You might not have heard about a router from Razer but you sure are going to now, with the exclusive launch of Razer Sila – Razer’s first step into the router industry. Razer has gradually captured a large market share when it comes to PC peripherals, and now it looks like that its new $250 gaming router is set to mark Razer’s entry into the networking world.
Even though people might tell you that a wired connection is always better than a Wireless one, while true, but there comes the problem of all that long ethernet cables coming in from one room to another and creating a whole lot of mess, where all you needed was one good equally efficient gaming router such as the Razer Sila.
This router from Razer is a Tri-Band AC3000 featuring one 2.4 GHz Band and two 5 GHz ones, which can reach speeds of 400 Mbps, 1,733 Mbps, and 866 Mbps respectively. To support these bands, the router houses a whopping number of nine antennas inside, thus saving up on some valuable space on the outside. How it adds to your gaming experience is the real question here. It simply does by utilizing its smart software-management tools.
Courtesy the Razer’s FasTrack engine bandwidth can be easily prioritized to those devices which require it the most. For instance, you are gaming on your console, and your family members are streaming 4k videos on their devices, surely you are going to experience much gaming lag. But, what if you could dedicate sufficient bandwidth to your console only using the “Gaming Mode” so that you can enjoy a smooth gaming experience. What’s more is that you don’t need to do it yourself either since the Quality of Service Tool can do it itself for you, by identifying the connected consoles. According to Razer, the router will learn itself about those applications which are essentially games and set their bandwidth automatically.
The Sila also makes use of the “Multi-Channel ZeroWait DFS” technology which is only found on newer laptop models. This makes sure that when a certain Wi-Fi band around your area is hogged up, it will switch to a Wi-Fi band which is the least used. This is important especially for those people who live in an apartment where there are many Wireless connections already. Using the router you can also tap into the non-public Wi-Fi bands if available.
The Razer Sila also employs QoS and dynamic frequency selection to provide a smooth internet experience. Even though it is certainly a good feature to have but many other routers have employed this already.
The best part about the Razer Sila? It is that you can also use the router as a part of the mesh networking system if you want. This can be especially integral when you have a large home in which Wi-Fi dead zones can become a problem. Thus, using it as a mesh-networking system can solve that problem. With the help of just two Razer Silas, you can easily cover an area of up to 6,000 Square Feet. Though, two Silas would cost you $500 which is considered expensive when there are other cheaper mesh networking systems around. But, certainly, if you want something for gaming, then this is your best bet.
The reason being that in a mesh networking system, one of the 5 GHz bands, acts a backhaul, which for the non-tech savvy is a term for a connection between the mesh routers itself, while the other 5 GHz band is integral for communication with client devices, thus ensuring speeds of up to 866 Mbps.
In case you would want to tweak the router’s settings a bit, then you can only do so using the router’s mobile app. As for the Razer logo on the top of the router, we surely would have loved it to be RGB enabled like on Razer’s other devices, but sadly it isn’t. Though you can still adjust the intensity of the green light the router emits using the mobile app.
As for the ports, the router houses 3 LAN Ports along with two USB ports as well to please all who prefer a Wired Connection over a Wireless one.
Considering the plethora of features the Razer Silas boasts, especially for the hard-core gamers out there, it goes without saying that this router for $250, might be the best option for those who are looking for a new gaming router. Although, when it comes to mesh-networking there are cheaper alternatives like the Netgear Orbi for $330, for gaming purposes, it might still come off as a better option even though seeming to be a tad bit expensive.