ps4 download vs upload speed Download/upload slow (network) speed PS4. Due to several complaints which came from our readers regarding slow download/upload Internet speed on PS4 we decided to discuss in this article on this topic taking in consideration this is a very common issue. Network speed problems using PS4 can be download and/or upload related. Most common network speed issues when using a PlayStation4 device are upload problems. Specifically, most problem are when we have low upload , users complain they have up to 1 Mbps upload speed no matter they use a wired or connection. Other users which have over 100 Mbps subscriptions complain upload speeds are up to 5-6 Mbps. Download/upload slow Internet (network) speed PS4. Being a very common issue, according to the user comments from Playstation Community, an Internet service provider employee made several tests in the same environment using different devices. The only device which had network speed related problems was PS4. In that particular situation PS4 reps pointed the problem is on the service provider’s side although tests clearly indicated a PS4 problem. In case we encounter network related speed issues using a PlayStation4 console, we can try as follows: change MTU packets size; MTU packets (Maximum Transmission Unit) represents the maximum size of a PDU (Protocol Data Unit) which can be used during one single transaction at network level; some users managed to solve bandwidth problems by changing MTU size according to the MTU used by the service provider; therefore, we should contact our ISP to send us the MTU size we should configure on customer end on the PS4; change DNS servers; even if receive IP settings automatically (DHCP), we can configure manually DNS servers; some users managed to solve the Internet speed related problems by changing DNS servers (for example, using Google DNS servers) instead of using the service provider DNS servers; use a proxy app, for example CCProxy; We need to open CCProxy on our computer – Options – obtain the IP and port – on PS4 we configure the network related settings and when we have the Proxy option we use the IP address and port obtained with CCProxy; Download/upload slow Internet (network) speed PS4. Network speed related issues (download and upload) on PS4 seem to be caused by low network implementation regarding PS4 device, although Playstation doesn’t seem to take ownership of these problems. What is your network speed using PS4? Did you have network speed related issues until this moment using PS4? Upload vs. download speed: What’s the difference? Not sure what the difference is between upload and download speeds? We break it down for you and help you figure out what speed may be right for your home. At Allconnect, we work to present quality information with editorial integrity. While this post may contain offers from our partners, our opinions are our own. Here’s how we make money. You thought you got the fastest internet speed on the market when suddenly, you go to upload a video to and your internet slows to a crawl. Enter the spinning wheel of doom. You’ve just encountered the wrath of slow internet upload speeds. How internet speed works. Internet speeds are measured by how much data your internet connection can transfer per second, which is megabits of data per second (Mbps). The internet speeds you see in Mbps measure the rate at which a provider delivers internet data to and from your home (commonly referred to as download speed). Data also goes in two directions — you download and upload information from the internet, so each internet connection will have download speeds and upload speeds. What is download speed? Download speed refers to how many megabits of data per second it takes to download data from a server in the form of images, videos, text, files and audio. Activities such as listening to music on Spotify, downloading large files or streaming videos on all require you to download data. What is a good download speed? In general, speeds of at least 25 Mbps are considered good download speeds since they meet the minimum broadband threshold set by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Keep in mind though that the number of devices, internet users and their online activities in your home can change what’s considered a good download speed for your household. What is upload speed? Upload speed refers to how many megabits of data per second you can send information from your computer to another device or server on the internet. While downloading information is more common, some online activities need data to travel in the opposite direction. Sending emails, playing live tournament-style video games and video calling on Zoom require fast upload speeds for you to send data to someone else’s server. What is a good upload speed? In general, upload speeds of 3 Mbps are considered good because they meet the FCC’s minimum standard. If you or anyone in your household regularly uploads videos to YouTube or works from home, though, you may need a plan with higher upload speeds. What is internet bandwidth? Bandwidth is kind of like a highway — the more lanes you have, the more room you give to traveling cars, which lets cars go faster and allows a higher volume of cars through to their destination. Mbps is a good indicator of how much bandwidth your home Wi-Fi connection has. The more internet bandwidth you have, the higher your volume of data that can be downloaded at a reasonable pace. And you