QoS (Quality of Service) is one of the most sought-after features of wireless routers. It comes as a holy grail for gamers who need to prioritize gaming devices. Not only gamers but IT organizations and businesses also utilize QoS routers to manage their network traffic effectively and efficiently.
However, just checking if a router has QoS or not won’t be enough as not all router brands and models offer the same prioritization settings and performance. This is when it gets difficult to zero in on the right router with QoS.
Don’t worry, I’ve used and reviewed many wireless routers over the years and know them inside out. After in-depth evaluation and quality tests, I have curated this list of WiFi routers that enable better management of internet resources. Keep reading!
7 Best Routers for QoS in 2024
The models included here do the primary job well: prioritizing network traffic so that more important applications and devices can run utmost smoothly. Aside from that, they are well-balanced in terms of cost, and other features like internet speeds, WiFi coverage, etc. This means you are guaranteed to get great value.
Also, considering different user needs, I’ve diversified my top picks into different categories. The list starts with the high-end offering and gradually moves to cost-effective yet highly reliable options.
1. Best Overall: ASUS Rog Rapture GT-AX11000
- Bands Support: 5 GHz (1), 5 GHz (2), 2.4 GHz
- Wireless Standard: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
- WiFi Range: Up to 3,500 Sq Ft
- Ports: 1 x 2.5G WAN/LAN + 1 x Gig WAN + 4 x Gig LAN + 2 x USB 3.0
- Number of Devices Supported: 100
- App Support: Yes
Kicking off the list with one of the most versatile and powerful gaming routers in the retail space, ASUS Rog Rapture GT-AX11000. It is a has-it-all device with a plethora of QoS settings, a tri-band Wi-Fi 6 setup, a massive range, a multi-gig port, and other networking technologies.
And compared to GT-AX6000, its features are much more robust and ironclad and deliver overall superior performance.
QoS & Prioritization
As mentioned above, GT-AX11000 has all: adaptive QoS, traditional QoS, and bandwidth limiters.
- Adaptive QoS lets you set custom priority levels based on specific application types to let both wireless & wired connections prioritize high-bandwidth tasks. There are modes for gaming, media streaming, web surfing, work-from-home, learn-from-home, and others.
- In traditional QoS, you can set the minimum and maximum bandwidth values and priority levels for certain applications and servers. You can allocate 30% to 60% bandwidth for gaming and the rest for web surfing. It meant the games couldn’t hog more than 60% of the bandwidth.
- And finally, with a Bandwidth limiter, you can limit download and upload speeds of up to 32 devices at a time. It ensures a particular device isn’t hogging most of the bandwidth and distributes it reasonably.
Wireless Speeds
The Rog Rapture GT-AX11000 as evidenced by the name comes at a maximum throughput value of 11000 Mbps and is distributed over its three bands as follows:
| 5 GHz (1): 4804 Mbps | 5 GHz (2): 4804 Mbps | 2.4 GHz: 1148 Mbps |
Using my WiFi analyzer software for throughput testing, the router showed solid results with the Google Fiber 2 Gbps plan. The near test at 20 feet away delivers up to 1.97 Gbps and 1.95 Mbps upload and download speeds respectively. While the 50 feet test clocked respective speeds of 1.52 Gbps and 1.41 Gbps.
Next, let’s discuss the network congestion test. With QoS set to adaptive QoS (game priority) and six 4K videos streaming, I played Overwatch for about an hour at 110 FPS and 16ms ping. That’s almost similar to what I got in a wired connection, but the frame rate of videos dropped to 7.8%, much lower than what was seen using Ethernet.
The experience was similar to the other two QoS settings. Games were especially faster with specialized features like game boost, game radar, and WTFast.
WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity
Theoretically, the Asus router has a 3,500 Sq Ft, one of the longest-range wireless routers. And its eight beamforming antennas send signals to about 3,100 Sq Ft of my client’s space with ease. Besides, it entails an AiMesh tech which means you can pair a similar router/extender to establish a mesh-like network across the space.
Moving on, the QoS alongside MU-MIMO and OFDMA comes to the rescue when connecting multiple devices at once. My 55 smart devices had signals stable enough to ensure no-lag gaming, streaming, tax filing, web surfing, and others at a time.
