Best Wireless Router for Multiple Devices and Gaming

Introduction

In today’s digital age, people have a variety of devices that require the Internet in their homes and workplaces. You must purchase a powerful Wi-Fi router for numerous devices to ensure a stable connection.

These routers are made to link a variety of devices in your house. These routers can also be used for online gaming. Due to their focus on online gaming, they will give gaming traffic priority over other internet traffic. Lower ping times and more responsive gameplay are the results of this. It’s crucial to get the ideal router for you if you want to play video games without lag.

A decent gaming router will include a lot of QoS, allowing it to give gaming traffic priority. Additionally, it can accommodate streaming media, which is necessary for gamers. A good gaming router will also provide you with a variety of features that will enhance your enjoyment. Your ability to connect various devices will also be aided by this kind of router. There are many advantages to using a gaming router with many devices.

The faster speed is the first advantage, which is crucial if you want to stream or play video games. Your performance will be more exact the faster your connection is. You may also benefit from the greatest possible audio and video quality with a gaming router.

What Type Of Router Is Best For Multiple Devices And Gaming?

Gaming routers prioritize the traffic going to your PC and console over conventional router traffic. With fewer latency and smoother graphics, these routers are made to enhance your gaming experience. They can also accommodate multiple devices simultaneously.

Smart TVs, cellphones, and refrigerators are just a few of the linked devices that are overrun in modern homes. A gaming router will have sophisticated capabilities that will assist it to prioritise traffic because there are so many different systems on a network. You will have direct control over bandwidth thanks to QoS (Quality of Service) features found in the most recent models. These features can automatically change to meet the growing number of linked devices or prioritize certain devices based on activity.

Up to 100 devices can be simultaneously connected using a gaming router. The duties that each system handles greatly influence the number of linked devices. You should aim to keep the total number of connected devices to 45 as a general guideline. When you stream 4K content or engage in HD gaming, this number substantially drops. Your gaming enjoyment can be increased by using a strong gaming router like the ASUS AC3100.

If you know how to choose the best one, selecting the best router for gaming or connecting many devices is not difficult. The majority of high-end models have the power to simultaneously connect up to 100 devices. For use with many devices, a high-end router with dual or tri-band capabilities is a great option. These routers have a high traffic capacity and can connect multiple devices at once. How many devices you can connect depends on your bandwidth requirements as well as the router’s CPU and RAM.

A tri-band model is the most suitable option if you wish to connect various gadgets and games. These routers are made to manage a busy network and give your PC or console priority traffic. This makes it perfect for downloading torrents, playing online games, and streaming videos. You may connect to many devices, stream videos, and play online games using the MU-MIMO and Quality of Service (QoS) features.

Best Routers for Multiple Devices of 2023

Are Routers for Multiple Devices and Gaming Worth It?

You may have questioned whether routers for multiple devices are cost-effective given how many people currently share an Internet connection. A router is crucial because it manages numerous devices simultaneously. Multiple devices connected to the same network can lead to network issues. The finest routers support multiple device kinds and feature dual- or triple-band capabilities.

Using routers for gaming and numerous devices has a number of advantages. A gaming router is built for high bandwidth and low latency, resulting in a speedier connection, in contrast to a wireless router, which can’t manage many simultaneous connections. Lower ping times will be the consequence, which is crucial for online gaming. Sharing peripherals among numerous users is another perk of using a gaming network.

A variety of devices are supported by gaming routers as well. They have the processing power and bandwidth required for a gaming machine. Even game consoles can use the 5GHz range, which offers improved performance precision. USB ports, which are particularly helpful for gamers, will be included on a good gaming router. A tri-band router also provides two distinct networks for each device, extending the network’s range.

A gaming router is more effective and can manage more data than a regular router. Better audio and visual accuracy will also occur from using a better router. The lag that might be felt while playing online games will be lessened with a fast connection. Additionally, a gaming router will be able to support more devices and maintain low latency, both of which are crucial for gaming.

