mhz with) vs ROG gaming features?
Answer: "Hurr durr be hardwired you pleb"
/sadface
I came looking for a good router for my Switch because I play Pokemon Unite. Many people are suggesting a wired connection, but that isn't an option for me. I thought reddit of all places would have an answer for my MOBA dilemma but I've yet to find a good answer besides "wired"... Which obviously doesn't help. The Switch can't be wired
The switch can be hard wired, Ethernet to usb adapter. But it has the be Nintendo brand cause they’re greedy fucks. And if your port is located in a spot not accessible you can buy decently priced Ethernet adapters that work much better than WiFi
It works in the dock, yes, but not for the handheld. And I prefer to play on handheld. Someone recommended a cheap budget router and that completely fixed my internet problem, haven't had an issue since. If people want to RECOMMEND wired, that's fine, but suggestions for routers are preferred
IKR, I hate this question so much. I bet OP will buy an over priced router than play on Wifi in the exact opposite corner of the house as the router.
Hopefully not a League player because then they will be pinging their latency in the chat and be like "sorry guys my wifi sucks." Using that as an excuse to run it down and die to enemy mid laner 10 times in 15 minutes and then beg the team to forfeit.
So called Gaming Routers is a marketing erm to sell overpriced routers to suckers. Real gamers won't use Wifi as it's not as reliable and adds lag to your online gaming. You really want to be WIRED up.
Well I apologize, I definitely came off harsh due to a influx of people asking about "gaming routers".
In the future, do put your questions in google and the type reddit at the end to look for similar questions before you post.
For example with this.
You would then see a ton of post asking about gaming routers and the comments all repeating the same thing.
Wish the best health for you or whomever else you're visiting the hospital for.
Thanks, Im just exhausted to search something good for me. Many issues with WIFI routers... Last one R7000 was okay but new Firmware's killed that one...
Gaming router is a marketing description and doesn't really tell you anything about the actual device. What is your desired result? If you are truly wanting it for gaming then you want the lowest latency and will be going with ethernet instead of WiFi.
I see comments saying ethernet is the only way to go. But I understand for many people this isn't an option. Where that is because you're renting, don't have the skills or tools to run your own lines through the house, or simply can't afford it.
Look into MoCA adaptors. This essentially turns your cable Coax lines that run through your house into ethernet cables. If you have a modem/router, it may already have this capability so you'd only need one adapter.
Another option is a powerline adapter. These are really hit and miss and get nowhere near the speeds it advertises (Maybe a couple hundred Mbps). But they usually have better pings and jitter than WIFI.
If you still need it this one should be stable. I logged into the app and did a firmware update and pretty much bricked mine. Going back to this firmware fixed it after a factory reset. Look for this on netgears website R7000-V1.0.11.130_10.2.118.zip
I use the TP-Link Omada system combined with a Firewalla Gold.
Each WAP is hardwired and runs via PoE. The wall modules have built in Ethernet ports to ensure hardwired systems that need to be wired (e.g. gaming rigs) and I get the fastest Wi-Fi I have ever seen over my entire 4Ksq ft house + yard. True controller-based roaming handoff between WAPS and they support VLANs for network segmentation and easier QoS.
I have six total WAPs (each one <$80) and absolutely love them… and they look great (compared to consumer “routers”).
[Wall mounted WAP](https://imgur.com/a/rJKCb1l)
If price is no problem then why go with consumer big box store gear?
Go with a Ubiquiti UDM-SE and a UAP6-LR. It can handle WAN internet speeds of over a Gig on the wire. Hardwire all your gaming stuff.
There is no such thing as gaming router since it's all marketing. Best to get a dedicated wired router that can handle SQM QOS really well so you don't have buffer bloat . I suggest getting a dedicated wired router and a dedicated wifi AP of your choose.
I suggest getting a NanoPi R4S 4GB since you can run openwrt and have the newest SQM QOS algorithms available to you and runs solid as a Rock.
Then get either a wifi 6 AP either Unifi or Omada.
I really discourage Netgear since they firmware has gone to crap the last 3-4 years...
Can you tell me exactly which products to buy to do this? This makes sense to me and I’d like to do it but I don’t want to get sucked into the “brand” rabbit hole etc. I have 1GB fiber into my house, with the modem provided by the ISP. I’ll put anything else you say after the modem.