can increase the speed at which the data travels because more of it can flow. So what kind of bandwidth do you need? When you consider what internet speeds you need for various activities, you should take into account both download and upload speeds. Depending on what your favorite online activities are, one may be more important than the other. Download speed vs. upload speed. Many internet providers offer internet plans with faster download speeds than upload. For instance, AT&T download and upload internet speeds can have as much as an 400 Mbps difference between upload vs. download speed. Who has the fastest internet upload and download speeds. The internet speed you need depends heavily on your online activities and how many internet users you have at home. As you think about what activities you use the internet for at home, you may decide that having fast upload speeds is more important than download speeds. You may find that you don’t really need fast upload speeds and just want fast download speeds that can handle streaming on multiple devices. Provider internet download and upload speeds. Provider Download speed up to Upload speed up to AT&T DSL 25 Mbps 2-5 Mbps AT&T DSL 75 Mbps 20 Mbps AT&T DSL 100 Mbps 20 Mbps AT&T DSL 500 Mbps 100 Mbps AT&T Fiber 50 Mbps 50 Mbps AT&T Fiber 100 Mbps 100 Mbps AT&T Fiber 300 Mbps 300 Mbps AT&T Fiber 940 Mbps 880 Mbps Cox 25 Mbps 3 Mbps Cox 150 Mbps 10 Mbps Cox 500 Mbps 10 Mbps Cox 940 Mbps 35 Mbps Spectrum 200 Mbps 10 Mbps Spectrum 400 Mbps 20 Mbps Spectrum 940 Mbps 35 Mbps Verizon Fios 200 Mbps 200 Mbps Verizon Fios 300 Mbps 300 Mbps Verizon Fios 940 Mbps 880 Mbps 25 Mbps 3 Mbps Xfinity 100 Mbps 5 Mbps Xfinity 200 Mbps 5 Mbps Xfinity 1,000 Mbps 35 Mbps. Pricing per month plus taxes for length of contract. Additional fees and terms may apply. Pricing varies by location and availability. All prices subject to change at any time. May or may not be available based on service address. Speeds may vary. As of 04/26/21. Why internet upload speeds are slow and download speeds are fast. Most providers focus on download speed vs. upload speed because the majority of online activities need more download bandwidth than upload bandwidth. As you’ll see below, most common online activities rely heavily on fast download speeds. Since other activities that call for uploading data still require information to travel in both directions, the average person consistently needs higher download speeds than upload. However, fiber internet connections are a unique exception. Fiber internet providers frequently offer upload internet speeds that mirror download speeds. Upload vs. download: When download speeds matter. The following common activities rely more on download speeds: Watching a Netflix movie or show Shopping online Scrolling through Viewing YouTube videos Reading online articles Streaming music services. Upload vs. download: When upload speeds matter. Some activities do require a bit of upload bandwidth, though. Without adequate bandwidth, some of the following activities could result in slowed internet speeds or buffering: Video calls or conferences Live tournament-style gaming Sending emails with large attachments Backing up data to online or cloud storage services Uploading videos to social media Working on live, cloud-hosted documents like Google Sheets or Docs. How to check your internet speed. You can find out what your internet upload speed is and measure your download speed by using a internet speed test. A speed test will measure both upload and download rates. We recommend testing internet speeds in multiple parts of your home to check consistency and see if you need to boost your Wi-Fi connection at home. Your speed test results: Need more for the price? Try these helpful hacks to improve your internet speed. Or if you just want more bang for your buck, check out providers near you with more speed for the price. Either way, we’ll help you find what you need. Rather chat? Give us a call: (844) 451-2720. Pro Tip: For best results, use an cord to connect your router or modem directly to your device before you run the test. No matter what your results are, it’s important to note that most people do not experience maximum speeds at home. This can be attributed to the number of other people on the network who use up bandwidth, how Wi-Fi signals weaken through a home and many other factors that can slow internet speeds. Senior Writer, Broadband Content. Joe oversees all things broadband for Allconnect. His work has been referenced by Yahoo!, Lifehacker and more. He has utilized thousands of data points to build a library of metrics to help users navigate these … Read more. Editor, Broadband Content. What to read next. Latest. Tuesday, August 10, 2021. Joe Supan — 9 min read. Tuesday, August 10, 2021. Robin Layton — 1 min read. Monday, August 9, 2021. Ari Howard — 2 min read. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for internet news and promos. 