Routers for Multiple Devices Buying Guide

With so many options, selecting the best router for your needs can be a difficult undertaking. There are a few essential considerations before buying a new router:

Size of Your Home 

When looking for a new router, take into account the actual size of your house as well as the size of each room.

You may probably get away with a router that doesn’t have as big a reach if your home is smaller, like an apartment.

However, in a large home, this is particularly crucial because, depending on the router you have and its coverage, you can find that some portions of the house do not receive a Wi-Fi signal.

If you have a large home, a mesh Wi-Fi solution can be the perfect fit for you.

Number of Devices

The router is responsible for routing all Internet traffic, therefore if several devices want to connect to it to access the Internet, it must be capable of handling the load.

These days, having a router that can only handle one or two devices connected to it is absolutely unacceptable.

The router cannot be the network’s bottleneck due to the enormous number of devices that are present in practically every home, and it must be able to meet all of your home network’s requirements.

You must make sure the router you plan to buy can support the number of devices you anticipate having connected simultaneously. I would suggest overestimating just to give yourself a small buffer.

It’s also important to consider what each connected device will be doing; watching high-definition internet video will consume more router resources than doing some simple web browsing.

Internet Speeds 

Remember that the Internet plan you have with your ISP will have significant restrictions before you are tempted to buy a router that delivers lightning-fast speeds of up to 6 Gbps.

For instance, if you are on a 150 Mbps plan, the absolute maximum speed you should anticipate receiving is this, regardless of the router you are using.

It could be a waste of money to buy a router only because it has the fastest speeds compared to the competition.

It is unquestionably a crucial consideration, but one that must be balanced with the other aspects of our buyer’s guide.

Security

Without the proper security measures in place, it can be simple for neighbors to cause you problems by gaining access to your Internet connection, watching what you do online, accessing information saved on your devices, infecting your network with a virus, and generally being a pain.

You must check that any router you buy at least supports WPA2, the second Wi-Fi Protected Access technology.

For this security feature to be effective, any device you intend to connect to the router must also support WPA2.

Keep in mind that the security of the entire network depends on how safe each individual connected device is.

It’s not a good idea to rely on WEP security as this may be readily broken by programs that are free and easy to obtain online. The previous generation of WPA is better than nothing, but it’s absolutely not ideal.

Some routers will have additional security features including an additional layer of encryption, the capacity to watch devices, and the capability to completely prohibit particular devices or users from the network.

If you are particularly worried about the security of your entire home network, getting a router with these features should be taken into consideration.

Router Type

You will normally find two sorts of routers when making your decision. The most recent type of technology is mesh routers, which are conventional single-unit routers.

I still use single-unit routers in my own home network since they are still quite popular.

These are inserted into the modem to establish a local area network and allow all devices connected to the router to share access to the internet.

It is simply a matter of connecting the router to however you receive the internet connection in your home if, like many others, including myself, your modem and router are combined into one item. This is DSL in my case, which makes use of the current phone line.

Given that they include many built-in ethernet connections and produce a wireless signal, these single-unit devices can technically also function as switches and wireless access points.

Many people may find these single-unit routers to be ideal, but depending on the size of the home and whether there are any impediments in the way of specific materials that impair the wireless signal, some may find the wireless range to be inadequate.

In order to give wider coverage, mesh routers, which are made up of several separate units and distributed evenly throughout the house, are growing in popularity.

In order to create a mesh network and more efficiently distribute the wireless signal throughout the entire house, the primary unit will connect to the modem. The modem will then communicate wirelessly with the other nodes.

Although many people still choose a single-unit router and then use something like a wireless access point to increase the reach of a wireless signal, mesh-based routers may be worth looking into if you have a very large home.

Wi-Fi Standards

Since 2021 is almost halfway over, everyone is in the process of switching from the older, less-capable Wi-Fi 5 standard to the more recent, more potent Wi-Fi 6 standard.

