


That said, you'll want to be sure to understand the other factors in your home that might be affecting things before you spend hundreds on new networking hardware. Others promise to route your signal on the fastest possible path to whatever server your game is hosted on. Along with fast speeds and powerful processors, most high-end options can prioritize gaming traffic above everything else to help keep your roommate's Netflix binge from slowing you down. Upgrading to a good gaming router can definitely help, too. And if the network is busy on your end with lots of other users, devices or browser windows open on your home network, clearing as much of that excess traffic as you can will also help bring your ping down. Translation: higher ping.Īpart from advanced DNS server trickery, you don't always have a whole lot of control over that route, but if your game lets you pick between multiple servers before you start playing, picking the one that's located closest to you can make a big difference. However, if that server is located on the other side of the world - or if your signal isn't taking the most direct route to it - then the trip might take a lot longer. If you're playing an online game that's hosted on a server that isn't too far from you, then the trip should be pretty quick. The length of that trip depends on his route, as well as how far away the destination is to begin with. And if that data is, say, a couple of critical frames of movement as your opponent peeks out from behind a tree to take a shot at you in PUBG, you'll quickly learn that high ping is a real killer. Put simply, ping is a measurement of how long it takes your computer or device to fetch data from a specific server somewhere on the internet. And while it doesn't take lightning-fast speeds to play most games, you'll still want to keep a close eye on one key metric: ping. In short, it's a great time to be an online gamer - but only if your internet connection can keep up. Cloud-connected consoles like the PlayStation 4, the Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch continue to sell like crazy, mobile gaming keeps growing and growing, and even Apple and Google are making big moves to get in on the action. For better signal strength, move your router to an open spot free from obstructions that's ideally as high up as possible, and try experimenting with different angles for the antennas.įrom Fortnite to Overwatch, Rocket League to League of Legends, online gaming is as huge as it's ever been.