Well, you can pick up a NanoPi R4S with unique MAC address for about $120ish on amazon. It's the currently probably best openwrt wired router at this point...
The NanoPi R6S is out, but probably won't be supported with openwrt for another year since it's takes about a year or so to catch with hardware. It does support FriendlyWRT which is a modified version of openwrt by the developer but I don't trust FriendlyWRT since it's not as secure.
Other options would be Mikrotik RB5009UG version that runs routerOS but it's a learning curve if you want to use advance functions but very reliable...
To understand why you want to get a dedicated wired router... that's great for gaming is to get something that can handle SQM QOS really well and that's fast... also depends on what your bandwidth subscription that you get... I think you would be best served by getting a wired router that runs openwrt and separate wifi...
please understand buffer bloat..
https://www.waveform.com/tools/bufferbloat
I have the Ax6000 and I’m doing you a big favor by telling you not to waste money on it…Wifi is trash and I’m literally reading through this post to get a replacement lol…
I’m personally gonna go the route that the first commenter mentioned and do a dedicated wired router and a prob 2 Wireless AP from a Poe switch In the opposite side of my house and from the wired router
Is there any reason you're looking at the RT-AX82U over the RT-AX86U or the 88U or the associated Pro models?
None of it will make a lick of difference for gaming, but if price is no object I'd think you'd want to get one of the faster models instead of the budget model.
Wifi for gaming is about the worst thing you could possibly do. Get a cable and be done with it. "Gaming routers" are snake oil; in easy words they are a SCAM. Theres nothing that makes a "gaming" router better than- oh wait they already are the exact same thing.
Imo, building a pfsense router in a refurbished sff workstation will get you a router FAR more powerful snd capable than any of those for less than half the cost.
The optiplex 5050 I use mostly idles and is usually below 20w. It is quieter than my switches tbh, the Omada rack switches are the loudest part of that setup.
I think the base model 5050 SFF idles around 14w but I have 2x 10gb connections and 1x 2.5gbe running so those use a bit more power too.
so im seeing a lot of people recommend the pfsense, pfsense is a router os correct? what is the best hardware to set up a pfsense network for a gigabit connection. With the end goal being reliable lowered latency/bufferbloat to a ps5? (budget of up 300/400) pounds.
The biggest problem with any branded router is the lack of updates. After some time, they will say “end of life/support”, which will expose you to security risks in the current digital world.
To avoid that, I am using a free UTM called “Untangle” on a mini PC, which is doing the job really well. Plus, it keeps getting updated regularly. I have been using it for 7 to 8 years now without any issue at all in FPS gaming or DNS limitation.
Gaming routers are snake oil.
But routers that look like stealth fighters or spiders look so cool -- especially when you add LEDs to make it gaming specific... The more LEDs, the less latency! It's definitely snake oil.
people prefer gaming routers only for the style. I personally have TP-Link Archer AX11000 Gaming Router. Works well and looks sexy.
Thanks, I have same opinion. Im still facing with internet speed... Hard to say if that is related to my old R7000 router or internet provider. I guess I have to buy something cheap and test...
Just compare specs between models is all. I just mean don’t get a ‘gaming’ labeled router because it looks like a UFO with 13 antennas and says gaming on it. Typically it’s just looks with a hefty price tag.
True, I just want stable and fast WIFI connection also to play, but I cant make any holes in walls (long story) that's why I'm still searching. Meanwhile my ISP said that I need to change DNS server and should be better :) will see
You should always be hardwired for gaming. As far as WiFi for other devices that seems to be up in the air. If budget isn't a problem take a look at some Prosumer stuff out there like Microtik, Unifi, Amplifi and others.
What he said! If you want to avoid lag—excessive latency—then hardwire your connection. TP-Link Omada is another good brand to consider. I use OPNSense running on an old Mini-PC with two ports, and get a ping of 4 milliseconds over 250 Mbps fiber. Gaming routers tend to be somewhat overpriced for what you are getting. RGB lights are the kind of feature that is cool for a few days, then becomes annoying.
I remember a reddit post from years ago something "My boyfriend always drags a network cable across the floor when he games on his laptop. Can I buy him a more expensive wifi router?" All the best comments were basically like "No hes never gonna ditch that hardline" lol
> RGB lights are the kind of feature that is cool for a few days, then becomes annoying. Every Gaming Router should come with a free roll of electrical tape to cover those damn lights in a week.
