With lofty gaming goals come great gaming paraphernalia. You might be in training to beat the greatest boss in your favorite online game, but even world-class gamers can get tripped up by a faulty internet connection. You could be the best gamer in the world, and you’ll still need a good wireless connection and bandwidth.
Some of the best modems for gaming out there can also help you avoid those annoying glitches or jerky connections. You can hardly expect to beat your personal best on FIFA or COD if you’re always worried about your connection checking out on you. You need a solid and reliable connection so you can game for long periods with good quality output, maybe while chatting with friends or getting competitive with other players.
The old modem that was tossed in free with your internet connection probably won’t get you too far when you’re going head to head with other pro gamers. And if you rent your modem, this is a good excuse to buy an outright one rather than wasting monthly fees on a rented unit. Let’s look at some of the best modems for gaming you can find on the market today.
8 BEST MODEMS FOR GAMING REVIEW
1) NETGEAR CM1200 - BEST MODEM FOR XFINITYSPE
Netgear’s Nighthawk multi-gig speed modem is compatible with any Wi-Fi router. With an easy setup that will take you very little time (a manual is thrown in for added support, in case you need it), the Nighthawk CM1200 can support plans with speeds up to 2 GBPS. Not only can you game without worrying about your internet suddenly going dead, but you can also enjoy hours of 4K streaming.
Catch up on the latest Netflix movies, or play DOTA to your heart’s content on the weekend. The unit is pretty small and compact and looks sleek, unlike many ugly and chunky modems on the market. You don’t need to worry about speed, as this thing is lightning-fast. I would recommend nighthawk and this is one of the best modems for gaming.
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2) MOTOROLA MG7550 - BEST MODEM FOR SPECTRUM
Motorola makes pretty good phones, and their modems are just as well-made. The MG7550 is a cable modem with a built-in Wi-Fi router and comes with a two-year warranty.
You can get Internet access for all Wi-Fi devices, from your phone and tablets and game stations to your Amazon Echo, HDTV, and Apple TV. It’s a modem and router in one saves space and prevents you from having to dedicate a huge space to a bunch of wires and plugs. The actual unit is pretty slim and doesn’t take up a lot of room.
You’ll also get free support from techs in the US, so you don’t need to worry about shelling out additional dollars if something stops working. The modem doesn’t come with a telephone jack, though, so you can’t make phone calls through it.
This is one of the best modems for gaming that is compatible with Comcast Xfinity and Xfinity X1, Cox, Charter Spectrum, Time Warner Cable, Suddenlink, WOW!, CableOne, and other cable service providers.
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3) ARRIS SBG7600AC2 - BEST CABLE MODEM ROUTER
The DOCSIS 3.0 cable modem and Wi-Fi router are recommended for plans up to 600 Mbps. Of course, you get a modem and a router, with 32 downstream and 8 upstream channels. Game and stream with one space-saving and convenient device.
This is one of the best modems for gaming that comes with a two-year warranty, and the setup interface is very easy to get the hang of. Setting up your connection is pretty straightforward and shouldn’t take you more than ten or fifteen minutes. The range is also pretty good, so you should be able to get a really good signal all over your living space.
The price tag might be a bit hefty, but you get your money’s worth for the product and no more rental fees for your old modem. Imagine how much you’ll save on your cable bill now, and throw in beating your personal best at FIFA. What more could you want?
If you’re looking for all the speed of a gaming router for PS4 or Xbox but don’t want to mess with all the gaming-specific settings, this TP-Link router is a good choice.
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4) LINKSYS CM3024 - BEST ROUTER FOR COX
Linksys’ cheaper option will allow you to access speeds of up to 300 Mbps on your plan. Built with the latest Intel Puma 6 chipset to maximize high downstream speeds and upstream output, you’ll never lose a boss battle because your internet connection dropped if you invest in this unit.
It’s a simple plug and plays model, so you don’t have to worry about technical issues, and it has 24 download and 8 upload bonded channels. The unit itself looks pretty compact and sturdy if that matters to you. It’ll look good in your work/entertainment space.
The Linksys app is also pretty easy to use, and you can have any number of devices on your connection at a given point in time. So you can expect pretty high speeds with the Linksys modem, and it’s a bargain. Perfect for your home network setup. It fulfills the basic office needs, yes, but this is the best modems for gaming you needs!
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5) ASUS CM-32 MODEM ROUTER COMBO
ASUS is a well-known brand, and I bet you didn’t know they made top-of-the-line modem-router combos too! But this could be perfect for your gaming setup. Stream away and game in HD, and don’t worry about dropped connections or glitches.
The CM-32 AC2600 has four Wi-Fi transmits and receives, which means it has a much greater transmission range and sensitivity, so you can hook up a lot of devices and not have to get anxious about getting lower speeds.
It’s great if you happen to have many smart devices or setups in your home, where people are constantly streaming and gaming, and also downloading. ASUS is bringing the best modems for gaming technology into a single unit.
It also comes with a manual and a support DVD, so setup should be a breeze. ASUS guarantees 1.33x faster Wi-Fi and 1.43x faster cable speed. You have to admit, that’s pretty good.
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6) NETGEAR NIGHTHAWK C7000
Another Nighthawk model from Netgear is best for up to 400 Mbps, with 1900 Mbps wireless speed. You get Wi-Fi coverage up to 1800 sq. ft. The unit can support up to 30 devices.
All your smart devices are covered, and you have uninterrupted speed so that you can do all your online gaming on a smooth connection. And don’t worry about streaming in HD because you can do that all day. It’s a modem-router combo all in one package, so you save a lot of space, and the unit itself looks pretty good.
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7) ZOOM DOCSIS 5352-00-00
A modem-router combo on the higher end in terms of price, this Zoom 5352 model has download speeds of up to 343 Mpbs. Zoom also throws in a two-year warranty and tech support from their Boston office, and the router provides an advanced firewall, advanced wireless security, and IPv6 and IPv4 support. This is a pretty reliable setup, and the Zoom user interface is pretty well-planned and allows you to customize whatever you want. Game all day with the modem’s stable connection.
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8) TP-LINK ARCHER CR500
This TP-Link modem router gives you DOCSIS speeds of up to 680 Mbps with AC1200 dual-band Wi-Fi. The Archer CR500 uses 15x4 channel bonding to speed up your connection, and its dual 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands let you connect a lot of devices to the network. It also has a dual-core CPU for fast processing.
There’s no phone jack, but you get a two-year warranty and free 24/7 support, which is great news considering how vital an internet connection is these days.
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CONCLUSION
So there you have it, you’ve hopefully found your best modems for gaming to fulfill your online gaming needs by now. You don’t need to worry about a dropped connection while you’re playing Fortnite or Minecraft or get beaten to a pulp by fellow gamers because your old modem gave out on you.
The only thing you’ll be wishing you’d done when you buy one of these is that you’d done it earlier! Imagine how much you’ll save in rental fees. So what are you waiting for? Buy the best modems for gaming, plug, play!