Security Features
GT-AX11000 claims as the “most secured router” with its lifetime free AiProtection suite. It blocks any malicious site, infected device, and any unauthorized agents like viruses, malware, and others.
Further, it conducts security assessments and uses tools like WPA3 encryption, VPN, and access control to keep your devices and network safe.
Conclusion
Overall, Asus GT-AX11000 with varied QoS settings, multi-gig port, and integrated gaming features like game radar, WTFast, and game boost can be your best bet. I appreciate the advanced security tools and the area it covers at a stretch. But what’s limiting is its hefty price, but the performance it offers is worth every penny.
Pros
- Multiple QoS settings
- Wi-Fi 6 + Tri-band
- Free advanced security tools
- Great wireless range
- Integrated gaming features
Cons
- Premium price
2. Best Runner-Up: TP-Link Archer GX90
- Bands Support: 5 GHz (1), 5 GHz (2), 2.4 GHz
- Wireless Standard: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
- WiFi Range: Up to 3,000 Sq Ft
- Ports: 1 x 2.5G WAN/LAN + 1 x Gig WAN/LAN + 3 x Gig LAN + 1 x USB 3.0 + 1 x USB 2.0
- Number of Devices Supported: 100
- App Support: Yes
TP-Link Archer GX90 just misses the top spot but has everything one aspires for from a premium gaming router. It’s a tri-band Wi-Fi 6 router with a multi-gig port, dual USB 3.2, and a massive throughput for faster connections.
Alongside that, it’s built with QoS by device, game accelerator, and others to ensure a smooth gaming experience.
QoS & Prioritization
As opposed to GT-AX11000, the Archer GX90 entails a “QoS by device” feature to prioritize certain high-bandwidth tasks. What’s unique about it is, it features a game-specific QoS mode called game accelerator that prioritizes game traffic first, and I noticed a lower ping for those as well.
Wireless Speeds
TP-Link Archer GX90 comes at a speed rating of AX6600, and the share of three operating bands in it is as follows:
| 5 GHz (1): 4804 Mbps | 5 GHz (2): 1201 Mbps | 2.4 GHz: 574 Mbps |
I measured the throughput using my staple setup, i.e., an iPhone 13 and Google Fiber 2 Gbps connection. The respective download and upload speed at 20 feet stands at 1.91 Gbps and 1.89 Gbps, respectively, while speeds over 40 feet averaged 1.5 Gbps and 1.3 Gbps. That’s one of the fastest speeds I have encountered over the connection.
Now to test out the performance, I played Overwatch on my PS5 and streamed 4K videos on six devices at once, a similar setup as in GT-AX11000. With the application set to gaming on QoS, the game managed a decent 96 fps and 24ms ping, comparable to 99 FPS and 23ms ping on multi-gig port.
But the streaming performance dipped, as expected. You can set the task to streaming to avoid that, as with other high-intensive tasks you can’t afford to slow down.
WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity
TP-Link includes four beamforming antennas to claim a maximum coverage of 3,000 Sq Ft, a bit lower than the previous recommendation. But it easily encased the entirety of my 2,500 Sq Ft test lab with powerful signals.
And with OneMesh support, you have the flexibility to expand the range by pairing it with another OneMesh-compatible router/extender. Now regarding device handling ability, its claimed 100 is a bit over the top, but with MU-MIMO and OFDMA, you can pair anywhere around 70 devices with ease.
Security Features
Security-wise, GX90 isn’t as great as Asus GT-AX11000 but its HomeShield basic includes some basic network security tools.
Some notable ones include WPA3 encryption, VPN, and access control to secure the network and data flowing through it. Besides, with the guest network feature, you can add any device temporarily to the network.
For advanced anti-malware tools, you need to subscribe to its TP-Link HomeShield premium software.
Conclusion
TP-Link GX90 is an excellent router with gaming-centric features like QoS, game accelerator, and others. Other than that, its powerful antennas emit strong signals in the corner for you to stream in 4K.