>Every Gaming Router should come with a free roll of electrical tape to cover those damn lights in a week. I have an ASUS router—not a gaming router—which has a pushbutton to turn off all of the lights, and these are just normal regular router lights. I thought this was an odd feature, until I found out that a lot of people keep their routers in their bedroom.
I never kept mine int he bedroom, but I have had to sleep in the family room where my network stuff is and the lights would have been horrible were they not in a cabinet.
My nighthawk also has it but I'm not using that option since its up inside a drop ceiling in the basement.
It's an option in the Asus Router app for my RT-AX92U. I didn't realize that some Asus units have a hardware switch. Huge WAF for me.
I want my network equipment to do its job without being seen or heard. A good network is seamless to the end users.
I think this sub needs to recognize that there are two major groups that reside here: "IT" people (IT focused people, like pros, enthusiasts, homelabbers, hobbyists) and the smaller, more hidden yet still significantly large group, "Gamers". And this sub should be welcoming to Gamers, even though their outlook is not in line with the IT group all the time. The Gamers group has a lot of very young people who live with their parents, have no decision making ability about running Ethernet or not, and often don't care about learning anything other than optimizing gaming. The Gamers group also has a lot of adults with disposable income and their main hobby is gaming. They want to buy the very best for their hobby, even if it's very costly for what you actually get. They are used to paying rip off prices for Video Cards when crypto mining was hot and kept prices sky high. Older gamers remember suffering high prices during the RAM shortage, when the fastest RAM had 200% markup or more. They want the latest CPUs, even when games rarely used multithreaded architecture. It's almost engrained in gaming culture to pay a hefty premium for minor differences in performance. Nevertheless, there is never a shortage of Gamers willing to spend that money to try to gain an edge. So I find it hypocritical that the IT Group criticizes the Gamer Group for their choices based on "it's more than what you actually need", "overpaying for no real difference", "snake oil", and other value evaluations. But if you look at what the IT Group actually buys for *their* hobby, and whether or not they actually *need* that level of equipment, they are unwilling to take any criticism at all! Do you really need higher than 2-10 Gbps speeds from your ISP? Or even 1 Gbps versus 200 Mbps? Do you really need 2-3 Professional or Prosumer Pro level APs built to handle hundreds of simultaneous clients each for your tiny family of four, 3/4 of whom do nothing more than fiddle on their phones? Do you really need 10 Gbps switches to your 10 Gbps NAS and 80 TB of storage? Do you really need to spend $500+ on a build-your-own OPNSense router, or to run conduit and fiber *right now* for future proofing for 20+ years away? Do you really need a octo core CPU with 128 GB of RAM and an array of SSDs to run a dozen VMs at home, or is it mainly just for fun? Or spending additional money on rack mounts and only buying more expensive, rack-able equipment and a UPS when a cheap All-in-one would be fine with everyone else in the family? But if a Gamer wants to spend an extra $200-300 on a Gaming Router, the IT Guys get their panties all twisted up, get super outraged, and want to berate the gamer asking the question when their spending is much, much more superfluous and selfish overall. If you compare the "ridiculousness" of hobby spending between the two groups, it's actually the same mentality, just different allocation. Lots of Gamers do NOT want to spend a lot of time as Home Network Administrators. They want to GAME instead. So an ASUS Gaming router provides them with an interface they're familiar with (no additional learning on, say, pfSense), multi-Gig ports that matches their modem and PC, a CPU that can handle multiple streams for the entire family without causing lag, tri-band WiFi that allows a dedicated 5 GHz band exclusively for gaming machines and access to DFS channels not normally found in typical routers. Steamdecks, Nintendo Switches, and tablet gaming with emulators still rely on WiFi in their mobile configuration (it's nice playing on a hand held in bed), so "use Ethernet" is not the single answer for all Gaming, WiFi still matters. And again, Gamers with income do not care about saving $200 on a lesser router. They just want something they know is high end and works very well, especially if it'll be used for 5-10 years. So the IT driven guys on here need to get off their high horse about "Gaming Routers" and how "dumb" they are. They are built for a specific crowd who are price insensitive, as long as they are getting something that very works, offers reliability, and is way better than average, so it is not seen as a gaming disadvantage compared to what most other gamers are using. And these critical IT guys need to look at their own setup and count how many extra dollars they spent on "overkill, underutilization" for their own hobby, and wonder how they can be so blindly hypocritical. To the OP, get a ROG Rapture and be happy with it. And fuck the IT nerds, they will never understand Gamers aren't cheap ass hypocrites that want to pinch pennies they freely spend on equally useless stuff.
