The Internet has become an indispensable part of it and as result, routers have become an integral part too. There are two types of routers available in the market: the standard router and the gaming router. Most of the time, you will find traditional routers in the houses and gaming routers are mostly used by the gamers. If you are considering buying a new router, you should consider both the traditional and gaming routers. However, before making the right purchase, it is important to know the difference between the two. The comparison between the two can be drawn by comparing the important parameters, which are done below.
1. Speed
The speed of the router is extremely important because it will also determine the internet speed. When it comes to internet speed, a gaming router is far better than a standard router. Even though standard routers support a high-speed internet connection, they sometimes provide a slower internet speed. However, this is not the case with the gaming router. You can check your current internet speed on Speed Test or Spectrum. Gaming routers help the user to prioritize the network of different internet activities.
2. Quality of Service
Another prominent feature of the gaming router is the Quality of Service. With the Quality of Service, the user can prioritize the different incoming traffic. The gaming router is designed to ensure minimum package loss by bunching the different incoming and outgoing network data. The Quality of Service also allocates the bandwidth in an optimized manner.
3. Wireless Range
The standard router works in two bands: 2 GHz and 5 GHz. The wireless range of 2 GHz, has higher coverage but the internet speed is lower. When it comes to 5 GHz, even though the internet speed is high, the wireless range is low. In short, the user has to compromise either the internet speed or the range of the router. With a gaming router, the user will not have to compromise either the internet speed or the range of the router. The wireless range of a gaming router is high. Most gaming routers come with four external antennas and powerful amplifiers that ensure strong Wi-Fi signals.
4. Number of Connections
Gaming routers support powerful CPUs and generally, have more RAM. Gaming routers are powerful in terms of their processing power and memory. This high performance of the gaming router makes them strong enough to handle more connections with devices without compromising much with the latency rate. However, when it comes to standard routers, the number of devices has a strong impact on the internet speed.
5. Security
In the digital world, it is extremely important to maintain digital hygiene. Therefore, security plays an important role when a user is connected to the internet. The security of a gaming router is superior to the traditional router because it takes care of the online privacy of the users. For instance, many gaming routers support VPN which helps the users to mask their online activities. With the awareness of the importance of cybersecurity, even the traditional routers are taking internet security extremely seriously.
6. Channel Limitation
In a standard router, the user will be able to access only a maximum of three channels. On the other hand, a gaming router can easily support more than 15 channels and broadcast the different channels without any obstacles.
Which Router Should One Invest Into?
Gaming routers are better than standard routers but that does not mean that everyone needs to invest in gaming routers. If you are not a professional gamer, you actually do not need to invest in any expensive gaming router. However, even if you are not a professional gamer, but need a router that will be used by a number of devices, then you can consider getting a gaming router. In short, before deciding on the type of router, you need to ask yourself a few important questions. Firstly, what kind of internet activities will you be engaging in? Secondly, how many users will be using the internet connectivity provided by the router? Thirdly, how big is your place where you will be needing to use the Wi-Fi. It is because if you are going to place the router in a big area, the wireless coverage of the router needs to be better. By answering these questions, you will have a clear idea of whether you need a standard or a gaming router.