Best router for simultaneous Netflix and online gaming?

[kami]

I currently have a D-Link DIR-655 that I've had for about 3-4 years now. I'm still mostly happy with it but I am wondering if theres anything better out there that would give me better latency in games while someone else is watching Netflix on the same connection. My ping is normally around 40ms but when someone is on Netflix it goes up to 170-200ms. Netflix is not saturating the connection. I've played around with QoS and priority settings without much luck.

Are there any more modern routers that would improve gaming performance, obviously without affecting the Netflix stream as well? Also this is a DSL connection.

Thanks

edit: thread is kinda old so i wont bump it. new router did make a difference. netgear wndr3400v2. pings are now 65-70ms while someone is watching netflix.

 

[bobdole369]

That uplink saturates purrrrrty quick on DSL. Is it at least 6mb/768k? A router won't fix that you don't have a broadband connection, but I will say that if you've got 768k uplink - you shouldn't get that much lag when watching netflix (which is typically 1-2.5mbits down)

 

[kami]

It's a 12/1 connection. The games are still playable but the extra 100+ms is noticeable.

I'm just wondering if a better router could even make a difference.

 

[bobdole369]

Thats no longer plainjane adsl right? (vdsl or some variant, I think they call it uverse down in the US)- Thats enough.

A "better" router might do the trick, the issue is that a decent number of packets are moving across. I've honestly never looked into reducing lag like that.

 

[wirednuts]

i wouldnt doubt if op is right. i have noticed that most all of the cheaper routers have trouble dealing with simultaneous connections. especially when a lot of data is being transferred.

hopefully someone can suggest the latest model of a good fast router. this would probably be a good start though- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...Q204N10BKBHQV9

 

[Sephire]

Try another router.

 

[Rifter]

Every home/office type router i have tried Qos on has been a dissapointment, i believe the weak ram/CPU's on these devices is just not up to the task of sorting/applying rules to the number of packets with torrents/streaming.

You could go to a commercial grade router with a beefy CPU but thats going to set you back $500+. What i usually do is set up a old desktop to act as a router and then also apply traffic shaping software as well as web caching and firewall as well to get full use out of the machine. I usually use a linux box running squid/iproute/iptables. This usually results in much better pings and service for the network but setting up something like this can be very challenging if you have no network knowlege.

 

[kami]

My d-link has a 275mhz CPU and only 16mb ram where a lot of modern ones have 500+MHz CPUs and 128mb ram. One I have been eyeing is the Asus rt-n56u ( http://www.asus.com/Networks/Wireless_Routers/RTN56U/ ) which is supposed to be a good performer from what I have read and also has dual band so I could put my PC on the 5ghz band by itself and let everything else stay on 2.4ghz which also may help. If I end up getting something I will update with results but if anyone else has an opinion please post.

 

[vailr]

I could put my PC on the 5ghz band by itself and let everything else stay on 2.4ghz which also may help.

I could be wrong, but wouldn't a wired router connection to the gaming PC give better results compared with a wireless connection?

 

[kami]

I could be wrong, but wouldn't a wired router connection to the gaming PC give better results compared with a wireless connection?

I tried this with a long cable I had and sloppily ran it up the stairs. No noticeable difference, maybe a few milliseconds. My PC gets a very strong signal - the NIC has an external antenna I could move around to the optimal spot.

 

[vailr]

My suggestion would be: move the DSL modem and the router location to: wired & adjacent to the gaming computer. Also: use a dedicated DSL-only line between the telephone company access box and the DSL modem, if that's not already in place.

Edit: also, see if there's an updated firmware available for your D-Link DIR-655.

 

[Kartajan]

FYI- I just updated my DIR-655 to firmware 1.35, and that resolved my issues... The "check for updates" link from the router itself did not display that update, so that would be something that I would try to see if you get improved performance...