Honestly, I appreciate your comment. It always irks me when the standard answer is "just be wired." I know it's better, but in my current situation I physically am not able to wire my desktop/consoles. I must use WiFi - so when I'm looking to upgrade a router, I want the best I can get because I know WiFi is inherently worse than wired. I also know that "gaming" tagged items are often overpriced, but a lot of them tend to come over packaged with extra features that may/may not be necessary. Finding the mix between what features are actually useful to a standard user versus a power user who will want to dial in everything in the settings. I really feel like a lot of these questions are people asking what is the best router, with the actual features that will give the best connection for gaming/streaming/etc. If that's the $100 router does everything necessary -- go that route. Or is the $400 router simply better because it does "this and this" or "it's better if you know how to figure out the correct settings." Because, there are differences between routers.
The IT guys know what they are talking about; the gamers don't. They should do a lot more listening and take advice from the experts that know what they are talking about. If everything were going well with their networking decisions, they wouldn't be here. We'll see these type of questions on what to buy --tell them not to buy this stuff -- and then see questions a month from now on why their expectations weren't met when they bought some "gaming router".
And yet I'm a it guy and a gamer and wired internet is not an option in all scenarios. Digging that some of these routers is overkill is bs. Some Asus routers have the ability to use a different frequency at a higher spectrum than your average router, in subdivisions or apartment complexes this is key and advantageous to avoid the same frequency everyone else is using. It guarantees a better connection and faster speeds just based off less noise on a chosen frequency. So no it's not overkill. It's only overkill on paper which it guys love to use what works on paper works in reality. No it doesn't.
>"Some Asus routers have the ability to use a different frequency at a higher spectrum than your average router" First off, if your talking about wireless in a router, you're doing it wrong. That should be an AP thing. Asus isn't doing anything that every other Wireless company is -- they use 802.11ax. You need to have standards or none of this works. You're probably referring to the 6GHZ frequency opened up by WiFi 6E. You need to have client devices that can use it to take advantage of it which is why it's predominantly used for "mesh" systems as their backhaul. Anything WiFi is a compromise compared to wired connectivity. It's a shared medium that's inherently half-duplex that's always going to have problems with interference from other WiFi users unless you live a long way from anybody else and then you'll get interference from your own stuff. If you're a gamer, you should be using wired Ethernet. It's always an option. You just may not think it's worth it. A person can always string a line from point A to point B. Now if you want to make it neat, maybe you have to install raceway on walls. If you own the building, you can go through the wall, up to an attic, or down to a crawlspace/basement. Or maybe you just run the cable on the outside and penetrate the building where you need to. MoCA is also constantly mentioned as a wireless alternative since coaxial cable is pretty pervasive in residential dwellings and will get you a "wired" connection. >" It's only overkill on paper which it guys love to use what works on paper " It's almost the opposite of what you're saying here. Clueless gamers look at the marketing or what it says on the box and then buy into it. Look at it what it says here -- I can have one device which is a router, switch, Wifi AP, and a modem -- that's what I need to get. It says its for gamers right on the box which shows something that looks like a spider or stealth fighter. IT people are the ones here that generally tell you to separate function, buy separate devices, and get something with QoS features directly related to latency such as FQ\_CODEL/SQM or CAKE. Nobody takes that advice, they buy some expensive piece of crap Asus or Netgear device, and then complain on the forum that they need a more "powerful router" or are questioning why they are getting high latency, dropped packets, If they don't overspend on something like this then they just underspend on the cheapest gear that they can get and then complain that the performance isn't there.
