Latency, better known as “ping,” refers to how long it takes data to travel from your device to a server and back. To both gamers and streamers, the effect of high latency is usually lag and buffering, which is extremely frustrating. Whether you’re fighting enemies online in a video game or streaming your favorite series in 4K, latency reduction is important for a seamless and comfortable experience.
For homes with high demands in gaming or streaming, fibre internet is much more suitable due to its normally lower latency and higher speeds. With fibre, though, other factors will still affect your latency, so optimization of your setup will be in order.
Choose the Right Internet Plan
Ultimately, it’s up to your plan that decides on the latency factor. Of course, fibre is preferred, but not all parts of the world have access to that yet. If fibre is not available, look for a plan with lower latency and sufficient bandwidth.
Minimum recommended 25mbps download speed for gaming and streaming activities; higher speeds will be more desirable, though, especially in homes with more concurrent users and devices. It’s always worth checking to see if you have fibre internet available in your area.
Optimize Your Router Placement
The placement of your router plays a significant part in latency. Place it as centrally as possible, away from walls, big appliances, and other obstructions that can weaken the signal. Elevating it-for instance, placing it on a shelf-may also give better coverage.
For gaming or streaming, have your device as close to the router or hardwire it when possible. Place the router on the same level as your main gaming or streaming setup if your home has more than one level.
Use Wired Connection Where Possible
Convenience apart, a wired Ethernet connection will any day give much lesser latency compared to Wi-Fi. The reason is simple: Wired connections are more stable and faster to connect to your router, where there is a very low possibility of interference or signal drops.
If running cables isn’t feasible, try powerline adapters. They use the electrical wiring inside your home for transmitting data over the internet and may be the best middle ground between Wi-Fi and a straight Ethernet connection.
Prioritize Your Network Traffic
Many modern routers have settings known as Quality of Service that will let you give certain devices or applications priority on your traffic. You might want to do this with, say, your gaming console or streaming device; you want those things to have all the bandwidth they could need.
This can be especially useful if you happen to live in a house where several users compete for bandwidth on multiple devices. Look for QoS in your router settings and turn it on.
Keep Your Firmware and Software Up to Date
Outdated router firmware or device software can contribute to latency. Be sure to check regularly with your router, gaming console, or streaming device for updates. Performance updates, bug fixes, and sometimes security-related are the reasons it usually gets updated. Keep everything updated for the best possible experience.
Minimize Background Activity
Background applications and devices can consume bandwidth and increase latency. Before gaming or streaming, close any unneeded apps on your computer or console and pause downloads or updates. Also, remove any devices from your network that are not in active use. This allows freeing up bandwidth and lessening the burden on your router for lower latency.
Consider a Gaming VPN
While most VPNs add latency by their nature as middlemen, some gaming-aware VPNs actually reduce your ping because they can connect you to better-optimized servers. Such may be beneficial in case your ISP poorly routes your traffic. Test some gaming VPNs and learn from research whether they improve your latency.
Following these tips can greatly reduce latency and provide you with a better experience in both gaming and streaming. Whether on fibre internet or any other kind of connection, optimization will always ensure that the best is wrought out of the home network.