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See your Order Confirmation email and att.com/legal/att-tv.html for more details. AT&T Internet: Subj. to Internet Terms of Service at att.com/internet-terms. Offers may not be combined with certain other promotional offers on the same services and may be modified or discontinued at any time without notice. Other conditions apply to all offers. ©2020 AT&T Intellectual Property. AT&T and the Globe logo are registered trademarks and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. Internet speed classifications: What’s fast, what’s slow and what’s a good internet speed? Not sure how to tell if you’ve got a good internet speed? Here’s how to find out if you have the right plan for your needs. At Allconnect, we work to present quality information with editorial integrity. While this post may contain offers from our partners, our opinions are our own. Here’s how we make money. Next to price, internet speed is one of the main decision drivers when shopping for internet plans or evaluating your current internet service. But, unlike price – where you can easily look at the monthly cost and say “that fits my budget” or “that’s a new car payment” – internet speeds can be a bit trickier to gauge. Is 100 Mbps “fast” internet? Is 10 Mbps “slow”? What internet speeds do I get? These are all questions many of us ask, so we’ve created this simple guide to explain them. Let’s look at how internet speed is measured, what is considered fast internet, what may be slow internet and other factors to help you answer the question: What is a good internet speed? Pro Tip: Check out our high speed internet guide if you know you want the fastest speeds possible! On this page: How is internet speed measured? Internet speed is determined by how much data the connection can download (download speeds) or upload (upload speeds) per second. In both cases, the speed is shown as bits per second (bps). Since an internet connection transfers thousands of bits per second, we use the prefixes k, M and G to show how many thousands of bits we’re talking about. If you’re familiar with the metric system, you know “k” = 1,000, “M” = 1,000k (1,000,000) and “G” = 1,000M (1,000,000,000). When researching internet speeds, you’ll likely see Mbps more than kbps or Gbps. That’s because Mbps speeds are better suited to what we use the internet for. When are download speeds important? For most households, having fast download speeds is most important. That’s what we use for common activities such as streaming TV, downloading music and browsing social media. When are upload speeds important? Upload speeds come into play with things like video conferencing and uploading large files to a server or cloud. Check out this blog for more information about download vs. upload internet speeds. Speeds that fall into the kbps range are generally what we’d call “slow” internet and Gbps speeds, which are less prevalent but becoming more common, are in the ultra-fast range. Think of “broadband” as the national internet speed limit. Per the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), a broadband internet connection has a minimum download speed of 25 Mbps and a minimum upload speed of 3 Mbps. This gives us a baseline for determining fast and slow internet speeds. Speeds much faster than a standard broadband connection are generally considered “fast” internet. While all speeds below that threshold aren’t necessarily slow, they are too slow to be considered broadband internet. Keep in mind there are many things that can affect actual internet speeds and performance. Adding connected devices and using the internet for demanding tasks such as streaming in 4K or downloading an HD movie can hinder performance and make even “fast” speeds seem slow. What is a good internet speed? A good internet speed is at or above 25 Mbps. These speeds will support most online activity, such as HD streaming, online gaming, web browsing and downloading music. Fast internet speeds, those in the 100+ Mbps range, are often better, especially if you want your internet plan to support multiple devices and users at once. What is considered fast internet? Internet download speeds of 100 Mbps or higher are often considered fast internet because they can handle multiple online activities for multiple users at once without major interruptions in service. If you need a little help determining the best internet speeds for your needs, we’ve got you covered. Common fast internet speed tiers include: 100 Mbps 200 Mbps 250 Mbps 300 Mbps. 400 Mbps 500 Mbps 1,000 Mbps 2,000 Mbps. Cable internet and fiber-optic internet services are your best bets for fast internet speeds. Fiber-optic internet is also a great choice for speed consistency, as it is less vulnerable than cable to slower speeds during peak usage times. Popular cable or fiber-optic internet providers include AT&T, CenturyLink, Cox, Frontier FiberOptic, , Spectrum, Suddenlink, Verizon Fios, Xfinity and Windstream. Many of these providers offer speeds up to 940-1,000 Mbps in select areas, but Xfinity is currently the only provider with speeds up to 2,000 Mbps. What are fast internet upload speeds? Upload speeds of 10 Mbps or higher are generally considered fast internet speeds for upload because they can easily handle the common activities of the average user. For example, Skype recommends upload speeds of 1.2 Mbps or higher for HD video calling. Uploading a large file, like 700MB file document, should take less than 10 minutes with a 10 Mbps upload connection. What is considered slow internet? Download speeds less than 25 Mbps are too slow to be considered broadband. With these speeds, users may experience buffering when streaming video, difficulty connecting multiple devices and other internet connectivity issues. When connecting multiple devices, streaming in HD or using a Wi-Fi connection, speed tiers that could be considered slow include: Anything less than 1 Mbps 3 Mbps 5 Mbps. 10 Mbps 15 Mbps 18 Mbps. The FCC does recommend