There are different factors that are going to come into play when it comes to maintaining a good connection. Not only upload and download speed matters, but there is another essential element: latency. The ping or latency should be as low as possible to avoid certain problems. In this article, we are going to talk about why it is important and what to do if you see that it is very high when you connect via Wi-Fi . Especially when using wireless networks this problem may be more present.
What does a high ping mean
If you do a speed test and see that the latency is too high , that will cause certain problems. Ideally, in this case, it should be as close to zero as possible. When browsing Wi-Fi, it is normal that we have something more than if we connect by cable, but this should not be much and in case you notice that that ping exceeds 50 when you connect wirelessly, you can start to have certain problems.
If you are going to play online , having a low ping is very important. In fact, if your connection has a latency that is too high, you may not be able to access certain games, have continuous cuts or notice that the game does not work well. At the end of the day, it means that an action you take in that game is going to take a while to reach the other players and vice versa.
It is also important to have a good ping when making a video call . If it is too high, that video call will be constantly cut off and you will not be able to establish communication correctly. For example when using services like Skype, you will notice that they do not work well.
Therefore, as you can see, it is important to have a low ping. If you use Wi-Fi and see that the latency is too high, something is wrong. You should take certain measures to try to make it lower so that you can play correctly or make video calls without those annoying cuts that we discussed.
How to control high Wi-Fi ping.
So what can we do to control the ping when browsing Wi-Fi? We are going to give some tips that you can put into practice in a simple way. The objective is to ensure that the connection works as well as possible and that you do not have any type of cut or problem when you use an online service.
Improve coverage
If you browse Wi-Fi and see that the ping is very high, one of the reasons may be poor coverage. Try to improve the signal to ensure that it reaches the device you are going to use to surf the Internet as best as possible. If, for example, you are very far from the router, the coverage may be very limited.
To improve the signal you can make use of certain devices that are very useful for it. For example you can use PLC devices, Mesh systems or Wi-Fi amplifiers. All of them are going to come in handy so that the signal reaches from one place to another in the house and put an end to dead zones.
Another interesting option is to consider the possibility of changing the computer’s network card. If you see that the Wi-Fi adapter is not working well, that you are not receiving a correct signal, you can always buy a new one. There are both internal and external ones, which are the ones you connect to a USB port. They can have a better antenna and thus have a greater range.
Avoid programs that consume a lot
Maybe some application you are using is consuming a lot of bandwidth. That can lead to latency issues, especially if you’re connected over Wi-Fi and the connection you’re receiving isn’t very strong. For example, it can be a program to synchronize files in the cloud, a major update, downloads…
What you should do in this case is to avoid such programs. You should at least avoid it when you need the ping to be as low as possible, such as when playing online or if you are going to make a video call. Avoid software that may be affecting the Internet connection.
Keep your computer malware-free
Of course, another very important issue is keeping systems protected. If there is a virus, this may mean that there are problems with the connection or when using a certain program to surf the net, use social networks, etc. Therefore, you should maximize security.
What to do to keep computers protected? Something basic is to have a good antivirus . There are many options available, both free and paid. Windows Defender itself is a good solution for detecting malware, but you will find many more alternatives. Whichever you choose, make sure it works properly.
In order to improve security, it is also essential to keep everything up to date . Always install the latest versions and thus correct possible vulnerabilities that may exist. In the case of Windows you have to go to Start, enter Settings and go to Windows Update. Possible new versions will appear there.
Disconnect the VPN
If you are browsing through a VPN , this can cause the ping to be very high. It can especially happen if you connect via Wi-Fi, since in these cases the connection is also usually more limited and problems that affect performance are more frequent.
Therefore, our advice is to disconnect it. At least keep this in mind if you’re connected to a secure network and don’t need to encrypt the connection. You will see that it works better and the latency will also decrease. However, an alternative is to try a different VPN. Always avoid the ones that are free, as they usually do worse. Some options like ExpressVPN or NordVPN work very well.
Beware of programs that interfere
Beyond VPNs, other programs that can interfere are firewalls and even antiviruses . They could cause the connection to malfunction, leading to excessive pinging. It is another point that you should check if you see that the Wi-Fi latency is too high and you have problems with some programs.
Always download software from official sources, keep them up to date and make sure they are guaranteed. This will help avoid many problems, such as interfering with the connection and causing a very high latency.
In short, as you can see, having low latency is important to avoid problems when browsing the Internet. If you see that the ping is high when you connect via Wi-Fi, you can take these tips that we have mentioned to prevent this from happening and always improve the navigation.
