Best Router Settings for Gaming

There are a lot of online gamers, who find themselves getting very frustrated when their settings are not perfect. With online games requiring lightning-fast buffering, one of the things that all gamers know is that it is not the speed of your internet that counts, but having the right router.

It might be worth also checking out our blog post on what Internet speed you need for live streaming if you're a regular to showing off your stuff on Twitch or You Tube.

If you know that you have a fast internet connection but the game that you are playing still lags, this means that your router may be performing incorrectly.

What if we could tell you that you can fix the settings of your router? Would you do it?

Changing the settings of your router will make a huge difference. By following our top tips, you too can have a chance to discover which solution works best for you and improve the positive technology impact through the correct router for your needs. 

Steps to Achieve the Best Router Settings

It will be tempting to just get into changing your settings immediately but it will help if you would get to know the basics of your router first. The more details that you know about your router, the better and faster it will be to create the settings that will work best for you. Take These are some of the basic steps that you have to remember:

Step 1: Check if you have all of the items that you need to create the router settings that you want.

You may be thinking to yourself that you want to have the best settings but how will you do that when you do not have the right tools? Have you checked your cable? Do you have the right apps or software that will determine if you already have the settings that will be most ideal for you? You need to remember that no matter what happens, Ethernet cable will always be the best option when it comes to the right connection that you may need to play your online games.

Step 2: Consider Quality of Service also known as QoS

Have you ever wondered why there are some instances when you can easily connect online and play your favorite games and other times when your game just freezes? This might be because of the number of people who are connected to your router. It does not mean that just because you have purchased a gaming router, it will prioritize your games over all of the other things that people are doing.

When the activities that people are doing in your household are lessening the bandwidth available for your gaming, then you can be sure that even with the proper settings, your data packets are going to stall and this will result to lagging. One option is to have your own router but if this is not ideal, then you can set up the router the best way possible to improve your gaming experience

Step 3: Choose Ethernet over WiFi.

This was already mentioned earlier and this should be discussed further. WiFi will allow you to play your games well if you are alone but with other people in your household, using an Ethernet cable will be the better option. There are very long cables that are available so you do not have to feel that you are being confined to one place.

A router with gigabit Ethernet points can be very ideal for this purpose. This can handle speeds that are far higher than the usual WiFi. If your router speed can handle that, then you will have a lower chance of getting frustrated because of game lags, and so much more.

What if the router is in another room from the one that you are playing in? Even if there are some long Ethernet cables, they will not be ideal to use when the router is in another room. What you can do is to find powerline adapters that will allow you to transfer the needed data through the usual power outlets. They come in pairs so you do not have to purchase each one separately unless one of the parts break.

Step 4: Make sure that you have the MU-MIMO option.

This is one of the things that can truly help you if you know that your router is going to support multiple devices all at the same time. It is very common that there will be someone in your household who will stream videos, there are some that will listen to music, all the while you are trying your best to play your favorite games.

When you do not have the MU-MIMO, this means that the router will need to provide the services that are needed by the different gadgets one by one. With MU-MIMO, the router will have the ability to create small networks that can serve each gadget that would need to connect to it. This means that you can have a mini-network to rely on while you play your favorite games.

Step 5: Find a channel that is barely used.

There are different channels that are being used when connecting to the internet. Your main goal is to find the channel that is least used in your network because this can give you the most uninterrupted play that will make things highly ideal for you. You would need to manually set your router in order to find this channel but once you find it, it will be worth it.

Step 6: Take into account CPU and RAM Speed

You may be thinking at this point that you need to consider the CPU and RAM of your gaming computer or your laptop. You need to think about these things too but before that, you need to consider the RAM and CPU of your own router. Your router will not work without these parts. If your router would always be connected to multiple devices, it will not have the ability to take the load.

If it is only your computer and your smartphone that needs to connect to the router, it is okay to make use of a cheap router but if you know that the router will be used by your whole household, check for different routers that are within your budget that will also have the strong parts that your network needs. For example, households that are running a Smart Thermostat to heat and cool their home, you will need to consider a fast router, able to handle the many commands that go in and out of the router.

When it comes to choosing the right router for your home, it is worth always considering the many different uses that the router might undertake. Not just used for gaming, many people find themselves using their router for streaming and web hosting. Unsure of what router you require? There are many UK web host providers that can recommend the optimal requirements needed for startups and small businesses. 

Step 7: Reboot from time to time.

All devices would need to have reboots because they need to be refreshed from what they always have to do. The best solution is to turn off your router when it is acting up or even on-schedule depending on the schedule that you will create. Turn off your router and wait for 10 to 20 seconds before turning it on again.

There are some routers that need more reboots because they are already old. Older routers are known for dropping connections and causing your game to freeze. It will make you lose track of your game but if you cannot afford a new router now, you need to live with it for a while.

Some people would choose to have a programmable timer switch that will allow them to reboot their routers automatically when there is no chance that it is being used. It will make the process easier for everyone who needs to use the router.

Conclusion

One thing that you may have gathered about all the details that you have learned is that having the right router will still make a huge difference. With the right router, and by changing the settings for an improved gaming experience, this process can be quick and simple to do.

By remembering to make the necessary adjustments and considering the different options available, you can improve and perfect your gaming experience.