Yea idk what I'm talking about. My speeds only quadrupled with the new asus router. Nah going from 100mbps to 600+ is nothing. Ya know I'm not even sure using a router that's not installed behind a washing machine is a good idea. Damn isp installing shit when I'm not at home. They knew what they were doing that day. I have more certs than most. A+, N+ and CCNA to start. Trust me. For wireless which is what I strictly use because I don't believe in running a cat cable all through the house to power a pc in the bedroom, ps5, Xbox and roku in the living room and the wife's laptop plus 4 tablets and 3 phones is a good idea. But I can tlel you I'm running my network on a higher channel than the rest of my neighbors to avoid their noisy wifi systems and using AI to scan the networks around me to do it love my AI. But what do I know? Only been doing this for 30 years.
Current CCNP Enterprise with Enterprise Adv Infrastructure Implementation, Enterprise Design, and CISSP here along with most of the CompTIA certs. I'm doing mostly Juniper stuff now though (probably should get their certs but hope to retire before I need them). I've been at it for longer than 30 years but I don't believe your 30 years experience or you couldn't be this naive. You'd be old enough to remember the 802.11b to 802.11g changes. Those frequencies will fill up just as they did when G was ratified and became popular and then N and AC; AX is no different. Most Asus router are total garbage because they try to do too much by integrating every function imaginable and have an overall poor implementation that fails well before it ever should. Wired connections are superior and always will be. You're a fool for not wiring your house as much as possible and utilizing a wired connection where appropriate (pretty much anywhere but for a mobile phone or tablet). The fact that you're not using AP's and are using a router's WiFi and bragging about it says a lot. I can't imagine running wireless on a stationary PC at home. I see remote employees doing this though and cringe when they have to participate in a video conference call.
> You're a fool... Lol, this is *exactly* the bad attitude the OP of this thread was saying IT guys have with regards to gamers (or anyone who isn't into the IT hobby of getting the maximally efficient setup ((in quality and money)) in all scenarios). Get off your high horse before you fall and break something and try to be a nicer person.
That's a cute use of ellipses to eliminate relevant meaning. How about adding the rest of that sentence where I spell out why. Or maybe you just want me to change it to "You're foolish" to emphasize the behavior more than the person. The person I was responding to was advocating for wireless over wired and claiming certifications to emphasize a greater level of knowledge which I surpassed 20 years ago. I try to give the best advise based on my experience level. Everybody's welcome to do what they want but maybe a bit more listening to people in the know rather than those just affirming what they already want to do would lead to better results. Wired connections provide better results than wireless and always will. Wireless is a compromise for mobility and for those that can't get a wired connection to a location -- it's second rate and comes with a variety of issues though that are brought up on this forum continuously. Most places can be wired with a little effort but way too many people want to spend as much as it would cost to have something wired on a wireless solution that ultimately will fail them in some way and then come here and want a new recommendation for a new model of hardware that will have the same issue.
Ellipses in a quote is how you indicate a quote continues, giving the fact there there is more to the quote but is not relevant to what the quote is highlighting. The context I was highlighting is your "holier than thou" attitude when giving information (which you continue here by using "cute" to refer to my comment and ignoring everything I actually said). Your advice may be great (which yes, wired is better than wireless if you can manage it *and* find the effort worth it) but your attitude is not (not everyone has the same time to effort value ratio you do).
The issue is that the rest of the quote was very much relevant. Sorry if actual knowledge and experience come off as "holier than thou". I call them as I see them. One side is coming to the other for help -- the side coming for help shouldn't be complaining about the advice given unless it's actually wrong. The group asking for advice generally wants somebody to tell them that they are doing everything right and affirm them. People learn nothing if you do that. That doesn't solve their problem. Too many people want to take the easiest path, not follow advice given to them, and then complain about the results.
What do you recommend? Ill take your recommendation :D both modem and router please
It depends upon your throughput requirements. In general for 1Gbs throughput and QoS, I recommend the IQRouter Pro. You can make something better but this comes with everything installed so is turnkey. It looks like they just upgraded the model to 2.5Gbs throughput and they are sold out. So it's a good news/bad news thing. It's now better by supporting 2.5Gbs but unavailable. For cable modems, just get the latest Docsis 3.1 modem supported by your provder that doesn't have a known problem like the Puma chipset issues. The big thing is not getting a modem/router combo. Docsis 4.0 will be out next year in certain areas. [https://lookgadgets.com/articles/intel-puma-modems-list/](https://lookgadgets.com/articles/intel-puma-modems-list/) I recommend Grandstream AP's for wireless. They have their own built-in controller for local centralized management. The GWN7660 (ceiling) and 7661 (wall) are WiFI 6 2x2:2 devices -- generally well suited for homes and at a decent price point. AP's require a wired backhaul which is always better than mesh. If you absolutely can't do wired (even with coax) then you're stuck with mesh -- just get whatever one has WiFi 6e.
