There is nothing worse than having a bad connection when you are in an online game. Any bit of lag can cost you the game, so it is essential to have a great connection. While you could stick with the router provided by your internet service provider, there are more options for those who want a better connection.
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Thanks to the massive popularity of online games, companies are now creating routers specifically for gaming. These routers provide an optimal connection with little latency while playing online. There are numerous options on the market, all offering different benefits that tend to specific needs.
Two stand-out options are the Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700 and the Asus RT-AC5300. Both provide significantly better connections than standard routers and will give you the edge while playing online. However, some major differences set them apart.
If you can’t decide between these two routers, here is an in-depth look at both so you know which one will provide the least latency while playing online.
Best Low-Latency Gaming Router
| Best Low-Latency Gaming Router | Frequency | Wireless Standard | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700 | 5 GHz | 802.11ac | |
| Asus RT-AC5300 | 5 GHz | 802.11ac |
| Best Low-Latency Gaming Router | Frequency | Wireless Standard | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700 | 5 GHz | 802.11ac | |
| Asus RT-AC5300 | 5 GHz | 802.11ac |
Choosing the right gaming router for your set-up can be difficult. With so many numbers and stats, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. As you can see, both the frequency and the wireless standards are the same across both devices.
While the Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700 and the Asus RT-AC5300 have many of the same features, so on the surface, you’d assume they provide similar performance. However, when you look under the hood of each router, you’ll see many differences that change how each performs.
To give you a better idea of how each will perform, we will take a deep dive into not only their low latency capabilities but all of their additional features. With this in mind, you will be educated enough to make an educated decision and get the router that best suits your needs.
Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700
The Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700 is a massive tri-band router which supports 802.11ad 60GHz Wi-Fi technology. The router also offers 10Gb Ethernet connectivity and link aggregation, with six LAN ports. The Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700 has a sleek design, a black enclosure, red trim, and a mesh top. The design will easily fit in with any gaming set-up.
Pros & Cons
The Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700 router has many great features. It is effortless to install and has solid throughput performance with numerous I/O ports. It also supports 60GHz and 10Gb Ethernet connectivity
Some of its downsides are that it takes a significant amount of power to maintain and its MU-MIMO performance is underwhelming.
However, to get to the main deciding factor between the Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700 and the Asus RT-AC5300: the price.
The Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700 is nearly seven times more expensive than the Asus RT-AC5300. This fact alone will help about 90% of those choosing between these two routers. However, if the price is not an issue for you, you get what you pay for with the Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700.
ASUS RT-AC5300
The ASUS AC5300 is a tri-band gigabit router that supports maximum bandwidth for online gaming and 4K video streaming, making it ideal for larger homes. The router uses the latest 802.11ac technology and three individual radio bands to ensure it provides the best possible connection. The ASUS AC5300 has numerous standout features, like Multi-User Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) data streaming, 4X4 data transmissions, and numerous management settings.
The ASUS AC5300 design features a similar design to the Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700, with a black body and red trim. However, the AC5300 has eight removable and adjustable antennas with LED indicators.
Pros & Cons
Thanks to tri-band features, which are dual 5 GHz and a single 2.4 GHz, it can cover a space of up to 5,000 sq. ft. The MU-MIMO technology integration is a feature missing from the Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700 router.
The router also has built-in access to WTFast Gamers Private Network (GPN) of route-optimized servers, which ensures low, stable ping times for online gaming. The integrated AiProtection Powered by Trend Micro provides additional protection, preventing the compromising of sensitive data.
Finally, the ASUS Smart Connect delivers consistent bandwidth thanks to its ability to dynamically switch between 2.4 and 5 GHz bands based on speed, load, and signal strength.
The ASUS AC5300 shares a fault with the Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700, that being that the device takes a lot of power to keep up and running. The ASUS AC5300 also has lacklustre file-transfer speeds.
Conclusion
Both routers provide many great features that will surely improve your gaming experience when playing online. They are both the most recent offerings from their respective companies, so you know you are going to get the best and latest technology. With form factor and design, they are both identical colours. However, the Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700 has a much more sleek design, while the ASUS AC5300 has a rather bulk design.
If you are choosing between the Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR700 and ASUS AC5300 routers, the ASUS AC5300 comes out on top. Not only does it provide more features than the Netgear Nighthawk, but it is also significantly cheaper.
The ASUS AC5300 provides more coverage and has an innovative feature that dynamically switches between 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, ensuring you have a consistent connection. It also has better MU-MIMO performance than the Nighthawk.
Considering all of this, the ASUS AC5300 is the obvious winner as you are getting a much better deal with more features.
