What router should I get my son for online gaming?
December 6, 2005

Submitted by: Philip, via e-mail
My son is getting a laptop for Christmas, and I am new to this whole router thing, but he says he wants it to play games like Battlefield 2 and to get on the Internet for some downloads and stuff. Could you tell me the best router for $50 to $60?

Allen Fear, Section editor
Fifty to sixty dollars is a pretty aggressive target price for your needs, but it can be done. If you're planning to connect only two or three computers and your usage scenario is modest--that is, you need to support only basic Web surfing needs, such as online shopping and e-mail--then you can get all of the mileage you need out of a relatively inexpensive router. The D-Link DI-624 and the Linksys WRT54GS both fit your budget. Plus, each of the routers can be paired with matching adapters to give you increased wireless performance, but that will add to the total cost of your setup. If you settle on D-Link's DI-624, consider pairing it with the D-Link DWL-G650 for better wireless performance. You'll get better wireless performance with the WRT54GS if you pair it with the WPC54GS. If your son is planning to play games over a wireless connection, this boost in range and throughput could make a big difference.

Though you'll have to pay more for it, you may have a smoother gaming experience with a gaming router, such as the D-Link DGL-4300. This gaming router has built-in intelligence that lets it prioritize data packets that are time sensitive and need to be sent right away, such as data streams that belong to a game, a VoIP conversation, or a video stream, and packets that are less of an immediate priority, such as a download or a file transfer you may have running in the background.

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