Experiencing frustrating delays while gaming online? A high ping could be the culprit. Let’s break down what ping is and, more importantly, how to lower it for smoother online gaming sessions.
Understanding Ping: The Key to Responsiveness
Many believe a fast internet connection for gaming relies solely on download and upload speeds. However, ping, also known as latency, plays a crucial role in responsiveness. Ping is essentially the reaction time of your internet connection. A ping of 98ms (milliseconds), for example, means it takes 98 milliseconds for your computer to respond to a request from another computer. For online gamers, a lower ping is always better.
In many online games, you can view your ping alongside other players’ or server pings. If your ping is consistently high, around 150ms or more, you’ll likely encounter noticeable lag and gameplay disruptions. While ping doesn’t directly impact game performance, a high ping becomes very apparent when timing and precision are essential. This is why a low ping is vital, especially in fast-paced games like first-person shooters or racing games, where your position and reaction time are paramount.
Measuring Your Ping Speed
You can easily test your internet connection’s latency using online speed tests like Speedmeter.de. Generally, a ping below 20ms is considered excellent. Anything above 150ms, however, could lead to a perceptible delay in your online games. Even with a high-end gaming PC, a slow ping can put you at a disadvantage against other online players, as your actions will take longer to register in the game world.
Effective Ways to Reduce Ping
There’s no single magic bullet for reducing ping, but rather a range of potential solutions. It often involves some trial and error to find what works best for you.
The first and simplest step is to close any unnecessary programs and browser windows on your computer. Ensure no background downloads are running, as these can significantly impact your ping. Another common issue arises when other devices in your household are heavily using the internet bandwidth. Activities like streaming Netflix in 4K or downloading large files by other users can increase your ping. The more devices actively using your internet connection, the higher your ping is likely to be.
If your ping remains high, try moving your laptop or gaming PC closer to your Wi-Fi router. Even better, establish a direct connection to your router using an Ethernet cable, such as the Ugreen CAT7 Ethernet Cable. Alternatively, consider using powerline adapters like the TP-Link AV2000 2-Port Gigabit Passthrough Powerline. These wired connections bypass potential Wi-Fi interference and weak signal strength issues that can contribute to latency problems.
It’s also worthwhile to inspect the cables connecting your router to the wall socket. Make sure they are securely plugged in. Loose cable connections can sometimes develop over time and degrade your connection quality.
If these steps don’t yield improvement, a simple router restart can often help. Specifically, unplug the power cable from your router and wait for about a minute before plugging it back in. If you have a separate modem and router, ensure you power cycle both devices, not just the router.
If the problem persists, upgrading your router might be the next logical step. If you’re using the standard router provided by your internet service provider (ISP), it might not be delivering optimal performance. Investing in a higher-quality router, such as the Asus RT-AC88U or Linksys WRT32X, or the Fritzbox 7590 (around 200 EUR), can potentially boost your connection speed and improve Wi-Fi coverage, indirectly helping to lower ping.
After trying all these troubleshooting steps and still experiencing high ping, the final recourse is to contact your internet service provider. ISPs can typically diagnose and resolve potential issues remotely, potentially improving your connection speed and latency.
If no faults are found with your connection, you might consider switching to a different internet provider. Or, in a more drastic scenario, moving to a location with better internet infrastructure could be an option…
This article is adapted from a post originally published by our English-language colleagues at techadvisor.co.uk.
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