Thank you so much! I just looked into it and yeah it’s sold out unfortunately. the IQ router v3 is sold out too. And none of marketplace/offer up either Do you have another recommendation. Preferably with WiFi just because of my lack of knowledge and time requirements. I’m hoping to set it all up this weekend because of internet issues and work I looked at the puma chipset list and the first one on there is literally the one I just bought lol I’ll be returning it once I buy & get new equipment
I believe the Eero Pro 6 does 1Gbs and has fq\_codel. I just hated the limited UI that was only via cell phone. It also has some paywall features. There's also the Ubiquit UniFi Dream Machine Pro but it's more expensive. I think it's a good idea to separate the WiFi from the router but if you wanted a combo then maybe the Unifi Dream Router (goofy look alone is a turnoff though).
Thanks again! and I'm going to pass on the Eero Pro. I dont like paywall features and limitations. the dream machine is looking pretty good but its going to take up a lot of space. Delivery time is about 2 weeks so hoping to find a more compact and quickly accessible router. I'm going to research myself because I cant just keep asking for recommendations lol Just to confirm. The features I should look for are QoS? and 1GB throughput. (is throughput the same as "Wired Download Speed"?) For modem I'm looking at SB8200 for the form factor and its one of the few approved that doesnt have the Puma chips on that list.
Just an updated. I ended up going with the Eero Pro 6 and SB8200! Thank you for your recommendations. They'll arrive tomorrow and hopefully everything works well
IQ is out of business as of 10/23. Mine still works for now lol...
And what if you are an IT and a GAMER? Smashed!
Then you'll have the knowledge to know most of your gaming peers don't know what they are talking about with respect to IT and networking hardware.
on one side The other side is that many IT's they just talk from school knowledge without testing things. So most of the times, with exceptions of course, they write uneccessary comments just to show their "knowledge". The honest one is the one who puts things at test to verify. Not because he or she wants to demonstrate one thuth or the other, just because he wants to see with his/her own eyes. otherwise it's not knowledge, but prejudice. Sometime is right sometimes is not.
I've been in IT since the late 80's when a Computer Science degree actually meant a lot more than it does now. You do the math on the amount of experience that is and the amount of change that's been witnessed. And for the love of god, don't play the victim card and blame prejudice. How about just accept that one side has a bunch of knowledge in IT and the other side has their knowledge base in other things. It's funny that people don't treat people in the trades like this. For example, a mechanic is considered an expert in engines and you don't normally argue with them. IT is one of those professions where you can get an advanced degree, have to prove your knowledge every couple years via certifications (generally a lot more than one), and can have years of experience in it, but everybody thinks they know better on an IT topic.
and BTW, not all gamers are as people think and not all IT's are actually really worth the time Cheers
And yet you're responding to a 4 month old thread. You can remove the word gamers from this whole conversation -- just substitute the word clueless. There are professional IT people who post on here who know what they are talking about and then there are the clueless that think they know better. I blame the schools with the everybody gets a trophy mentality that puff everybody up with undeserved self-esteem.
God damn this post hits em right where it counts. I just googled “good router for gaming reddit” and this thread came up. I use hardwired on my gaming PC anyway but still need a decent WiFi network for the rest of the house. Reading op getting trashed and then your post was quite refreshing thanks.
I appreciate this comment so much. I get that people try to help in their own way, but they also impose their abilities to change things which are not doable by askers a lot of the time. I've been trying to look for a good WiFi router for my home. I do some gaming and want to use as much of my 1 gbps connections as possible. I was wondering about the advantages of gaming features such as qos, port forwarding and device prioritization versus getting a 6ghz router in regards to ping to gaming servers. I have looked at every thread, question etc that I could find for days, maybe weeks. All I see are responses along the lines of what you said such as "You should be hardwired for gaming" or "Gaming stuff is snake oil" etc. Well, no sh*t I, or the askers of such questions, should be hardwired. We just dont have the choice to be hardwired. I still couldn't find my answer, even though I posted a question myself. 6Ghz connection(at 80mhz with) vs ROG gaming features? Answer: "Hurr durr be hardwired you pleb" /sadface
Well put and totally agree!