Pros
- Wi-Fi 6
- Excellent throughput
- QoS by device works great
- Great WiFi range
- Easy to set up
- Handles multiple devices
Cons
- Premium price
3. Best for Streaming: Netgear Nighthawk RAX50
- Bands Support: 5 GHz & 2.4 GHz
- Wireless Standard: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
- WiFi Range: Up to 2,500 Sq Ft
- Ports: 1 x Gig WAN + 4 x Gig LAN + 1 x USB 3.0
- Number of Devices Supported: 30
- App Support: Yes
Of all the Netgear routers I have tested, Nighthawk RAX50 is probably the easiest recommendation, as it offers the right balance of features, performance, and cost.
A souped-up version of RAX40, its notable features include Wi-Fi 6, excellent throughput capacity, dynamic QoS, and a decent arrangement of ports for added connectivity.
QoS & Prioritization
Netgear RAX50 in-builts a dynamic QoS feature that helps improve the internet management capabilities of your router through better bandwidth allocation, device identification, and traffic prioritization techniques.
Using this, you can manually distribute the bandwidth between various applications like games, and Netflix streams, or let the router do that automatically.
Wireless Speeds
With Wi-Fi 6 support, the aggregated speed of RAX50 stands at 5400 Mbps, and speeds on respective bands are as follows:
| 5 GHz: 4804 Mbps | 2.4 GHz: 574 Mbps |
To test the raw speeds, I used my WiFi analyzer app on my iPhone 13 and paired a 1 Gbps Xfinity connection. In a short-distance test, the test system registered 926 Mbps download and 34 Mbps upload speed.
That’s almost identical to my previous recommendation. But things are different on 40 feet test where respective speeds clocked at 610 Mbps and 28 Mbps.
With Dynamic QoS turned on, and respective priority set at high on gaming, the Watchdogs 2 on my PS5 ran at 86 fps and 27ms ping, while the frame rate of streams stood at 3.1%. You can change the application to streaming in the “priority category list” and set the options to low, normal, high, and highest.
WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity
The Netgear RAX50 did well in covering most spots of my 2,500 Sq Ft test lab, as the numbers turned out at 2,100 Sq Ft. That’s more than decent for any mid-sized or two-bedroom apartment.
And courtesy of MU-MIMO and beamforming paired with QoS ensures games on my PS5 don’t lag despite connecting up to 26 devices at once.
Security Features
Security-wise, it comes with a 90-day free trial to advanced Netgear Armor security with features like malware protection, intrusion blocking, and weekly scans. Aside from that, features like WPA3, VPN, guest network, and access control come right out of the box. These keep your passwords and shared data safe from unauthorized agents.
Conclusion
Netgear RAX50 is a great router to stream 4K content on multiple devices. Aside from that, QoS, MU-MIMO, beamforming, and other wireless technologies contribute to stable signals over multiple devices.
But the lack of an additional band and inferior features than top recommendations has pushed it down the list. Learn more in its full review.
Pros
- Wi-Fi 6
- Fast and reliable performance
- Excellent QoS functionality
- Decent WiFi range
- Easy to install
Cons
- Dual-band support
4. Best for Home Use: Linksys Hydra 6
- Bands Support: 5 GHz & 2.4 GHz
- Wireless Standard: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
- WiFi Range: Up to 2,000 Sq Ft
- Ports: 1 x Gig WAN + 4 x Gig LAN + 1 x USB 3.0
- Number of Devices Supported: 30
- App Support: Yes
Now that I have reached halfway to the list, presenting a mid-range offering by Linksys, Hydra 6. With Wi-Fi 6 support, it brings along a decent throughput capacity and an adaptive QoS to handle a home WiFi network.
Aside from that, its smaller footprint, no fussy lights, and matt black finish add a nice touch to your space.
QoS & Prioritization
Linksys Hydra 6 brings adaptive QoS to the mix that lets you set priority to specific devices, applications, or servers, such that it can access the maximum bandwidth available.
As with my previous recommendation, there’s no option to set a level of priority for the tasks. But as with most routers, enabling QoS would risk reducing the internet speed of other connected devices.
Wireless Speeds
The Linksys router comes at an aggregated speed of 3000 Mbps, which is split between its two operating bands as follows:
| 5 GHz: 2401 Mbps | 2.4 GHz: 574 Mbps |
I performed the speed test with the Cox Gigablast plan on the Dell XPS laptop. In close proximity, the device hit upper limits of 889 Mbps download and 33 Mbps upload speeds. At the same time, a speed test at 40 feet delivered respective speeds of 562 Mbps and 25 Mbps. That’s an impressive performance from a mid-range router.