speeds less than 25 Mbps for many online activities, including streaming SD and HD video, gaming online and downloading music. However, these are minimum speed recommendations and do not account for connecting multiple devices or other factors that may slow your internet speeds. What types of internet connections are more likely to be slower? Dial-up. Regardless of the internet activity, dial-up is considered slow internet because it can only offer speeds up to 56 kbps. These speeds aren’t capable of much more than checking email and will not support streaming, online gaming, Wi-Fi or even uploading a single webpage in a reasonable amount of time. DSL is the most common internet service type with speeds lower than 25 Mbps. Some cable internet services offer slow speeds as a low-cost internet option but are often capable of providing much higher speeds for a higher monthly cost. Fixed wireless. Fixed wireless is a popular internet solution in rural areas. It uses broadcast towers to transmit and receive internet signals. Depending on provider and location, speeds can vary between 3-100 Mbps, but tend to be on the slower end. Think your internet is slow? Take a speed test. An internet speed test will give you a good idea of whether or not you have the necessary speeds for your household. For best results, take the speed test with a wired connection. If you get speeds below 25 Mbps, you may have a slow internet connection that can’t keep up with all your online activity. Your speed test results: Need more for the price? Try these helpful hacks to improve your internet speed. Or if you just want more bang for your buck, check out providers near you with more speed for the price. Either way, we’ll help you find what you need. Rather chat? Give us a call: (844) 451-2720. Pro Tip: For best results, use an Ethernet cord to connect your router or modem directly to your device before you run the test. If you have slow internet, there may be other internet providers in your area that offer faster speeds. Or, your current internet provider may offer plans with higher speeds. Shop around to find a faster internet speed if your current provider and plan doesn’t offer the speeds you need. How much of a difference does a good internet speed make? Small speed increments, such as 15 to 25 Mbps, likely won’t result in a noticeable difference in performance, but larger jumps, say 10 to 100 Mbps, can give you a totally different experience. To give you an idea of how much speed can play a role in downloading and uploading, we’ve listed the estimated time it would take to download a two-hour HD movie and upload a 10-minute video with various speeds below. How long does it take to download a movie? File sizes for things like music, movies and pictures vary, but a movie can range from 1 to 7GBs depending on the length and picture quality. Here’s how long it would take in hours:minutes:seconds to download a 4GB file at various speeds. 1 Mbps 10 Mbps 25 Mbps 50 Mbps 100 Mbps 200 Mbps 400 Mbps 1,000 Mbps 9:32:39 0:57:15 0:22:54 0:11:27 0:05:43 0:02:51 0:01:25 0:00:34. How long does it take to upload a short video? Video files vary in size, but let’s say you have a 500 MB clip, which could amount to 10 minutes or more in standard definition. Here’s an estimate of how long it would take to upload it with various upload speeds. Keep in mind, upload speeds from internet providers are often significantly lower than download speeds. Some fiber-optic providers, however, do offer upload speeds comparable to their advertised download speeds. 1 Mbps 3 Mbps 5 Mbps 10 Mbps 30 Mbps 50 Mbps 100 Mbps 500 Mbps 1:09:54 0:23:18 0:13:58 0:06:59 0:02:19 0:01:23 0:00:41 0:00:08. These download and upload times are estimates, based on a constant speed. As mentioned above, there are many factors, such as the number of connected devices and types of internet activities performed, that can affect internet speeds and the time it takes to perform a given task. Shop internet providers, plans and speeds in your area with our internet experts. We’ll help you find and compare plans with good internet speeds for your home and unique needs. Senior Writer, Broadband Content. David joined the Allconnect team in 2017, specializing in broadband and TV content. His work has been referenced by a variety of sources, including ArcGIS, DIRECTV and more. As a Senior Writer, David is motivate… Read more. Editor, Head of Content. What to read next. Latest. Tuesday, August 10, 2021. Joe Supan — 9 min read. Tuesday, August 10, 2021. Robin Layton — 1 min read. Monday, August 9, 2021. Ari Howard — 2 min read. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for internet news and promos. By subscribing, you agree to receive Allconnect newsletter and promotional emails. Your privacy is important to us. Thanks for subscribing! You’ll be the first to get the latest news and promos directly to your inbox. Internet and TV. Internet in my area Cheap internet TV providers TV/Internet bundles Fiber Internet Cable Internet Satellite Internet DSL Internet 5G Internet. About Us Our Editorial Policy Our Methodology Our Providers Partner With Us Company IP Statement new Privacy Policy Cookie Settings Do Not Sell My Info Terms of Use. Resource Center Contact us Home Security. Search internet providers by state. Connect with us: Thanks for signing up. Check your inbox and stay tuned for deals, news and more. Want to stay connected with the latest deals? AT&T TV is now available to bundle with AT&T Internet. Get $300 in AT&T Visa® Reward Cards when you bundle AT&T Internet & AT&T TV. EARLY TERMINATION FEE OF $15/MO. FOR EACH MONTH REMAINING ON AGMT., $19.95 ACTIVATION FEE, EQUIP NON- RETURN & ADD’L FEES APPLY. New approved residential customers only. Excludes DIRECTV and U-verse TV customers. AT&T TV: AT&T TV requires high speed internet. Recommend minimum 25 Mbps for optimal viewing (min 8 Mbps per stream). Limit 3 concurrent AT&T streams. Geographic and service restrictions apply to AT&T Internet services. Not all speeds available in all areas. Call to see if you qualify. $300 IN REWARD CARDS FOR AT&T TV/INTERNET BUNDLE: Subj. to change and may be discontinued at any time. Must purchase through Red Ventures. For new residential customers. Excludes AT&T TV NOW. Residents of select multi-dwelling units not eligible. $200 Reward Card for AT&T TV: Requires purchase of qualifying AT&T TVpackage (min. $49.99/mo. for 12 mos when bundled after discounts. Price higher in 2nd year). Additional $100 Reward Card for Internet Orders: Requires purchase of Internet 100M or higher plan (min. $35/mo + taxes & $10/mo equip. fee). Reward Card: Will be sent email or letter with redemption requirements. Redemption req’d. w/in 75 days from reward notification mail or email date. Reward Card delivered within 3-4 weeks after redemption to customers who maintain and pay for qualifying service from installation date and through reward fulfillment. Card expires at month-end 6 months after issuance. No cash access. For cardholder agreement, go to http://rewardcenter.att.com. The AT&T Visa Reward Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and can be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted in the United States, US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. No cash access. The Bancorp Bank; Member FDIC. The Bancorp Bank does not endorse no sponsor and is not affiliated in any way with any product or service offered by AT&T. AT&T TV: Subject to AT&T TV terms and conditions. Avail. in the U.S. only (excludes Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands).AT&T TV service will continue monthly at the prevailing ratecharged to your payment method on file,unless you cancel, subject to any early termination fees. Once you’ve canceled, you can access AT&T TV through the remaining monthly period. No refunds or credits for any partial-month periods or unwatched content. Compatible device req’d. Residential customers only. Pricing, channels, features, and terms subject to change & may be modified or discontinued at any time without notice. Some offers may not be available through all channels and in select areas. Regional Sports & Local Channels: Not available in select areas. Channels vary by package & billing region. Device may need to be in billing region in order to view. GENERAL: Limit 3 concurrent streams per account. Programming subject to blackout restrictions. Taxes may apply. See your Order Confirmation email and att.com/legal/att-tv.html for more details. AT&T Internet: Subj. to Internet Terms of Service at att.com/internet-terms. Offers may not be combined with certain other promotional offers on the same services and may be modified or discontinued at any time without notice. Other conditions apply to all offers. ©2020 AT&T Intellectual Property. AT&T and the Globe logo are registered trademarks and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. Ping vs Download Speed – What’s More Important For Gaming? Are download and upload speeds really that important for online gaming? A lot of people tend to think a they are. When someone gets a hard time on a Playstation or Xbox message thread about lagging in an online gaming session, they usually respond by telling you how good their internet package is so what’s the problem? “How can I be lagging I’ve got Verizon 200 mb download and 20 upload, my internet is fine!” or something similar is usually what comes back when someone gets told they are lagging. While the reply is no doubt true most times, it is not the most relevant thing when it comes to online gaming. Latency, sometimes referred to as lag or “ping”, is actually far more important for online gaming and is a separate factor from download and upload speeds. Contrary to popular opinion, just having a “fast” internet package with high download and upload speeds does not automatically guarantee that gamers will be lag free online. Other factors come into play, which we will go into in this article. How are Download and Upload Speeds Determined? Download and upload speeds only determine the maximum potential amount of data a router, and therefore any device connected to it, can download and upload per second. They maximum potential speeds you can get are determined by the package you have from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and as with most things you get what you pay for. Basic broadband packages will usually give you a maximum download speed around 10-20 megabits per second, with more expensive packages available that can give you maximum download speeds of 50, 80, 100, or even 200 or more megabytes per second. Fibre to the Home (FTTH) packages are also available that can give up to 1 Gigabit per second download and upload speeds. Broadband packages are advertised as providing “up to” a certain maximum download speed and in reality you will rarely, if ever, be actually able to get this maximum speed. The download speed you get at any one point in time depends on a number of