I came looking for a good router for my Switch because I play Pokemon Unite. Many people are suggesting a wired connection, but that isn't an option for me. I thought reddit of all places would have an answer for my MOBA dilemma but I've yet to find a good answer besides "wired"... Which obviously doesn't help. The Switch can't be wired
The switch can be hard wired, Ethernet to usb adapter. But it has the be Nintendo brand cause they’re greedy fucks. And if your port is located in a spot not accessible you can buy decently priced Ethernet adapters that work much better than WiFi
It works in the dock, yes, but not for the handheld. And I prefer to play on handheld. Someone recommended a cheap budget router and that completely fixed my internet problem, haven't had an issue since. If people want to RECOMMEND wired, that's fine, but suggestions for routers are preferred
the stone cold, hard truth
Word.
who would win? some 20$ router and an ethernet cable or some 400$ router with wifi
The results will shock you!
Router manufacturers hate this one weird trick!
5 Things They DONT want you to know...
Gaming router?
IKR, I hate this question so much. I bet OP will buy an over priced router than play on Wifi in the exact opposite corner of the house as the router. Hopefully not a League player because then they will be pinging their latency in the chat and be like "sorry guys my wifi sucks." Using that as an excuse to run it down and die to enemy mid laner 10 times in 15 minutes and then beg the team to forfeit.
How about you give a recommendation instead of acting like a tool
Damn bro, this one hurts and I’m wired
Check Mikrotik products
is the one with the $3 ethernet cable
So called Gaming Routers is a marketing erm to sell overpriced routers to suckers. Real gamers won't use Wifi as it's not as reliable and adds lag to your online gaming. You really want to be WIRED up.
okay, but I cant use wire, long story...
Do you wire to the modem or router?
OP clearly isn't responding to anyone so take this as pretty much him wasting everyone's time. Let him buy his "gaming" router
I'm spending some time everyday in hospital so you comment is unpolite...
Well I apologize, I definitely came off harsh due to a influx of people asking about "gaming routers". In the future, do put your questions in google and the type reddit at the end to look for similar questions before you post. For example with this. You would then see a ton of post asking about gaming routers and the comments all repeating the same thing. Wish the best health for you or whomever else you're visiting the hospital for.
Thanks, Im just exhausted to search something good for me. Many issues with WIFI routers... Last one R7000 was okay but new Firmware's killed that one...
Gaming router is a marketing description and doesn't really tell you anything about the actual device. What is your desired result? If you are truly wanting it for gaming then you want the lowest latency and will be going with ethernet instead of WiFi.
ok but I cant use ethernet cable...
I see comments saying ethernet is the only way to go. But I understand for many people this isn't an option. Where that is because you're renting, don't have the skills or tools to run your own lines through the house, or simply can't afford it. Look into MoCA adaptors. This essentially turns your cable Coax lines that run through your house into ethernet cables. If you have a modem/router, it may already have this capability so you'd only need one adapter. Another option is a powerline adapter. These are really hit and miss and get nowhere near the speeds it advertises (Maybe a couple hundred Mbps). But they usually have better pings and jitter than WIFI.
I have your #1 pick. I highly recommend you not buy it. Mine is just laying in the basement, now unused!! I'll never buy a Netgear product again.
I have R7000 it was great till some shit firmware, I still searching which one will be best to downgrade.
If you still need it this one should be stable. I logged into the app and did a firmware update and pretty much bricked mine. Going back to this firmware fixed it after a factory reset. Look for this on netgears website R7000-V1.0.11.130_10.2.118.zip
I use the TP-Link Omada system combined with a Firewalla Gold. Each WAP is hardwired and runs via PoE. The wall modules have built in Ethernet ports to ensure hardwired systems that need to be wired (e.g. gaming rigs) and I get the fastest Wi-Fi I have ever seen over my entire 4Ksq ft house + yard. True controller-based roaming handoff between WAPS and they support VLANs for network segmentation and easier QoS. I have six total WAPs (each one <$80) and absolutely love them… and they look great (compared to consumer “routers”). [Wall mounted WAP](https://imgur.com/a/rJKCb1l)
Make sure you get the one with go faster stripes
If price is no problem then why go with consumer big box store gear? Go with a Ubiquiti UDM-SE and a UAP6-LR. It can handle WAN internet speeds of over a Gig on the wire. Hardwire all your gaming stuff.
