My tips for reducing console lag and your responsiveness. Any comments. corrections or additions???

[HappyLittleChap]

Tips to avoid lag....

When playing online you want your overall latency (or ping) to be as low as possible. Network traffic is measured in milliseconds (ms). 1000ms equals 1 second. Whilst your can directly measure network lag there are other components which can also introduce lag into your gaming set-up, such as your monitor/TV and controller. Here are some tips to reduce overall lag. 

Home Network

- WiFi networks will increase lag especially if others in your household are using at the same time. Connect via a wired LAN connection to your router whenever possible. Power line adapters are a very good alternative to Wi-Fi (you can buy a pair off Amazon for £25).

- Ensure you are using good quality cables which are securely plugged into your equipment. Loose connections will cause issues. 

- If you do use Wi-Fi check you’re router has not chosen a channel simmer to your household neighbours. For example, if your WIFI is on channel 11 and so is your neighbours there will be interference which will cause lag. This applies more so to 2.4Ghz connections than 5Ghz. There are free apps to check this (I use Wi-Fi Radar on OSX)

- Usage, if you mum and sister are streaming when you are playing online you’ll be at a disadvantage. There is little you can do this unless you router supports Quality of Services (QOS) features, many modern routers do so including those from NetGEAR, D-Link etc. This will allow you to prioritise your console over other devices on your home network. Dedicated gaming routers are starting to emerge. Check out options from Netduma and Asus for more information.

- Lag can also be experienced if your console is downloading an update in the background. It’s alway best to suspend all downloads when playing online.

Broadband Connection

- Outright speed is less of an issue when playing online, very seldom will you see games using more than 1Mbs of bandwidth when playing. COD only uses 100Kbs so even on those on slow 2Mbs connections should not be disadvantaged.

- Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may be the issue if lag is an issue at certain times of the day. Some ISP’s packet shape (e.g. BT) and others do not (e.g Sky). Arguably packet shaping is a good thing as it means your ISP will prioritise gaming traffic at busy times of the day.

- Check line quality. Run a line quality check (use the dslreports.com) test suite. This will rate your connections quality. Buffer Bloat and Quality readings of below C indicate issues. You may need to contact your ISP for support if this is an issue. Your local country ping times should be sub 30ms.

- 3G/4G/Satellite connections will suffer from much higher lag than typical DSL / Fibre broadband connections. Use these connections whenever possible

- Router connection, it's alway best if your home router is plugged into your homes primary phone socket. Extension cables can be very poor and slow your connections speed and effect line quality. 

- Reboot your router. Many routers so become less responsive overtime so it's alway better to reboot them at least once per week. 

TV/Monitor

- TV and Monitors have a screen refresh time, the lower the better. Monitors should be sub 5/ms and 30m/s on TV’s is a good number to aim for. Check the following website for more information: http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/input-lag

- Regardless of your display refresh time you can improve it by either a) enabling it’s game mode or turning off any enhancement modes such as MPEG noise reduction, smoothing etc. Any modes enabled on your display will use require processing which will increase screen lag. Some TV’s can introduce 50-75ms lag in these modes.

Controller lag

- Controller lag is real. Most console controllers use bluetooth to send controller information. Other household items can interfere with your controller such as cordless phones, microwave ovens, etc. These operated on the same 2.4Ghz net work as older Wi-Fi technologies.Keep your controller away from such devices.

- Keep your controller close to your console as possible. The PS4 bluetooth antenna is notoriously weak. 

- Battery level. Low battery on controllers will increase the chance of controller lag. XBOX owners can use their USB connection instead of bluetooth. This is always the preferred option. PS4 owners do not have this option but can buy dedicated USB controllers such as the Hori Pro pad.

Gaming

- If game settings permit try top play other games from your continent. For example, European players playing US players will always be disadvantaged by a 150-250ms penalty.

- The NetDuma router offers a feature to ensure you either a) only allows connections to other gamers within a set distance, this addresses Europeans playing Americans in Destiny or connect to other gamers with a ping time below a set threshold, this will stop you playing against laggy players.

Caffeine

- Caffeine slows your brains perception of time down giving you more time to respond when playing game. Sounds crazy but try it for a mini matrix bullet time effect. Every little edge helps.

[Netduma Fraser]

Nice post! Some things in here people wouldn't think to consider

 

On a side note, where do I find out information about this netduma router you mentioned?

[Net-1]

agree all except caffeine.

 

Caffeine is the worst thing you can drug up on for competitive gaming. Caffeine increases adrenaline unnecessarily , over stimulates nerves, constricts blood vessels all getting you into a tense erratic aggressive irrational state when what you really want to be is lucid, relaxed and perceptive.

 

Google caffine spider web

 

And compare to the normal Web and know that the caffine spiderweb represents your game.

 

It's also a nasty drug that, like any other drug, will slowly take you over,. Cause you to need more and more for the same effect and eventually make you dependant and sick in body and mind. caffine is simply another big money drug that they want you hooked on.

 

Sorry.... lecture over.

[II N3MES1S II]

You guys should check Alpha Brain out and if you're a Joe Rogan fan he backs it up.