factors but will mainly vary with the time of day and the number of people using the internet, both in the house and in the country in general at that time. Download and upload speeds are actually not that important for online gaming; contrary to popular belief online gaming tends not to use that much data compared to video streaming and even a basic broadband package will provide more than enough bandwidth for gaming. Of course if you are are downloading full games, DLC, patches and updates then higher download speeds and allowances are helpful, but for actual online gaming it is latency or “ping” that is a more important factor. Download and Upload speeds can be useful for downloading games, but for the actual process of gaming online, having a low ping or latency is much more important. What is the Difference Between Latency (Ping) and Bandwidth (Download/Upload Speeds)? Latency, or lag, is actually diffferent, and is far more important for online gamers. It is the time taken for a packet of data to be sent from your console to the relevant server or other console, usually measured in milliseconds. To use the analogy of a pipeline carrying water, bandwidth would be how MUCH water it could carry from A to B, whereas latency would be how FAST it can carry the water from A to B. Metaphorically, increasing the thickness of the pipe would be increasing the “bandwidth” of the pipe; how much water it could potentially transport. It would not however, affect how fast the pipe could transport the water. This is the difference between bandwidth and latency, and is not well understood as people talk colloquially about how “fast” their internet is. In a sense they are right, but not in the sense that is most relevant to latency in online gaming. Contrary to popular opinion, increasing your internet package will only influence how much data you can download per second; it will not improve latency unless your console’s connection to the router is more solid. The “how much” part is of more concern to those downloading movies or other large files. Beyond a bare minimum of say 10 mb per second, this is of less concern to gamers (a higher download speed package will help for those gamers who download their games though, and is also recommended in houses where you have several people using the internet for high bandwidth stuff like downloading and video streaming). The main concern for gamers is how make your console’s connection to the router as solid and reliable as possible, which is a separate issue from the maximum potential download and upload speeds you can get from your router. To look at the issue another way, when we are talking about download and uploads speeds of our internet package, we are partly talking about how much data can be transferred to and from our router from the outside world, the “world wide web”. But that is only part of the story as the data has to get to and from the router from the games console, and it is this delay that is the cause of much of the lag in online gaming, especially when using Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi signals unavoidably degrade in strength the further they travel from the router, as all radio waves do from their source. In addition the more barriers a wireless signal has to travel through, before it gets to a games console, like walls, doors, ceilings, furniture etc, the more chance of the signal being further disrupted and the higher the latency will be. In addition Wi-Fi networks have a fundamental disadvantage over wired networks in that they operate on a half duplex system, which means that devices can only send or receive data at any one time but not both simultaneously. Wired networks on the other hand operate on full duplex, meaning all devices can send or receive data simultaneously with not problems. If the lag or “ping” is too high then gameplay will be disrupted and disjointed for one or more players; they will disappear then reappear or jump around on screen and make proper gameplay difficult for competitors. The amount of lag that can be tolerated before online gameplay is disrupted varies greatly depending on the type of game, with slow paced strategy and turn-based games able to tolerate a higher ping whilst fast paced First Person Shooters and Racing games require a very low ping to be playable. How Can We Influence Latency or Ping? Ping is determined by a number of factors, some of which are are outside of our control as gamers, such as network and server problems with our ISP and the distance the data packet has to travel to the other device or server. See our article on the subject for a more in depth look at this. The geographical distance aspect is particularly important for PS4 gamers as most PS4 games work on peer to peer connections for online play, meaning that the consoles are connecting to each other rather than going through a dedicated server. Which means that the closer PS4 gamers can be to each other geographically when playing online the better. Some games help out with this by offering matchmaking by region so you can play against players reasonably close to you geographically, preferably within the same country. Some factors however are within our control, the main factor being the strength and quality of connection our console has to our router, before the data is then sent to the outside world . That is something that definitely is controllable, with many gamers using Wi-Fi and suffering from lag, not knowing that there are