Internet and Gaming

Download/Upload Speeds

First lets look at internet speed, like everything people make something look better than it really is. When they say you are getting a 20 meg download what it really mean is:

1. Your download speed is 20,000 KBs or 2,500 Kbs, or since there are 8 bytes in a Bit it will take 8 seconds to download a 20 Mb file.

2. The 20,000 KBs is only guaranteed in your local network or the city you are in. That means you can download at 20 Mb from a neighbor with the same provider but the problem is that his upload speed is more than likely 1 to 5 Mb so that is the best you will do. When you go outside the local network the speed is not guaranteed.

3. They tell you the faster the download the better you will game. Again false under most conditions. Most games only need 128KB up and 128KB down. In a server with more than 20 players this can go to 256 KB. The only time have a speed of let say 12 MB verse 2 MB is when there are other people using the same internet connection. Also keep in mind the game uses about the same UP as DOWN transfer rates so having 20MB down and only 1MB up, the high download is not going to help.

Ping

Ping is also another area that is greatly misunderstood. I hear people say my ping is 90 and the other guys is 45, that is why he is doing better. Or I love the advertisement by Qwest when they say high download speeds give you better ping for gaming, both of which are false.

First, the average reaction time is around 400-500ms. With this in mind if your ping is 150ms and it is because of distance then you are going to play as well as if your ping is 50ms. The time that it would come into play is if your ping is usually 120ms and today it is 230ms because of a problem with a HOP, then that higher ping will affect you, but it is not the ping but the HOP issue that is causing the issue. To see this better, download this file and test your reaction time:

http://www.blackbartsdowloads.com/reaction/reactionsetup.exe

As for the higher download speed giving you a better ping, this is so false. Ping is the time it takes to travel through all the HOPs from point A to point B and back. Higher download speeds are not going to change this. The only what a higher download speed is going to help is if someone else is using the same net connection and downloading files. As they get closer to the download limit your ping will go higher and higher, so if they are downloading at 4 MBs and your line is 20 MBs then your ping may not go up, but it will NEVER get better that a static ping.

Your Computer

Your computer can contribute to gaming issues related to ping and speeds, not looking at the Memory, CPU and graphics cards which affect the game but strictly the net card. The quality of your net card and whether it using the Systems CPU or not can contribute to ping and speeds. Though a net card may give you high speeds, does it have a high latency or possibly get bogged down when there are more than 15 players on the server.

Modems/Routers

This next area can also affect gaming tremendously. The quality of both the modem and/or router can make you run smooth or give you some lag in the game.

Some of the cheaper modems tend to get hot and this can slow down speeds and increase latency. I had a Takean modem that go very hot to the touch and would create lag until I put a fan on it. These are things you need to look at if you play well for a while then lag gets progressively worse.

Routers are also an issue and though many say GAMING on them, they were really not meant for the intensity of the newer games. Things you can do to make things better are:

1. Get good name brand modems

2. Update firmware if you have any issues

3. Most importantly, port forward the port your game uses to the computer you play on. I more than one person plays, select another port for their game to use then port forward that port to them. For example Medal of Honor Allied Assault uses port 12203 UDP. You would port forward that port to your computer. If another person plays set port 12205 then their computer and tell their game to use 12205.

You can learn how to port forward your router with the manual or at www.portfoward.com