Which system is best for gaming?

Reviewed September 2026

Best Wi-Fi for gaming

The short answer

Gaming cares about steadiness, not headline speed. A wired console beats any Wi-Fi; where that is impossible, stability wins.

For this one job we'd pick the NETGEAR Orbi. Its overall WiFiXpert Index score is 79/100 — which is not the same thing as being top of the overall table, and doesn't change it.

Ranked for this job

Same published scores as the main index, weighted towards what matters here.

#	System	Suited to this	Overall Index
1	NETGEAR Orbi	76/100	79/100
2	eero mesh	75/100	79/100
3	Ubiquiti UniFi	74/100	74/100
4	TP-Link Deco	70/100	73/100
5	BT Smart Hub 2	67/100	65/100
6	Sky Broadband Hub	66/100	64/100
7	Virgin Media Hub 5	66/100	63/100
8	EE Smart Hub Plus	66/100	64/100

Why each one landed where it did

NETGEAR Orbi

Wi-Fi performance: 9/10 — Holds speed further from the base than the others we've measured.
Reliability: 8/10 — Steady, with occasional satellite drop-outs when placed too far out.
Gaming consoles compatibility: Works with configuration (from the WiFiXpert Compatibility Index).

Gaming consoles: Works with configuration

Full score breakdown

eero mesh

Wi-Fi performance: 8/10 — Speeds close to the plan in the same room; sensible drop-off further away.
Reliability: 9/10 — One of the lowest rates of 'keeps dropping' cases we see.
Gaming consoles compatibility: Works with configuration (from the WiFiXpert Compatibility Index).

Gaming consoles: Works with configuration

Full score breakdown

Ubiquiti UniFi

Wi-Fi performance: 9/10 — Excellent when access points are placed and cabled properly.
Reliability: 9/10 — Very stable once configured; unstable when half-configured.
Gaming consoles compatibility: Works with configuration (from the WiFiXpert Compatibility Index).

Gaming consoles: Works with configuration

Full score breakdown

TP-Link Deco

Wi-Fi performance: 8/10 — Strong for the money on the current models we've used.
Reliability: 7/10 — Mostly steady; a chunk of our cases trace back to the IoT network setting.
Gaming consoles compatibility: Works with configuration (from the WiFiXpert Compatibility Index).

Gaming consoles: Works with configuration

Full score breakdown

What we're assuming

Strict NAT problems are a settings issue rather than a hardware one — see our guides.
Try the free fixes first — moving the router, or moving one box — before buying anything. Common problems and free fixes.

Scored using WiFiXpert Hardware Index Methodology v1.0 — how we score.

Other situations

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