NETGEAR’s Game Booster is a feature-packed service that provides Orbi customers with the tools found on Nighthawk Pro Gaming routers to enhance network performance and minimise lag for the ultimate gaming experience.
There are many regular video games users, and the pandemic and related lockdowns have spurred these numbers to even greater heights as shown by the associated growth in game streaming platforms such as Twitch.
“NETGEAR Nighthawk Pro Gaming routers, which are purpose-built with game-enhancing software, have long been a mainstay of the pro or hard-core gamer, but recent research among Orbi users has shown that greater than 60% of surveyed households have at least one gamer, with a significant number of those gamers playing on a console or PC. For these players, NETGEAR’s Game Booster service can help provide a winning advantage,” says Tobie van Schalkwyk, product manager for NETGEAR at Duxbury Networking.
Gamers know that timing is everything, and now, along with a powerful PC or premium game console, quality WiFi is an equally important part of the experience and can mean the difference between winning and losing, even by a fraction of a second. This is why NETGEAR Game Booster, powered by DumaOS, includes three core components all easily controlled from the Orbi app that directly influence gamers’ number one pain point – lag.
“With a ping heatmap and geo-filter, the service gives players the power to identify and choose the fastest game servers for their preferred games, thereby reducing ping by up to 93%. It also helps prioritise network bandwidth to gaming devices and applications with a network priority feature,” says Van Schalkwyk.
Game Booster also includes Adblocker, a new feature on the router, benefiting any device on the network, not just the gaming console or PC. Not only does Adblocker block unwanted ads, but it also limits tracking from various websites. The blocklist is updated regularly and users can customise both the domains to be blocked and the devices it is active on through the Orbi app.
Key benefits of NETGEAR Game Booster include:
- Ping heatmap: View ping rates of servers for your preferred games, create a ping schedule for them, and see servers’ historical data to better strategise your game server pick.
- Geo-filter: Dramatically reduce lag by controlling the server that you connect to. Choose servers based on distance and ping rate in geo-filter or geo-fencing mode. Outline boundaries on a map to save the best-performing servers and block undesirable ones.
- Network priority: With multiple devices needing bandwidth, congestion slows you down. Now you can eliminate lag by allocating and prioritising bandwidth usage across your home, and move your game apps to the front of the line.
- Bandwidth allocation: Control bandwidth across all applications and connected devices. Control the amount of bandwidth each receives, as well as setting download and upload speeds.
- Traffic prioritisation: Gaming traffic is automatically detected and prioritised. Apply rules to services and ports based on data usage.
“NETGEAR Game Booster will be available initially to Orbi Tri-band WiFi 6 mesh systems (series 750 and 850). The service launches in Q1 2022 and a 30-day free trial will be offered,” says Van Schalkwyk.
For more information, contact Duxbury Networking, (+27) 011 351 9800, info@duxnet.co.za, www.duxbury.co.za.
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Duxbury Networking
Since its formation in 1984 by CEO, Graham Duxbury, Duxbury Networking has embraced ongoing technological changes within the ICT sector in order to provide its customers with access to the latest trends and solutions. Satisfying the evolving and diverse needs of its customer base is achieved through an emphasis on sourcing cost-effective, high-quality products from carefully selected local and international vendors. Aligned with this is the provision of uncompromising technical support, which is possible due to an extensive investment in the training and upskilling of its team. The company is driven to take an active role in reshaping and redefining the South African digital landscape in its mission to help its customers build a network that will support current and future technologies.