Wi-Fi 6 routers are becoming more widely available, and in addition to being quicker, they also offer improved support for more devices connecting at once.

Even though Wi-Fi 6 routers will undoubtedly operate with devices that only support Wi-Fi 5, you won’t be able to utilize all of Wi-Fi 6’s features.

If you’d prefer and want to save some money, you can still buy Wi-Fi 5 routers, but I’d advise at least giving a Wi-Fi 6 router some thought just to be prepared for the future.

This is particularly true if you intend to upgrade some of your other technology in the future, as it will surely be able to utilize Wi-Fi 6.

Number of Frequency Bands 

Nowadays, dual-band wireless routers are the norm, although tri-band models are also available. When making your comparisons, you should pay close attention to the number of frequency bands the router can support.

Due to the old 2.4 GHz frequency band becoming extremely congested, manufacturers opted to also offer the 5 GHz frequency band to assist in better balancing the load. This is how dual-band routers came to be.

Some routers only let the use of one frequency band or the other, while the majority permit simultaneous usage of both bands.

Tri-band routers appear to be hosting three separate wireless networks at once because they transmit three different wireless signals.

Although you might anticipate a tri-band router to transmit on a third frequency band, this is not the case. It transmits two distinct 5 GHz signals after one 2.4 GHz signal.

Similar to dual-band routers, tri-band ones operate by broadcasting various signals to lessen congestion and increase the speed available to all connected devices.

Appearance

Consider this: There are many routers available that all offer similar features and performance, so it may be the appearance of the router that makes you choose one over another. At first glance, you might be wondering why the appearance of the router even matters and why it features in this buyer’s guide.

The router should be placed somewhere central and noticeable so that it will certainly be seen in order to get the greatest wireless connection possible.

Given that you’ll probably be seeing your router quite a bit, you might be willing to spend a little extra money for one that looks nice.

Other Features of a Router

There are routers available that offer a wide range of other beneficial features in addition to the added security features that some routers include.

These include gigabit ports to get the best performance for specific devices, quality of service to give specific devices priority in network traffic, and USB 3.0 connections to connect to an external hard drive that subsequently transforms into a NAS.

Beyond its capacity to connect you to the Internet, what you expect from your router will vary from person to person and network to network.

Before making a purchase, carefully examine the product description and feature list of each router you are thinking about to be sure it will meet your needs and have the characteristics that will be most helpful to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do multiple devices slow WiFi?

Overusing your WiFi won’t cause anything to slow down. You can experience a shift in speed if all of those devices are simultaneously streaming, downloading, and transferring data.

How Many Devices Are Too Many For A Router?

A good router should be able to support at least 15-20 devices if your home has more than 20 gadgets. However, if you have a sophisticated router, you can connect up to 45 devices with its assistance. It will be excessive if you connect more than 45 devices to a single router.

Can I use the second router to extend the wireless range?

Yes, you can increase the wireless range by using an additional router, often known as a repeater. Similar to its name, the wireless repeater repeats signals that it receives from your current network.

What is the best location to place a router?

For better, quicker, and smoother connectivity throughout your entire home, routers should be installed around the middle or halfway point. A higher location will also enhance your connection.

Which radio frequency is the best for streaming and gaming?

The 5GHz frequency will be a superior choice for streaming and gaming between 2.4GHz and 5GHz. Less lag and faster data transmission are also benefits.

Conclusion

These are the best wireless routers I’ve found for many devices since they offer the speeds, coverage, and functionality I need, as well as the ability to connect a lot of devices at once.

Remember to take into account your home’s physical size, the download and upload speeds you receive from your Internet service provider, the number of devices you intend to connect to Wi-Fi, the existence of adequate security protocols, and any additional features you may desire, such as USB 3.0 ports or sophisticated parental controls, when selecting a router.