Best Routers For Streaming - Twitch.tv, Movies and more!
If you plan on streaming your favourite games on streaming platforms like Twitch, you'll want to consider some of the best routers for streaming. A streamer's worse nightmare is for them to be broadcasting and having a laggy stream due to bad internet reception, so investing in a great streaming router can really make the difference. Having a good Router will not only give you a more reliable connection, but also help maximize your internet speed and give a better range for WiFi.
Twitch is one of the most popular streaming platforms on the internet. It started out as allowing only streams for games, and whilst that is still it's main focus, it now has other sections such as "Just Chatting", which allow people to stream themselves just chatting. The Twitch platform has exploded with success, with games like Fortnite, League of Legends and DOTA 2 being some of the most popular in terms of viewership. Anyone can stream on Twitch for free and in some cases, if you're able to create a popular stream, earn money from it. When Twitch first started out, it was a simple platform that required you to download lots of software to get started. Nowadays, the process is more streamlined- you can even stream directly from your PS4 or Xbox One, showing off the games you're currently playing.
Streaming games to the internet uses a lot of data. To be able to do it, you need to have a decent internet connection with good upload speed (since you will be uploading your stream data to the internet constantly). You also have to account for if you're playing online games at the same time- streaming games such as Fortnite or World Of Warcraft means you need to have a decent internet connection to handle both streaming and playing games. The best way to make sure you have a good connection is to use a wired connection (connecting directly to your Router) instead of Wifi. But that's not always possible if you have to share your Router with the rest of your family. You can still use Wifi to stream, you just need to make sure your Router is capable of delivering the data in a reliable manner. You may have sometimes come across that you find playing online games get laggy when using Wifi, or when you stream a movie it is constantly buffering at random intervals- this is usually down to the unreliability of WiFi.
Wifi connections are constantly battling to deliver data to you. If you live in an old house with a lot of walls and copper pipes, you'll find that weaker Routers will struggle to broadcast the Wifi consistantly. For a streamer, that is a nightmare. Even things like Fishtanks can act as a block to Wifi connections, which makes positioning your Wifi Router important. Ideally you want it high up, away from any other applications (especially microwaves!).
Check out our full review of the Netgear Nighthawk XR700 Gaming Router for a comprehensive look at one of the best Routers available for gamers.
Benefits of a Good Router
When you're considering getting a new Router, you want to consider some of the benefits the latest Routers can offer you, especially in terms of streaming. Let's take a quick overview of these elements you want to consider:
- Wifi Range - each Router has a range of how far it can broadcast the Wifi signal. The further away from your Router you are, the weaker the signal will become due to interference (like walls). If you're planning on streaming from a room in the basement or high-up in the loft, you'll want a Router with a good enough range to reach you.
- Quality Of Service - allows you to prioritize connections over others, which is great if you want to make sure your stream has the bulk of the bandwidth or the game your streaming.
- Router Speeds - Each Router has a theoretical maximum speed it can reach. That means if you have a good enough connection, you can reach certain speeds. Usually these speeds are only achieved under "lab conditions" but it still means that the Router in question can deliver better speeds than others.
- Ports - How many ports you need should be also something to consider. Most routers come with around 4 or 5, but if that's not enough, you can always buy a port switch to give yourself more options.
- Dashboard/Software - Something else you might want to consider is the Dashboard/Software that comes with the Router. If you've been using your default basic Router from your ISP, you'll know there admin interfaces leave a lot to be desired. The newer gaming routers come with easy-to-use dashboards that allow you to manage your Router's configuration easily.
Price of Router
If you're a streamer, you'll know that the process of setting up a stream can be costly, especially if you want to get decent quality hardware. There's the PC to consider, monitor, HD webcam and microphone that can all cost a pretty penny. A Router can also set you back a fair bit, there are various price ranges to Routers. The more expensive ones come with more fanciful features, better speeds and better Wifi Ranges. But you should consider your own internet connection- if your connection isn't very fast, buying a Router that can reach speeds much faster than your internet can won't make a difference. If you plan on upgrading your internet in the future, then it doesn't matter too much.
Like other hardware, the latest Routers will be the most expensive. They usually have better hardware components, like CPU with more cores to process data faster. Whether that's something you want to invest in right away- it's up to you. If you're just streaming for fun, you should consider getting something that doesn't break the bank. If you're a serious streamer, you should consider upgrading to a quality Router.
The Best Streaming Routers
Check out these Routers we have sourced from Amazon. They all come with different and unique features, with different price-points that can help you decide on what is the best Router for your streaming setup.
| Router | Max Speed | Geo Filter | Protocols | QoS | Price | Purchase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 NETGEAR Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR300 WiFi Router | 1.75 Gbps | yes | 802.11ac | yes | $199.99 |  Buy On Amazon |
 NETGEAR AC1200 Dual Band Smart WiFi Router | 1.2Gbps | no | 802.11ac | yes | $59.99 | Buy On Amazon |
 NETGEAR Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700 WiFi Router | 7.2Gbps | yes | 802.11ac | yes | $449.89 | Buy On Amazon |
 GRYPHON - Advance Security & Parental Control Smart Mesh WiFi System | 3Gbps | no | 802.11bgn | yes | $389.00 | Buy On Amazon |
 TP-Link AC1750 Smart WiFi Router | 1.3Gbps | no | 802.11.ac | yes | $52.49 | Buy On Amazon |
 NETGEAR Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500 WiFi Router | 2.6Gbps | yes | 802.11ac | yes | $265.30 | Buy On Amazon |
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