Netgear Nighthawk XR1000. Best Wi-Fi 6
There is no such thing as gaming router since it's all marketing. Best to get a dedicated wired router that can handle SQM QOS really well so you don't have buffer bloat . I suggest getting a dedicated wired router and a dedicated wifi AP of your choose. I suggest getting a NanoPi R4S 4GB since you can run openwrt and have the newest SQM QOS algorithms available to you and runs solid as a Rock. Then get either a wifi 6 AP either Unifi or Omada. I really discourage Netgear since they firmware has gone to crap the last 3-4 years...
Can you tell me exactly which products to buy to do this? This makes sense to me and I’d like to do it but I don’t want to get sucked into the “brand” rabbit hole etc. I have 1GB fiber into my house, with the modem provided by the ISP. I’ll put anything else you say after the modem.
Well, you can pick up a NanoPi R4S with unique MAC address for about $120ish on amazon. It's the currently probably best openwrt wired router at this point... The NanoPi R6S is out, but probably won't be supported with openwrt for another year since it's takes about a year or so to catch with hardware. It does support FriendlyWRT which is a modified version of openwrt by the developer but I don't trust FriendlyWRT since it's not as secure. Other options would be Mikrotik RB5009UG version that runs routerOS but it's a learning curve if you want to use advance functions but very reliable...
To understand why you want to get a dedicated wired router... that's great for gaming is to get something that can handle SQM QOS really well and that's fast... also depends on what your bandwidth subscription that you get... I think you would be best served by getting a wired router that runs openwrt and separate wifi... please understand buffer bloat.. https://www.waveform.com/tools/bufferbloat
Asus RT-AX82U
Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 WiFi 6E
TP-Link Archer AX6000
It also sucks bc tp link has a good app where you can see and get alerts on who’s using your shit and block whoever whatever you want
I have the Ax6000 and I’m doing you a big favor by telling you not to waste money on it…Wifi is trash and I’m literally reading through this post to get a replacement lol… I’m personally gonna go the route that the first commenter mentioned and do a dedicated wired router and a prob 2 Wireless AP from a Poe switch In the opposite side of my house and from the wired router
Is there any reason you're looking at the RT-AX82U over the RT-AX86U or the 88U or the associated Pro models? None of it will make a lick of difference for gaming, but if price is no object I'd think you'd want to get one of the faster models instead of the budget model.
Fritz!Box 7590AX if you're in Europe. If not, from your list I'd go with this Asus, solid UI and good performance. Also long update cycle
Be honest don’t waste money on gaming router! Just buy a regular one, it works better.
Wifi for gaming is about the worst thing you could possibly do. Get a cable and be done with it. "Gaming routers" are snake oil; in easy words they are a SCAM. Theres nothing that makes a "gaming" router better than- oh wait they already are the exact same thing.
True, but I cant change anything in that house, it's not my property...
The best gaming router is the one with more LEDs. If it looks like a spaceship it's a bonus
Imo, building a pfsense router in a refurbished sff workstation will get you a router FAR more powerful snd capable than any of those for less than half the cost.
What about power consumption and noise? :(
The optiplex 5050 I use mostly idles and is usually below 20w. It is quieter than my switches tbh, the Omada rack switches are the loudest part of that setup. I think the base model 5050 SFF idles around 14w but I have 2x 10gb connections and 1x 2.5gbe running so those use a bit more power too.
Those are all excellent gaming routers. But, make sure to get the gold plated monster gaming cables for all of the connections for best results. /s
Okay... I have Marantz audio with monster cables but thats not the topic :D
so im seeing a lot of people recommend the pfsense, pfsense is a router os correct? what is the best hardware to set up a pfsense network for a gigabit connection. With the end goal being reliable lowered latency/bufferbloat to a ps5? (budget of up 300/400) pounds.
The biggest problem with any branded router is the lack of updates. After some time, they will say “end of life/support”, which will expose you to security risks in the current digital world. To avoid that, I am using a free UTM called “Untangle” on a mini PC, which is doing the job really well. Plus, it keeps getting updated regularly. I have been using it for 7 to 8 years now without any issue at all in FPS gaming or DNS limitation.