solutions available that can help them solve this problem even if they are a long way from the router and can’t run an ethernet cable directly. Home Networking Solutions to Reduce Ping For Gamers. For gamers still on Wi-Fi and suffering from ping, the first thing to do is get off wireless and onto wired connections instead, which are always more reliable for gaming. Obviously wired ethernet is the best option here, but what about people who can’t do this? This is where the range of Powerline Adapters we promote on this site can come in handy, as they are designed to do precisely this – provide a strong and reliable connection between a device and the router without the need to run long ethernet cables through the house. They use the electrical wiring of the house to transfer data, between two connected adapter plugs, from the games console to the router, providing a far more solid and reliable connection than Wi-Fi. They can be a clever solution to the problem of lag and can allow gamers to enjoy smooth latency free online gaming no matter where they are in their house. See the quick video below for a good demonstration of how powerline adapters work. I have tested this myself and found powerline adapters to give almost as good a ping as when plugged in directly with ethernet. Click here to view Powerline Adapters on . Head over to our Wired Solutions page to check out the different TP Link Powerline Adapters that are available and pick one based on your needs. Router Settings Which Can Reduce Ping For Gamers. Given that even most entry level fibre optic internet packages will offer more than enough bandwidth for online gaming, we would argue the real issue for gamers is to effectively manage and prioritise this bandwidth so as to minimise any delays of traffic getting to and from their consoles. This would be the best way to reduce lag for online gaming rather than necessarily going for a “faster” internet package in terms of pure bandwidth. As well as getting onto a wired connection if possible, there are some other ways to reduce latency on a home network by changing some router settings to manage and prioritise traffic and devices. Quality of Service settings and Port Forwarding are both ways to reduce delays in traffic getting to a from your console and therefore reduce latency; the links above will take you to our full articles on each method, but we will also briefly summarise them here. 1. Quality of Service (QoS) – Configuring QoS settings allows you to prioritise traffic on your router on a device level basis; in other words it is possible to use QoS to tell your router to process all traffic to your console first before any other devices in the house, reducing delays in data flow and hopefully latency as well. Here is how you configure QoS in very brief form: Find the MAC address of your PS4 or other console in Connection Settings/Status Log into your router (type 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 into any browser, plus the router password) Find QoS Settings if they are available Select your PS4 using the MAC address you found earlier. Set the priority to Highest or Maximum. QoS is not available on all routers. See our article on QoS for more information. This is especially useful in high internet use houses where you have lots of people using the internet at the same time for different things, all demanding bandwidth simultaneously. QoS can set an order of priority to how traffic demands are met but unfortunately is not available on all routers. Many major ISPs do not offer QoS settings on their routers, something which may change in the future. 2. Port Forwarding – This is also a great method to reduce lag for gaming consoles, as again it instructs your router to automatically forward all traffic to your games console without any filtering or delays. This again has the potential to reduce the time taken for data to get to and from your console with can reduce latency for a better online experience. There are several ways to implement port forwarding, some easier than others and each method has it’s own benefits and drawbacks. See our full article on the different ways of port forwarding for a full breakdown of the different methods. Some methods are more difficult and time consuming but more thorough and precise, whilst other are easy “set and forget” settings changes but offer less control and customisation. However for games consoles we recommend using the DMZ method as the easiest, quickest way of using port forwarding. Here are the very quick steps to use DMZ for a games console: Get the MAC address of your PS4 (Connection Settings/Status). Log into your router by typing it’s IP address in any browser (often 192.168.0.1 or .1.1) and the password. Find DMZ Settings under Security or Advanced or similar. Enter or select your PS4’s MAC address and to place it in the DMZ. Save settings and close. See our article on DMZ for more on this. Your router will automatically forward all ports to any device that is placed in it’s DMZ zone. Whilst there are safety concerns with placing other devices such as PCs and laptops in the DMZ, it is fine to place games consoles in there as they can only download data through channels carefully controlled and secured by the console manufacturers and therefore do not have the same security vulnerabilities as other devices do. DMZ is definitely our preferred method of port forwarding for games consoles, as it is very quick and easy to implement, can be done