My network congestion testing shows that Linksys Hydra 6 performs better via 5 GHz and Ethernet connections. While connected to Ethernet, with no background videos, on my Overwatch gaming test, FPS was measured at 86. This dropped to 64 when I added four 4K videos to saturate the connection.
However, the game improved to 78 fps when QoS for gaming was turned on. But the frame rate for the videos dropped majorly by 38%, which is quite disappointing.
WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity
Linksys claims that the router can blanket a 2,000 Sq Ft space, which is impressive and enough for any three-bedroom house. In practice, the range maxes out at 1,600 Sq Ft, which covered every nook of my 1,500 Sq Ft home office.
Besides, the availability of MU-MIMO benefits the multi-device handling capability of Hydra 6. At a stretch, I can handle up to 25 devices including laptops, computers, smartphones, gaming consoles, and others.
Security Features
The security of Hydra 6 is rather weak as no advanced security features are available, free or paid. Although features WPA3, guest network, Encryption SPI firewall, and DoS protection that prevents any malicious attacks that aim to overwhelm the network with unwanted datasets. In this way, you can browse anything with peace of mind.
Conclusion
Linksys Hydra 6 is a perfect home WiFi router that has QoS. It offers a dependable performance without spending a lot. Aside from the latest wireless standard, its range and throughput are high enough to satiate most hungry devices in your space.
But inferior features compared to my previous recommendations have put it in the fourth position.
Pros
- Wi-Fi 6
- Excellent performance
- Decent wireless range
- Affordable price
- Solid aesthetics
- Easy to install and use
Cons
- Security features could be better
5. Best Mesh Router: TP-Link Deco X55
- Bands Support: 5 GHz & 2.4 GHz
- Wireless Standard: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
- WiFi Range: Up to 4,500 Sq Ft
- Ports: 3 x Gig LAN per unit
- Number of Devices Supported: 150
- App Support: Yes
If a traditional router leaves network dead zones in your space, the TP-Link Deco X55 mesh system can be your best mate.
Its three-unit system claims to cover a massive 6,500 Sq Ft area and has a handling capacity of 150. Besides, its Wi-Fi 6 and decent throughput capacity should fare your internet activities pretty well.
And compared to Deco X20, it brings a series of upgrades in terms of speed, range, and in turn overall performance.
QoS & Prioritization
Setting up this Deco X55 with the Deco app is pretty simple where you just plug in to power plug and follow the instructions.
Once it’s complete, you’ll find the setting “QoS” where you can enable it and choose a mode (gaming, streaming, or others). This allows the router to analyze the traffic that passes through it and categorize it.
It’s a manual process, so you need to alter the setting if you switch from one task to another, for example, from gaming to streaming.
Wireless Speeds
As with my previous recommendation, Deco X55 comes at an identical throughput of 3000 Mbps, and respective band-wise speeds are as follows:
| 5 GHz: 2401 Mbps | 2.4 GHz: 574 Mbps |
When it comes to bandwidth, the mesh router had an excellent performance. With a 1 Gbps Xfinity plan at a near location (30 feet away), the download speed stays at around 865 Mbps while upload speeds are at 32 Mbps.
For the distance test, the respective speeds were 715 Mbps and 27 Mbps, much faster than standalone routers. Now for the performance test, with no TV streaming, the FPS in Destiny 2 are 95 connected wirelessly and 108 on the gaming port.
While turning the QoS for gaming with five 4K Netflix videos streaming, FPS turned out at 106, while dropping video frame rates to 2.6%.
Alternatively, turning QoS for streaming on, fps for Overwatch was 72 while video frame rates improved to 18.7%. This shows the value of the fps feature in the router.
WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity
Coverage-wise, it’s probably the best of the lot with a 6,500 Sq Ft stipulated range and 150 device handling capacity. The numbers seem a bit too unreal, but my test results weren’t very far from the claims with a range of 5,800 Sq Ft.
