You may be concerned about how your internet speeds will be affected if you have an old router with a slow router CPU.
This is especially relevant if you have a fast internet connection from your ISP. It’s not worth paying for a fast internet connection if your router can’t keep up with it.
In this article, we’ll discuss whether your router’s CPU can affect your internet speeds.
Here’s Whether The Router CPU Affects The Internet Speeds:
Router CPUs can affect the internet speeds of a router. Slow router CPUs can cause slow internet speeds and high latencies. Therefore, fast internet connections and demanding router functions like VPN, NAT, and firewall require fast enough router CPUs.
Why Does Your Router Have A CPU?
Routers, like computers, require a CPU for processing. They have their own OS/firmware, and the router CPU is the one that executes them.
Routing protocols, data encryption, VPN, NAT, firewall, and many other router functions also need the CPU for processing.
Does The Router CPU Affect Your Internet Speeds?
A slow router CPU can bottleneck your internet speeds. This slowdown is more likely to happen if you have a fast internet connection and enable many router functions like NAT, VPN, and firewall.
An average router CPU can handle regular internet speeds without slowing down. However, when you enable additional router features, it will require more CPU processing and can cause slow internet speeds.
Does The Router CPU Affect Latency?
Latency is the delay your experience when you connect to various internet services. Your router’s CPU can affect your internet latency.
Slow router CPUs can cause higher latencies due to longer buffer times. They can also cause packet drops because of their limited processing power. Such packet drops initiate retransmissions that add more latency to your internet connection.
However, most router CPUs can handle regular internet speeds without adding too much latency.
When Do You Need A Router With A Fast CPU?
There are a few situations where you want a router with a fast CPU.
If you have a fast internet connection from your ISP, you need a router with a fast CPU. Usually, 1 Gbit/s or faster internet connections benefit from fast router CPUs.
Also, when you use many router functions like VPN, NAT, and firewall, you need a router with a fast enough CPU.
When many users share the same router, it can overload a slow router CPU. So you need a router with a fast CPU if you share your router with many other users.
You’ll also need a router with a fast CPU to get the minimal latency required for online gaming.
Final Thoughts
Slow router CPUs can reduce your internet speeds and increase your latency.
So you’ll need a router with a fast CPU if you have a fast internet connection from your ISP.
Using additional router features can also increase the load on your router’s CPU. So when you use many router features like VPN, NAT, and firewall, you’ll need a router with a fast enough CPU.
However, most routers can handle average internet speeds without slowing down or adding too much latency.