Bruce Dias 
For many people around the world, gaming, especially online gaming, has become one of the most popular leisure activities. For online gaming, a high-quality wireless router has become an essential component for any gaming setup. Since online gaming requires an active and stable internet connection, poor connectivity and lag can ruin your gaming experience, leading to frustration and even losses in competitive gaming.
If you are one of those gamers who are looking to optimize your wireless router for a better gaming experience, you are in the right place. For most people, the gaming experience improves after optimizing their wireless router. Below, we have discussed a few ways by which you can optimize your wireless router and improve your gaming experience.
Quality of Service (QoS) Settings
A very important setting that can boost your online experience is the Quality of Service (QoS) setting. Quality of Service (QoS) settings allow you to prioritize certain types of traffic on your network, such as gaming traffic. Nowadays, every router manufacturer, including D-Link and TP-Link, adds this feature to their wireless routers to allow users to configure traffic priorities.
QoS settings can be easily configured through the router access page or directly through the router mobile app to give gaming traffic higher priority. By giving gaming traffic higher priority than other traffic, you can reduce lag and see a major improvement in your gaming experience.
Use Wired Connection
Whenever possible, use a wired connection instead of a wireless connection for online gaming. A wired connection, especially Gigabit Ethernet, outperforms wireless connections and can provide the best possible performance and lowest latency. Although wireless connections offer convenience and mobility, they are easily interfered with by other networks nearby, which can cause lag and other performance issues. If you really want to enhance your gaming experience, consider using a wired connection instead of a wireless connection.
Router Placement
Along with other things, the placement of your wireless router can have a significant impact on your online gaming experience. The placement of your router directly affects its signal strength and range. Ideally, you should place your wireless router somewhere in the center of your home, away from walls, obstructions, and other wireless devices. If possible, avoid placing the router in an enclosed space as it can also affect its signal strength and range.
When the router is placed in a central location, a few feet above the ground, without any wireless devices or objects nearby, you will see a boost in your online gaming experience. This is because there will be no interference from nearby objects, leading to enhanced signal strength and range.
Optimization of Wireless Channel Settings
Wireless routers operate on different channels and frequencies. By default, most routers are configured to use the auto-channel selection feature, which can result in interference from nearby networks. To make sure that you are getting the best out of your wireless router, it is recommended that you manually select a channel that is least congested.
You can take help from a tool, such as Wi-Fi Analyzer, to identify and select a channel for your wireless router to operate on that is least congested. Just like other settings, this setting is configurable through the router access page and also through the default router app, such as the ASUS Router app.
Upgrading Firmware
Routers are devices, like your computers and smartphones, that need regular software updates to ensure that they are delivering the best performance. Router manufacturers release firmware updates on a regular basis to address performance bugs and security vulnerabilities, and to add new features. Make sure that you regularly update the firmware of your wireless router to ensure that it is performing optimally.
Use the Latest Wireless Standards
Another way by which you can improve your gaming experience is by using the latest wireless standards. There are several wireless standards that are currently available, including 802.11ac, 802.11ax, and 802.11n. Make sure that you are using the latest standards, i.e 802.11n (WiFi 5) and 802.11ax (WiFi 6), as these are designed to provide faster speeds, improved performance, and better coverage compared to older standards.