The signals crossed my yard and garage to reach a part of my neighbor’s property. And its seamless roaming tech ensures I never drop a signal even when roaming around the space. Thanks to its MU-MIMO and OFDMA feature, I could connect up to 85 smart devices available to me. Beyond that, the connections start to drop off.
Security Features
The Deco X55 comes with a HomeShield Basic security with access to features like parental controls, a network scanner, and monthly internet usage reports. Besides, you have got staple features like VPN, WPA3, and access control.
Conclusion
To sum up, the combination of Ai-driven mesh technology and seamless roaming provided by Deco X55 guarantees a continuous and uninterrupted signal experience.
However, if you have a demanding gaming setup and frequently stream on Twitch, the performance may still be satisfactory.
Nevertheless, its lower throughput capacity compared to previous models slipped it to the fourth position in the rankings. For more details, check out the dedicated Deco X55 review.
Pros
- Wi-Fi 6 support
- Excellent wireless range
- Ai-driven mesh and seamless roaming
- Great speeds
- Easy to setup and manage
Cons
- Some security features are paid
6. Best Under $100: ASUS RT-AX55
- Bands Support: 5 GHz & 2.4 GHz
- Wireless Standard: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
- WiFi Range: Up to 2,000 Sq Ft
- Ports: 1 x Gig WAN + 4 x Gig LAN
- Number of Devices Supported: 30
- App Support: Yes
Moving swiftly to the budget segment, I have the Asus RT-AX55, which is one of the best Wi-Fi 6 routers for under $100. It packs a powerful Quad-Core processor, Quality of Service (QoS), and other networking technologies to deliver superior performance than its predecessor.
QoS & Prioritization
Asus RT-AX55 has probably got the best in “adaptive QoS” which contains profiles for activities that you can allocate for a particular device.
Since my family loves binge-watching, I kept media streaming as the priority. You can choose between the preset options or customize them according to your needs.
Wireless Speeds
Speed-wise, RT-AX55 maximizes at 1800 Mbps, which is great for a budget router. The speeds on each of its bands are as follows:
| 5 GHz: 1201 Mbps | 2.4 GHz: 574 Mbps |
Performance is actually decent when connected to the 600 Mbps Xfinity plan. Considering its theoretical throughput, you can upgrade to 1 Gbps, if needed. Now let’s discuss the results.
I start with the top speed: from 20 feet away from the router, it managed a download and upload speed of 528 Mbps and 22 Mbps, respectively. At the same time, the 40 feet test had respective speeds of 297 Mbps and 17 Mbps.
The speed drops massively upon increasing the distance but it still lets you stream HD movies, play casual online games, and attend video calls without jitters.
Now I turned out the QoS mode in the adaptive QoS tab and set it for the “media streaming” task. Before that, streaming UHD movies alongside playing online games yields a frame rate of 2.7%. And upon turning on the option, it jostled up to 15.3%, but fps for gaming dropped to 43 from 60. So, make your decision accordingly.
WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity
Asus RT-AX55 with its four-antenna setup comes at a maximum range of 2,000 Sq Ft, which seems suitable for any two-bedroom apartment.
To test it out, I installed it at my grandpa’s 100-year-old 1,500 Sq Ft house, and it may not surprise you, but the signals managed to envelop the entirety. And it’s AiMesh compatible, meaning you have got the flexibility to boost the range.
The best part about this device is the integration of MU-MIMO and OFDMA, the latter is generally missing from these budget-range routers. These stabilize the signals transmitted to multiple devices at once, and the number maxed out at 25.
Security Features
Security-wise, RT-AX55 includes excellent but free security and parental controls in AiProtection Classic, powered by Tenda Micro. It protects the network from outside threats and also those who’re using the web.
You can block any content you don’t want the kids to watch and even schedule their online time.
Conclusion
Asus RT-AX55 is an affordable yet capable Wi-Fi 6 router with support for QoS. It might not be the fastest option out there but the available speeds paired with prioritization, MU-MIMO, and OFDMA ensure a lag-free streaming or gaming experience.