one a device by device basis without affecting anyone else in the house (unlike another method of UPnP) and is perfectly safe to do for games consoles at least, though we do not recommend doing this for other devices. See our main article on port forwarding for a full breakdown of all three methods – manual forwarding, UPnP, and DMZ. The Difference Between Upload and Download Speeds: Why It Matters. When you’re online, you do two things: send data and receive data. Sending is called uploading, and receiving is called downloading. So when you shop for an internet service provider, the speed you’re buying is the rate at which you will be able to perform the tasks you want to complete. To choose the right speed, you need to know just what you need your internet to do for you. Let’s explore the ins and outs, ups and downs of uploading and downloading and internet speed in general. That will help you make smart decisions. What Do Download and Upload Mean? These are typical downloads: Loading web pages like your email, social media, shopping sites, search engines, banks content like movies, videos, music Receiving files such as documents, photos, videos. These are typical uploads: Sending your data to a shopping site, bank, insurance provider, credit card company Video chatting Sending photos, documents, videos and posting on social media Backing up your data to the cloud Web hosting Gaming. How Does Speed Apply? Internet speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps). That expresses the rate of data transfer into your home to your router and devices, then the rate of data you send from your home network. The internet connection operates just like a two-way street for incoming and outgoing traffic. There may be a difference between upload and download speed in your data connection. In this two-way street, you may have a different speed limit for inbound and outbound traffic (asymmetrical) or the same speed in both directions (symmetrical). Typically, symmetrical speed is available only with fiber internet service, not with copper wired service. Why You Need Faster Uploads Now. While download speed requirements have been top of mind for internet service providers, things may change now that more and more people are working and learning from home. Different functions are necessary to conduct business, to send work files, to send school projects. Keep an eye out for the service that will work best for you. The average internet user downloads way more data than the amount he or she uploads. For example, the average user may download a lot of video content, movies, and TV shows, but usually send out very short videos or pictures instead of a feature-length movie. The greatest demand for higher upload speeds is in offices and lately in households with people who are either working or learning from home, and need to send big files. The shift in the way we are working from home could change your mind about the kind of internet service you need. What Factors Affect Download and Upload Internet Speeds? Connection: This refers to the way your computer accesses the internet (either via Wi-Fi or through a physical cable). If you use a wireless connection or connect using your cellphone as a hotspot, the performance will be significantly lower than if your computer has a physical connection to the modem or router. Configuration: Based on where you live and the services available in your area, your internet service provider offers you a certain level of service and different prices. You may be choosing from copper services to high speed to fiber. Ask your service representative what will work best for your needs. Another factor is whether your service is symmetrical or asymmetrical. Location: The internet speed is also affected by the location of the remote source, or a device like a modem or printer, that is available for shared use in the network. Remember that any exchange between your computer and the source of the content has to go to multiple servers and internet routes and at every step there may be a myriad of performance limiting factors. Placing your router in a central location in your home is one way to improve performance. Demand on the network: Just like regular traffic on the road, at certain peak times there is a higher volume of data going back and forth and this slows down the overall internet speed in your area, both if you are downloading or uploading data. Measure with Upload and Download Speed Tests. There are many companies that measure your internet speed for free. When you run the test, your computer sends out a “test packet” of data to a server, which in turn sends the same “test packet” back to the sender and determines the speed of each segment of the round trip in terms of Mbps. The test itself is very simple and usually takes less than a minute to complete. A word of caution: Although these tests do not require the installation of any software on your computer, some companies may offer you an application for purchase that would help boost your internet speed. Unless you know the company and that is exactly what you want, be careful before installing anything. In general, if your internet service doesn’t seem “sluggish” and you don’t have to wait forever to download pictures, or if you can stream movies without interruptions or unexpected pauses, your internet speed works well for you. But if you need you faster upload speeds, it may be time to think about fiber (if it’s available in your area.)