How to Reduce Lag While Playing Online Games

Wed, Feb 9, 2022 11:18 PM Broadband Deals

Imagine yourself in a gaming situation, you already aimed at an excellent headshot and pulled off the trigger at the appropriate time. Then three seconds later, is when you see your gunfire.

I’m sure this kind of scenario makes you wince, it is so disgusting, to say the least. But of course, several ardent online gamers usually have a similar feeling merely because of lags.

Lags during playing games can be a disruption. In fact, in some instances, they can determine the difference in ranking high and last on the scoreboard.

Most definitely, online gaming is entirely dependent on the active Internet connection. Therefore, any particular element that affects or interferes with this connection substantially contributes to lags.

The good news, however, is that as an online gamer, you can use several ways to ensure that you minimize lags and also maintain a stable gaming experience.

How to Improve Internet Connection for Gaming?

Let’s explore some of these tips here and see how essential they can be in reducing delay during online gaming:

Use a router specifically for gaming

Ordinarily, for the best gaming experience, you need to make sure that you acquire an ideal router that is engineered for online gaming purposes

You’ll realize that most of the ideal gaming routers have excellent features that enhance the overall gaming experience.

One of the outstanding features that you’ll get from the gaming routers is QoS, which enables you to prioritize the volume of Internet traffic on your console for high-quality gaming.

So that when you use it, you’ll be able to channel more Internet bandwidth to your gaming console hence making it possible for it to use sufficient network and ultimately enhancing lag-free gaming

Put the Wi-Fi router within the ideal range

The router primarily supplies wireless signals for efficiency during gaming. And the exciting bit is that you’ll realize that some gaming consoles tend to be picky about these signals, specifically if there is a wall in between.

Sometimes your Internet signals may appear strong even from a distance, but still, it can have a considerable impact on connection speed if your console is far away from the Access point.

To enhance efficiency and have a lag-free gaming experience, ensure that the console is placed close to the router. The router should be put in a central Access Point to prevent cases of weak signals spots in the house.

Nonetheless, you may realize that despite the central and closer positioning of the router and the console, you still experience lag while playing.

In such a case, attempt to change your gaming position. You can as well modify its placement by placing it horizontally or even vertically, as long as it works perfectly.

Moreover, you can also check the router’s antenna and adjust them accordingly depending on the specific Access point.

This is fundamental in boosting the signals to enable the device to connect to the network even if it is positioned relatively far away from where you’re gaming.

Configure other programs to use less bandwidth

Your gaming PC and console could be having several applications that might be using Internet bandwidth without your knowledge.

Programs such as security scans, chat messenger, and application updates among others can subdue the bandwidth hence increasing lag during gaming.

Understandably, you’ll realize that some of these programs need user permission to gain access. However, the rest could be running in the background necessarily without your approval.

In this case, it is pretty simple, just broach the task manager so that you’ll be able to see all the active programs or applications then cancel those that you feel are unnecessary.

This will undoubtedly allow for additional bandwidth suitable for gaming.

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How to Reduce Lag While Playing Online Games

Check your Internet connection speeds

You must ensure that your Internet connection is of an ideal speed that would support seamless gaming.

Necessarily, an Internet speed of about 15-20Mbps minimum would be sufficient for an average gamer.

But you also need to take note of the fact that in many homes nowadays, you’ll find several devices that use the Internet are connected to the bandwidth concurrently.

So when you stream movies online, browse, and even work from home, the bandwidth will be strained by all these devices hence making gaming ineffective and full of lag.

For that reason, it would be appropriate to go for a higher Internet speed of anything above 20Mbps. It is what will enable you to have lag-free gaming even when all other Internet-related devices are also connected.

Besides that, you have to check the network latency. It is simply the element of how speedy the data packets move through the Internet.

It is determined by the duration it takes for your gaming console to communicate with the gaming console.

Network latency is thus one of the many aspects that eventually leads to the high volume of lag since the many connections naturally suppress the Internet’s feasibility level.

So you got to ensure that you reduce the latency levels as much as possible to enhance your online gaming since the data packets will always move faster.

And that is why it would also be vital to get a router that is specially designed for online gaming.

Secure your wireless network always

The truth of the matter is that when you leave your wireless Internet connection without protection, you’ll be subjecting it to a security breach.

Furthermore, your neighbors and other strangers within the vicinity will always find a doorway to enjoy your connection, in fact, free of charge.

In most cases, the routine use poses no harm but the moment they start downloading items, your broadband speed drowns and compromising the gaming speeds.

The ideal way of protecting your wireless network from freeloaders is by making sure that your password is strong and you also encrypt your network signals.

Related: Tips To Help Improve Your Online Gaming Experience

Improve your line of connectivity

If your connection is not necessarily on a fibered network, it is vital that you carry out some elements that would enhance your connectivity.

Ordinarily, you may consider replacing your router immediately especially if its functionality is somewhat weak and has a conventional appearance.

You may also decide to monitor the ADSL light on your modem carefully. If you realize that the light keeps on blinking every time, it implies that the ADSL line configuration is unstable hence the need for fixing it.

Another approach to improving your connectivity is by reducing interference that would most likely emanate from sources such as wireless speakers, microwave ovens, and mobile chargers among others. Just make sure that move your modem away from these elements.

And finally, to eliminate the unnecessary noise on the phone line, you can as well use micro-filters on that particular line from the wall jack to your phone or even modem.

Everyone would wish to have the fastest Internet connection for online gaming. However, not 100% of our problems are caused by Internet connection speeds themselves.

This day to have 50-100 Mbps connection speeds is very easy, plus with fact, average online games require an Internet speed of 20 MBps.

And since your home network is the one that transmits the Internet speeds from your ISP, it is necessary to check your network settings, whether it is the hardware or the configuration.

Make sure there is no bottleneck in your home network that can reduce the Internet speeds quality by checking your modem or router. Best if you use a router that has designed to support gaming.

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