Router to handle multiple gaming connections

Cunning Alias

So there are 3 of us in the house and it would be regular enough that we would all be playing online games. Whenever we are all playing we are constantly getting high pings and random spikes that are making some games unplayable.

At first we though it was the wireless, so we set up a switch at the end of a 200mbps homeplug but it hasn't fixed the problem. We would all be playing on our laptops at the same location.

The speedtest on the line always come back pretty high so we figure the Router is the problem. It is still the standard one that we got from our provider.

So there are 2 things we need:
A router that can handle multiple high speed connections
and a router with the ability to limit the speed of each connection so that we can equally share the connection. I think "bandwidth metering" is the term.

We are all fairly handy with technology but have no experience in this area. Any help would be appreciated.

Cunning Alias

Looks like I need a router with Virtual Private Networking. Anyone have any experience with specific models?

PogMoThoin

Games don't need speed, what they need low latency and a solid connection.

Let me guess, consoles? A new router will make zero difference, it's most likely not the problem.

Peer to peer multiplayer gaming that consoles use is terrible. Rather than having a central dedicated powerful server with lots of bandwidth to host the game (ala most PC gaming), console games pick who it thinks is the best host (who has the best upload speed at that instant) and makes them host it on a cheap console, a minute or two later someone else using that hosts connection may start something bandwidth intensive (downloading a torrent, windows updates, youtube etc) or their connection deteriorates and everyone connected to that host gets lag spikes. If this is the case there's nothing you can do about it.

Please clarify exactly what type of gaming, what game, who is your provider, what equipment you got and how you are connected to that equipment

Cunning Alias

Sorry its all pc gaming. At the moment we would be playing League of Legends, BF3, TF2 and the odd game of Quake or CS. We also have a ps3 set up doing a fair bit of media streaming from a network drive.

Currently with Smart Telecom and we have the Thomson TG585 v7

We were originally connected by wireless and things would get pretty bad if we were all connected, so we got a 200mbs homeplug and set up a switch at the end so we could avoid the wireless. Things got more stable but still had problems.

PogMoThoin

Homeplugs can suffer more from interference than wireless, they can have lag spikes you describe. They are very hit or miss. Run cat 5 if at all possible.

What you may need to do is put that Thomson in bridge mode and add a better router that does QOS. I highly recommend these Linksys (if you can survive without "n" wireless) and you can do lots more with them by flashing DD-WRT on them later.
http://lifehacker.com/178132/hack-attack-turn-your-60-router-into-a-600-router