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Wireless router good for gaming--any thoughts?

post #1 of 15
4/11/05 at 5:26pm
Thread Starter 
Anyone have any opinions about a particular wireless router that works well (or works horribly) with most online games??? For example, the Linksys WRT54GS is suppose to be a good router, but a ton of people have experienced problems when trying to play World of Warcraft.
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post #2 of 15
4/11/05 at 6:11pm
Thread Starter 
The D-link 624 is pretty good, fairly stable, not too expensive either
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post #3 of 15
4/11/05 at 6:17pm
if you want the maximum throughput right now, the Belkin Pre-N router/adapter will give you the best results. It uses 3 antennas and MIMO technology. It is basically an 802.11n router, but the 802.11n shit hasnt been ratified yet(won't till early/mid 2006). The router and card also work with 802.11b/g networks. If you dont want to venture out and spend the cash on the pre-N/MIMO (other companies besides Belkin offer MIMO technology, but Belkin's has been rated the best that ive seen (Cnet, Pcmag)), look at the Dlink Xtreme G. I have not personally used it, but I have heard very good things. Netgear also makes a very good high throughput G router, but I cant remember the name. For gaming though, nothing really beats the good old ethernet cable, however I have the Belkin Pre-N setup and I cant really tell a difference
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post #4 of 15
4/11/05 at 6:19pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by frostedegg
if you want the maximum throughput right now, the Belkin Pre-N router/adapter will give you the best results. It uses 3 antennas and MIMO technology. It is basically an 802.11n router, but the 802.11n shit hasnt been ratified yet(won't till early/mid 2006). The router and card also work with 802.11b/g networks. If you dont want to venture out and spend the cash on the pre-N/MIMO (other companies besides Belkin offer MIMO technology, but Belkin's has been rated the best that ive seen (Cnet, Pcmag)), look at the Dlink Xtreme G. I have not personally used it, but I have heard very good things. Netgear also makes a very good high throughput G router, but I cant remember the name. For gaming though, nothing really beats the good old ethernet cable, however I have the Belkin Pre-N setup and I cant really tell a difference
I've just got a regular old Intel a/b/g card in my laptop, does the Belkin Pre-N router give me a benefit too? or do I need to buy some special Belkin card, adapter, etc?
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post #5 of 15
4/11/05 at 6:24pm
Actually the n standard was recently ratified...but they won't have full production models until the timeframe stated above
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post #6 of 15
4/11/05 at 6:28pm
ok to use pre-N you would have to buy the router and the adapter. This is rather expensive, but the technology, I feel, is excellent. You get more speed at greater distances with less interference. At 200 feet, the pre-n router triples the throughput of all 802.11g routers. At 300 feet, 802.11g signals are not strong enough to maintain a connection, but the pre-n still runs at 30Mbps. THe trade off is that the router/card are kinda expensive. If you already have built in 802.11a/b/g, analyze everything. If you have money to spend and want the fastest/most distance, look at the pre-n/MIMO technology. If you are on a tighter budget, or perhaps, do not need a range of 200-300 feet for your wireless, then a nice dlink/netgear G router should suffice. You should have 30 days to return a router if you buy it from a store, so that can be a nice fallback if you pick up a router and are displeased.


EDIT: czar: you are right, 802.11n was ratified, but specs arent going to be finalized until 2006. My fault
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post #7 of 15
4/11/05 at 6:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snaggly Pete
The D-link 624 is pretty good, fairly stable, not too expensive either
I agree, I had a Netgear that was a piece of crap (it would frequently lock up and require a cold reboot). The D-Link G router has been rock solid with great range and throughput. I've heard bad stories about Linksys, play it safe with DLink (Belkin may be OK too).
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post #8 of 15
4/11/05 at 6:36pm
I run CS:S on an 802.11b Linksys wireless router. My pings are usually quite good, even though my setup is completely wireless all the way back to the tower. Get a spike every once in a while, but more due to sharing bandwidth than my router.
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post #9 of 15
4/11/05 at 6:42pm
My Linksys broadband router seems great on CS and COD, yeah I get sometimes a hit of 800ping but it goes down quick seems to stay at 40-60 on CS
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post #10 of 15
4/11/05 at 6:50pm
I've been using a Linksys WRT54G (b & g compatible) for the last 1.5 years and it has been OK. A few more details below:
  • Went through one RMA (warranty replacement)
  • Ping difference was unnoticeable in Half Life 2 deathmatch, WoW, City of Heroes, and other online games.
  • Have noticed a bit of flakiness, probably due to neighbors cordless phone interference
  • Very easy to install / set up
  • Works fine for internet browsing / uploading / downloading
  • Compatible with every game
  • Compatible with every guest (friends) wireless NIC
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post #11 of 15
4/12/05 at 3:53pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks everyone for your input. I've been doing a lot of research on this topic and I think I may go with the Belkin pre-N router. It has consistently received high ratings and several independent sources (Wall Street Journal, PC World, CNET, etc.) indicate that this router will, in fact, significantly improve wireless performance (range and throughput) even if your laptop has just a regular 802.11b/g card. Of course, it works best with a Belkin pre-N card, but still...
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post #12 of 15
4/12/05 at 4:15pm
I play CS:S on my schools Wireless B network and get excellent pings (~60-70) sometimes lower. At home I have a netgear WGT-624 which is the same as the D-link 624. It works great on wireless G, pings around 30-40.
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post #13 of 15
4/12/05 at 4:23pm
go to newegg.com and search "gaming router" it'll bring up some
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post #14 of 15
4/12/05 at 5:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by frostedegg
ok to use pre-N you would have to buy the router and the adapter.
According to a PC World article on these pre-N routers, you still see some extra range/speed without buying the associated card. Of course, you get full advantage if you pair a company's offerings, but just buying a pre-N router will give you some benefits over a standard g router.

http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/artic...,119801,00.asp

Russ
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post #15 of 15
4/12/05 at 7:46pm
Do also keep in mind that speed isn't everything. I've had a few Netgears, a Dlink and now i'm on 2 different Linksys' routers (one of which being the WRT54G) and i've had no issues. Of course, I may be alone in that.

What i'm getting to is, the pre-N, super mega speed, etc etc isn't all its cracked up to be. You shouldn't get any worse pings over a 11b than over a 11g than over a 11a than over 11xyz. Quite simply, even a 11b connection is still a bit more bandwidth from the laptop to the router, than your internet connection is. (And i'm talking about DSL and cable modems, if you're lucky enough to have a T3 or a OC48 running to your house, then I envy you greatly )
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