The latency of the internet connection in network and multiplayer games is of paramount importance.
Indeed, if your Internet connection is not stable or experiencing latency issues that cause the lag , you can lose games.
Quite simply because it causes a lag between the actions you perform and their display on the screen .
All gamers and gamers strive for low latency and the fastest possible internet connection speed.
This article offers you some tips to improve latency and internet connection for games .
Contents
- 1What is latency? What causes latency in games?
- 2How to improve internet connection speed and latency for games
- 1Check your internet connection
- 2Change to an Ethernet connection (cable)
- 3WiFI – Move the router closer if there is a WiFI connection
- 4WiFI – Switch to a 5 GHz connection
- 5Reduce the level of detail in graphics
- 6Switch from ADSL to fiber
- 3Links
- 4Find the solution on the help forum
WHAT IS THE LATENCY? WHAT CAUSES LATENCY IN GAMES?
Network latency is the time it takes for data to travel between its source and its destination. In games, the lower the latency, the better.
Establishing a TCP / IP connection
If you are playing with high latency, you could tell your character to move forward, but they won’t move for a few seconds. This is what causes the lag.
Good latency is a ping rate of less than 150 milliseconds . 20 ms is considered excellent.
Above 150 ms, it is considered that the latency is bad and that a delay between the actions and the screen may occur.
Like bandwidth, latency doesn’t just depend on your broadband connection. It is affected by your network hardware, the location and connection of the remote server, and the router.
When data packets travel from their source to their destination, it is usually not a direct route – they often pass through different points along the route.
The longer the route and the more stops they have to make, the longer the delay.
The distance between your router and your computer and your PC also increases the delay.
This is why when playing network games, choose a server that is as close as possible to your geographic location .
HOW TO IMPROVE INTERNET CONNECTION SPEED AND LATENCY FOR GAMES
CHECK YOUR INTERNET CONNECTION
There are many services like Speedtest, Speed Cloudflare, Fast.com to test your internet speed and latency.
In a few seconds it displays the incoming and outgoing flow and your ping.
The following link guides you to check your internet connection:
How to measure the speed and speed of your internet connection
If you think an installed program is affecting your latency, feel free to test in safe mode with network support .
Start Windows in Safe Mode
SWITCH TO AN ETHERNET CONNECTION (CABLE)
In most cases, Ethernet is by far the most reliable solution for gamers . This is because WiFi routers do something called “QoS”, or quality of service, in which traffic is shaped and prioritized based on how the router perceives its importance.
Using an Ethernet cable minimizes latency and interference as much as you can play over that distance.
In addition, WiFI routers can prioritize and optimize the internet connection through QOS (Quality of Service) .
Games are not necessarily in the lead compared to voice or video.
Thus in WiFi the latency may be less good.
If you can, it is advisable to switch to cable and an Ethernet connection when playing .
This is even more true if you have fiber because Ethernet cables (especially Cat-5 and above) are generally much faster than your WiFi connection.
Ethernet connection and protocol: how it works
Finally, it is also possible to optimize your Ethernet connection :
Optimize your Ethernet connection
WIFI – MOVE THE ROUTER CLOSER IF THERE IS A WIFI CONNECTION
Try to get as close as possible to your WiFi access point.
Walls, floors, furniture, and other objects are sources of interference and affect latency.
For example, place your console at a different angle. You can also reduce signal interference from other household devices such as wireless speakers, microwaves, and mobile chargers.
This can help the wireless signal travel a more direct route to your device.
WIFI – SWITCH TO A 5 GHZ CONNECTION
The 802.11ac WiFi standard operates at 5 GHz .
This provides better throughput and better latency.
If you play a lot and you have no other choice than WiFi then it is recommended to switch to 5 GHz.
To know the type of WiFi, follow this link:
How to find out the speed and type of Wifi connection on Windows
Switching to 5 GHz requires a WiFi card that supports it.
Your internet box or internet router must also support this standard.
More details :
Wi-fi: how to go from 2.4 GHz to 5GHz
REDUCE THE LEVEL OF DETAIL IN GRAPHICS
If the game demands too much from your system, it can cause latency increases.
This is because the system will be slow and the DPC latency of your WiFI or Ethernet card driver may increase.
To lower ping and latency , reduce the detail levels of your game’s graphics .
SWITCH FROM ADSL TO FIBER
Fiber and ADSL are totally different internet connection technologies.
Fiber has a higher speed than an ADSL internet connection.
In ADSL, the maximum is 20 mbp / s while in fiber we can reach 500 mpb / s and more.
But above all the fiber has a much lower latency .
Find out if your city is covered by fiber and if you are a heavy gamer, consider switching to fiber.
You will see a sharp drop in latency during your online games.
