What Mesh Wi-Fi kit is the best for gaming?
Best
mesh Wi-Fi for gaming
Windows Central
2021
The best mesh Wi-Fi for gaming requires specific technology that many routers haven’t fully adopted yet. It can be hard to maintain a fast connection across several mesh Wi-Fi nodes in a large home or building. The best option for anyone trying to avoid lag in their games is the Eero Pro 6. Built with a strong QoS system that prioritizes low latency, it’s the strongest choice for fast, reliable Mesh Wi-Fi gaming.
Best overall: Eero Pro 6
Source: Amazon
The Eero Pro 6 beats out the competition simply because it has the extra features that make mesh Wi-Fi gaming not only possible but reliable. The Eero Pro 6 has the hardware overhead to handle devices like gaming consoles and PCs that will want to draw a lot of bandwidth simultaneously as other devices. It’s a tri-band router that uses a single 5Ghz band exclusively for talking to other Wi-Fi nodes so that your connection is free of commotion. And on top of that, it has a solid SQM QoS system that you can enable. It essentially prioritizes your gaming above all but is still in beta at the time of this writing.
The only downside to the Eero Pro 6 is that it’s pretty expensive, given its robust set of features. It’s a “pro” model for a reason. The Eero Pro 6 is designed for people with high-speed connections and for those who care about having extra ethernet ports for connecting wired devices to each node. If you’re someone looking to have a pool of nodes, the cost skyrockets. The Eero Pro 6 works best with more than one of its pricey base models instead of the Eero Wi-Fi 6 extenders, forcing you to invest hundreds of dollars depending on your situation.
But the price gives you a Mesh Wi-Fi system for gaming that’s unparalleled at this point. The competition can’t match the pure power behind the Eero Pro 6.
Pros:
- Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
- Fast 1.6 GHz quad-core processor and 1GB RAM
- Smart SQM QoS system
- 2 LAN ports per unit
Cons:
- Expensive to expand
Best budget: Eero 6
Source: Hayato Huseman / Windows Central
The Eero 6 should get the job done as long as you’re not expecting esports-level latency in fast-paced games. As you drop down in price, you also drop down in capability, so the reliability can’t exactly match the more expensive option. That said, it’s still a powerful choice if you want to play games over a mesh network.
The best thing the Eero 6 has going for it is that it’s also not too expensive to expand. If you need to play games in a large home or building, the Eero extenders are an affordable option for widening your Wi-Fi coverage compared to buying several Eero Pro 6 units.
Pros:
- Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
- Smart SQM QoS system
- Affordable expansion
Cons:
- Average processor and RAM
- Average 500Mbps Wi-Fi speeds
- Dual-band
Best value: Google Nest Wi-Fi
Source: Windows Central
Otherwise, the Google Nest Wi-Fi is still a good pick for a mesh router that can keep up with a fast connection speed, multiple devices, and general gaming use. While you might see some hiccups compared to the more expensive options, it should keep you satisfied for most situations.
Pros:
- Fast 1.4Ghz processor and 1GB of RAM
- Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
- Priority device feature
- Average price
Cons:
- No SQM QoS feature
- Dual-band
Best router mesh hybrid: Asus RT-AC86U
Source: Newegg
The catch is that expanding it into a mesh network can be annoying. You need to purchase a router or extender that supports the AiMesh technology and then get it set up. Generally, they’re more expensive and reportedly not as easy to set up than full-blown mesh solutions, but once you get them working, they seem to be competent.
Pros:
- Very Fast 1.8Ghz processor and 512MB of RAM
- Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
- QoS feature
Cons:
- Expensive
- Limited expandability
Best premium: Razer Sila
Source: Razer
If you can afford this router, it’ll get you Razer’s tailor-made QoS for routing gaming traffic at a higher priority than other connections. This will likely reduce the lag and latency you can get while gaming on normal Wi-Fi. It also has a quad-core CPU and a fair amount of ram, which should handle heavy loads if you’re in a place with many users.
Pros:
- Competent quad-core 717Ghz processor and 512MB of RAM
- Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
- QoS feature
- Tri-band
Cons:
- Expensive to get mesh capabilities
- Limited LAN ports
Bottom line
The best mesh Wi-Fi kits for gaming are hard to find. They need the right features to reach the tight demands of gaming, whether it’s streaming or playing online. There’s a handful of options out there, but only a few really stand out as the best and easiest choice for uninterrupted gaming. Even mesh kits like the AmpliFi HD are fine for gaming, but they don’t go the extra mile like some of these picks do.
The Eero Pro 6 is a solid mesh kit for anyone, but it also directly targets gaming with its strong QoS feature and general speed throughput. It’s an expensive choice, but it’s what you’ll need if you want a mesh Wi-Fi network that won’t let you down.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Tyler Colp is a writer who has covered gaming, networking, and PC hardware across the internet. Catch him convincing his friends that they do, in fact, need a 144Hz monitor. You can follow him on Twitter
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