#Best wifi router for mac users install
#Best wifi router for mac users plus

Think of bands like separate highways for devices to connect to.

How many bands do I need? That largely depends on how many devices there are in your home connecting to your network.

But they are often more complicated to set up and donвЂ™t work as seamlessly as a mesh setup, which your devices will see as a singular network, no matter where you are in your home and which device you're connected to. Range extenders/repeaters can also be used to improve throughput or fill in dead spots. Note that most of Asus' recent routers can function as part of a mesh setup look for a feature called AiMesh (opens in new tab). If you have a large space and/or your walls are made with things like brick, metal, or foil-wrapped insulation, consider a mesh router or a router thatвЂ™s mesh-compatible so that you can buy additional satellites to place in areas where signal strength is weak.

#Best wifi router for mac users plus

Deciding which model is the best gaming router for you also comes down to how big your home is, plus how old it is, which tends to dictate what's inside your walls. Consider the size and makeup of your home.Alternatively, you could plug in one of the best network switches and add as many Ethernet ports as your network needs. TP-Link's Archer AX6000 impressively has eight Ethernet ports. Higher-end options sometimes (but not always) ship with more Ethernet ports. Most routers ship with four LAN ports for plugging in four Ethernet devices, plus one input for your Internet (WAN).ДЇour ports is enough for most people, but with the rise of smart home hubs, set-top boxes, consoles and other devices, you may want more. So whenever possible, you'll want to be plugged into your router via Ethernet when playing competitive games. How many wired ports do you need? While Wi-Fi is convenient, wired Ethernet is still ideal when it comes to latency and reliability - two important factors for gaming.For more on this, check out our Wi-Fi 6/6E feature. Should you splurge on Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax), or Stick with Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)? Unless youвЂ™re just going to get a budget router to tide you over, you should get at least Wi-Fi 6, though probably not 6E just yet.There is plenty to consider if youвЂ™re in the market for a router, whether you're after the best gaming router or something less gaming-specific.

But we'll cover some of the basic considerations below.

#Best wifi router for mac users install

If that sounds like you, consider a more mainstream router and spend the extra money on a better CPU, graphics card, or a bigger SSD so you can install more games.ДЇor much more on this subject, check out our guide to shopping for the right gaming router. But spending more and making the right choice can make for a better gaming experience with less lag, especially if your home network and Internet bandwidth are split between several users and dozens of devices.ДЄll that said, a gaming router might be overkill, particularly if youвЂ™re in a small apartment or house, without several people clamoring for your limited internet bandwidth. Unsurprisingly, this typically comes at a higher cost than most mainstream routers.

And extra granular controls are tossed in for tweaking and streamlining your network performance to make sure it best serves your gaming needs. Usually, features aimed at gamers are also included in the user interface to help prioritize gaming traffic and packets. But aesthetics aside, what makes a router a gaming router, let alone the best gaming router? In general, with a gaming router, you can expect higher-end internal hardware than budget offerings, including extra bands to handle more devices, and often a faster CPU and more RAM to juggle a larger device load.