When you are playing an online game and suddenly it starts to freeze and crash, then most probably you are experiencing a lag. Lag occurs when there is high latency or ping. If you are experiencing an extremely high latency, then the tendency is you will be disconnected from the server. This is because you are greatly affecting other gamers.
What are the Factors that Affect Latency?
Distances
If you are located extremely far away from your router, then the longer it will take for the information to reach you. Try to test the speed of your Wi-Fi and observe your signal strength. If you only have one or two bars, then it means that you have a poor connection.
Type of Connection
One of the most important factors for latency is the method used by your broadband connection in reaching you. For instance, if you are using a satellite technology, then most likely your ping rate will be approximately 500ms. This is quite high in comparison to fiber internet or fixed wireless broadband technology.
Congestion
Most often, network congestion is caused by low bandwidth. In other words, the amount of data that can be transmitted via the network connection. If you are experiencing low bandwidth, then the information you need will be sent quickly, however, you can’t receive them all at once, the information will have to wait. It is important that you know what are the causes of network congestion and how you can fix them.
How to Reduce Latency?
Reboot Hardware
You could try to turn it off and turn it on again. Although this is quite basic, any type of hardware needs to be reset every now and then. When it comes to your router, it is important that you should reboot them occasionally. However, if you need to reboot your router most often, then most probably, there is something wrong with your hardware. In rebooting your hardware, you need to unplug the router for a few minutes before restarting it back again.
Disable Firewalls
To keep you safe, firewalls will filter all the traffic on your network, however, this process will take some time. If you are using more firewalls, then the more time it will take to filter them all. This is also much the same if you are using a VPN technologies. If you want to see some improvement on your latency, then you could temporarily disable any other security programs that you are using.
Use a Cable
Compared to connecting wirelessly, data can travel much faster when a cable is used. When connecting to the internet, use an Ethernet cable and connect this to your device. Ethernet cables are more effective to use and are readily available. They are an excellent way of reducing latency on a wireless broadband connection. Using cable can help you in enjoying some of the most exciting upcoming PC games.
Disconnect Other Programs
If you are using any other huge applications such as video or music software, then these applications might be the one eating up your internet connection, and as a result this has affected your gaming speeds.
One of the reasons why your latency will increase is that you are using more than the maximum bandwidth of your internet connection. You can use parental controls in limiting the bandwidth of each device. Even if there are only a few members of your family that are using the internet but if they are running programs that require more bandwidth, then most likely this can have a great effect on your latency. That is why you should be cautious of those automatic upgrades on your gaming consoles, computers, and laptops since they might be using large amounts of bandwidth. If you want to improve your latency, then you should disable or disconnect these programs.
Use an Antivirus Software
Most often, the reason why your device performs slower than usual is malware. That is why it is advisable that you should use an antivirus software and run this on all your devices that are connected to the network. This can help you in recognizing and removing this malware. Aside from removing malware, installing an antivirus software can provide you with a lot of advantages.
Conclusion
If you want to reduce your latency and enjoy your online gaming, then all you have to do is follow these five steps.