Pros
- AiMesh support
- AiProtection classic
- Decent range
- Stable throughput with QoS, OFDMA, and MU-MIMO
Cons
- Below-par distance speeds
7. Cheapest Option: TP-Link Archer A7
- Bands Support: 5 GHz & 2.4 GHz
- Wireless Standard: Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
- WiFi Range: Up to 2,500 Sq Ft
- Ports: 1 x Gig WAN + 4 x Gig LAN + 1 x USB 2.0
- Number of Devices Supported: 30
- App Support: Yes
The final router on my list is a cheap yet good router that comes with QoS, TP-Link Archer A7. At a time when fancy muscle cars are in vogue, A7 comes as a Toyota Corolla that brings the essential features, alongside something extra.
Although there’s no Wi-Fi 6 here, you don’t have to compromise much in regard to the speed, range, and overall performance.
QoS & Prioritization
TP-Link Archer A7 does come with QoS settings right away, but things are a bit unconventional. Rather than giving priority to a single task, here you allocate priority levels (High, medium, or low) to different tasks.
In my case, I put gaming, streaming, and video conferencing in descending order of priority levels. It has its perks and limitations. With such, you make sure you have a particular bandwidth allocated to tasks other than high-priority ones.
But, the thing is, prepping for other tasks can get a bit arduous and needs replacing it with the current one or switching the QoS off altogether.
Wireless Speeds
With dual-band Wi-Fi 5 support, the aggregated speed of Archer A7 comes at 1750 Mbps where each band shares speed as follows:
| 5 GHz: 1300 Mbps | 2.4 GHz: 450 Mbps |
With the Xfinity 500 Mbps plan, the Archer A7 managed a top download speed of 434 Mbps in the short-distance test (20 feet), while uploads clocked at 19 Mbps.
When 50 feet away, the respective router speeds were registered at 226 Mbps and 13 Mbps, edging a bit ahead of my previous recommendation.
Now coming to the QoS testing, the assigned high-priority task, i.e., gaming ran at 62fps and 27ms ping, while UHD videos stream in the background. The latter in second position managed a frame rate of 1.8%, much lower than when in the highest priority or QoS turned off.
WiFi Coverage & Devices Capacity
TP-Link Archer A7 stoops ahead of Asus RT-AX55 with its stipulated range of 2,500 Sq Ft. In reality, it manages a 2,000 Sq Ft area, which is adequate for any mid-sized space.
Other than that, its MU-MIMO allows to establish connections with up to 34 smart devices at once. These include laptops, computers, smartphones, and others.
Security Features
Security of A7 could be better per se, as the latest WPA3 isn’t supported nor does it includes a no-malware function to keep the viruses away. But, it does include the essentials, i.e., DoS protection and firewall that are adjustable to three levels.
Besides, for families with children, A7 has some basic parental controls with options to restrict devices and time limits. For more details, check out the Archer A7 review.
Conclusion
The Archer A7 does a great job to replace the ISP-supplied gateway. Its affordability and decent features combine to deliver good value. It provides sufficient coverage for a mid-sized home with two to three bedrooms, and its Quality of Service (QoS) feature is functional.
Pros
- Dual-Band Wi-Fi 5
- Decent speeds
- Great WiFi range
- Affordable price
- 2-year warranty
Cons
- Security is a bit weak
Frequently Asked Questions
QoS or Quality of Service feature prioritizes traffic so that the more important traffic can pass first. It’s especially useful if you’re engaged in such tasks.
QoS is beneficial if you’re a heavy gamer or streamer and don’t have enough bandwidth most of the time. Setting up QoS allocates maximum bandwidth to these kinds of tasks and ensures minimal lag.
No, it doesn’t. It just allocates a specific bandwidth amount to a task.
Yes, if you’re engaged in high-intensity tasks and mid-tier internet plans, QoS routers are especially beneficial.
Verdict
QoS-supported routers come as a holy grail provided you’ve got the right configuration and settings to fully utilize its benefits. However, if you still couldn’t make up your mind as to which one to go for, here’s a list of the best ones:
- There’s nothing better than Asus ROG GT-AX11000 for a premium router with top-end features.
- If you don’t have the facilities for that, get a reliable and mid-range router, go for Linksys Hydra 6.
- And finally, if you need a budget model to upgrade your ISP-rented router, then TP-Link Archer A7 is your go-to model.
With that, comes an end to the guide. Goodbye and take care!
