Remember the bad old days when you had to manually enter IP addresses, and use a dial up modem, risking getting disconnected whenever somebody else used the phone? Nobody wants to go back to those days and with the coming of broadband internet and home networks internet gaming is faster and easier than ever. But, and with the advantages also come a whole lot of problems related to the home router. Opening ports, IP address conflicts, other people messing up your network connect and your game and a whole lot more.
Routers are a lot more user friendly than they used to be, however they can still give you a lot of trouble, so we will give you some pointers on how to get the best out of your router and therefore the experience less problems with your gaming. Setting up your router properly can make the difference in a good gaming experience and a great gaming experience. Below you will find a few tips and tricks that you can use when setting up your router that will give you that great online gaming experience you want.
Wireless or Wired Ethernet
When it comes to gaming, wired Ethernet is considered the ultimate prize, however there are very few people who can accommodate wired Ethernet in their homes as it is restrictive and does not fit in to most house configurations. Most gamers work on wireless networks as it is convenient even though it has a number of drawbacks including reduced stability and higher latency.
Set Up
The right router
The first step is to select the right router. You need a gaming router for the best experience in internet gaming. There are many routers specifically designed and aimed toward gamers, the D-Link with their DGL series, Netgear and its WNHDE111 and Linksys has the WRT330N and there are many more out there too.
All of these routers have something in common, they incorporate an adjustable QoS type feature, which it vital if you are going to get the most out of your gaming router. You will have to set up your QoS to achieve a seamless internet gaming experience.
QoS or Quality of Service set up
Your house is full of people competing for your internet connection. A QoS or Quality of Service lets you shape your internet traffic and allow you to get the best out of your internet gaming session. Basically the QoS will ensure that if the router identifies gaming traffic and prioritize it giving you the best internet connection while you are gaming (full wifi adapter review guide) even if there are various devices that are connected at the same time to the internet.
Security
This is a vital step to set up your security and this is a step that is often overlooked. Default settings like passwords are available online to most if not all wireless routers so if you do not change your WiFi password and settings you are opening yourself up to hackers to gain access to your network.
Opening Ports
Your computer needs to communicate with your server for you to enjoy online playtime without losing your connection. In order for your computer to do this you need to open ports on your network for your games to send and receive information through them. The best way to accomplish this is to use the UPnP or Universal Plug N Play setting. This will allow your games to open any ports they require. Or you can use DMZ and port forwarding on your internal IP address, this will have the same effect as the UPnP.
VPN
If you are setting up a gaming router, it is vital that you also use a gaming VPN. Using a gaming VPN will offer the best latency and pings to the game server through the router. Essentially the gaming VPN will allow your gaming server to send data in a fast reliable manner with the minimum amount of hops.
Things to Remember
Every gaming router will have different ways to set up the hardware and it is important to read the manual. You can tweak your router settings according to the type of gaming you like to do and the type of device you are using such as Xbox, PS4 or your computer.
