Tricks to lower the ping

Playing online, either alone against strangers or with friends, is without a doubt the best and most fun part of games today. But unfortunately, that fun experience can be ruined due to problems with the quality of the internet connection.

Ping is only a measure to know how long it takes for a data packet to be sent to a server, received on that server and downloaded again to the computer.

Therefore, it is the distance measured in time. For example, a 40 millisecond ping means that each command sent to the online game server (walk, shoot, jump) takes 40 milliseconds to execute and display on your computer screen.

Obviously, having a latency below 100 milliseconds is ideal, being that on average players have between 200 and 300 milliseconds, depending on the type of game. Latencies greater than 500 milliseconds, especially in online shooting games (FPS), make the game impossible to run.

Many people assume that a fast and responsive internet connection depends solely on good download and upload speeds, but there is more to it than that. There is also the ping, which is essentially a reaction time. If you have a ping of 98 ms (milliseconds), this is the time it took for your computer to respond to a request from another computer.

Index of contents

How to measure ping speed

You can test the latency of your internet connection using Speedtest.net or Nperf customized to our website, the most popular online speed test. Or you can use the command line in Windows as we have explained in the article " What is ping and what is it for? ".

Any value below a 20-millisecond ping is considered optimal, while a value above 150-milliseconds could result in a noticeable delay, depending on the game.

You may have the fastest gaming PC, but with a slow ping your actions will take much longer to execute than your online peers, giving you a downside in the online arena.

Causes of high ping value

There are multiple causes that can affect pinging during online multiplayer games, all of them related to your internet connection, highlighting the main ones:

• Shared use of the internet connection with other computers, the main example being a house in which a person wants to connect to an online game and another member of the family wants to download files. Other programs on your own computer use the internet. that you do not deactivate when you go to play, like Google Drive or Dropbox. Download managers, like torrent programs like uTorrent and BitTorrent, also harm ping. Poor quality of internet broadband. Low Wi-Fi signal. Viruses, spyware or malware that are using your internet connection. Server of the game is very far from your house. For example, if you want to play a game in Spain and the server is in Australia, the game will run very slowly. Windows configuration error. Someone may be hacking your internet connection or stealing your Wi-Fi.

How to lower the ping

To improve latency in games, that is, decrease the lag you have in online games, you first have to eliminate all the causes mentioned above.

There are several factors that can interfere with the data transmission speed. And unfortunately, since this is an infrastructure issue, there is usually not much you can do to fix the problem other than taking steps to minimize the issue.

Install optimization software

Download a program to clean, speed up, defragment and correct errors. The system may have small problems that can easily be solved with a good cleaning with Ccleaner or another optimization program. Another option is to enter a format of 0 and leave the system completely clean to discard errors.

From Wi-Fi to Ethernet

A good option is to choose wired connections for tasks that require high speed and reliability in data transmission. Despite the convenience that a Wi-Fi network offers, it also has its instabilities and can suffer interference from other devices in the vicinity. Therefore, you can invest in cables for your console and PC to improve internet speed.

Although modern Wi-Fi is considerably faster than just five years ago, there is still a noticeable difference between the connection speeds of a computer using Wi-Fi and a computer physically connected via Ethernet.

Make sure that the cable you are connecting from the router to your PC is as short as possible, without putting too much tension on the ends of the cable and that it is not wound up unnecessarily.

If it is impossible to run a cable between the two, then consider purchasing a pair of PLC adapters. PLC (Powerline) plugs offer a slight increase in bandwidth over wireless ones and are generally more convenient than when using a cable throughout the home. Although it will also depend on the state of the cables of your electrical network?

Check the condition of the cables

Also check the cable and ends going to and from the router. The end of the cable on the side of the router may have become loose or damaged over time.

Signal strength

If you have to stay connected wirelessly, check your position on the router and the Wi-Fi signal strength. There are a number of applications available for Android and iOS devices that will help you determine the best location in the house for Wi-Fi signal strength.

Once you have the ideal location, move your PC there and see if there is any difference.

Buy another router

A more modern and high specification router could potentially reduce your ping by offering better services, technology and hardware over a standard router provided by your internet provider.

High bandwidth consumption

If your internet connection is shared and you have a high ping when you play, take a moment to see what the other connected devices are up to. Is the person in the next room watching something on Netflix? Are you downloading a 34 GB game from Steam? Are all devices on your home network automatically updated with a Windows Service Pack at the same time?

All of these instances can greatly affect the bandwidth you have available, and will essentially increase your computer's ping to a server.

Also check your own PC. If you are playing and high ping then you may need to close that Skype connection, or stop the download you are doing in the background.

Another good alternative is to avoid using applications that require high data rates simultaneously. Unless your connection is really very good, for example, avoid using torrent programs while trying to talk to someone on Skype or access a tutorial on YouTube while you are playing online.

Remember: your band is one and is being divided by all these activities.

Connect to a local server

Although this is not possible for many games, if you have the ability to connect to a localized server, you will generally get a better ping than connecting to one on the other side of your continent.

Choose preferably a server in the same country as where you are. If this is not possible, servers from the United States or Central Europe are recommended as they usually have the best band connection.

Check server status

Again, depending on the game you are playing, check that the company is not performing any specific maintenance on the server you are connecting to. If it's under maintenance, try another server and see if that improves your ping.

An Ethernet gaming connection

There are some dedicated PCI network cards and specific motherboard Ethernet connections that offer an improved broadband connection, especially for gaming.

While many of the players are looking for these improved Ethernet ports, others consider them a waste of money. All we can advise is that you examine them in more detail before spending money on extra hardware.

If you use a VPN or some other anonymous proxy software to filter your connection, then consider disabling it before playing the game. Although it will keep you invisible while online, a proxy or VPN is often slower than your actual connection speed.

There is probably very little that an ISP can do to improve your ping while playing a particular game. However, you can call them to do a line check to make sure your internet connection is working without any sign of trouble.

It may not solve the problem of a high ping, but it's worth a try.

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Many times, the company may have some kind of problem in the data transmission and your connection can draw attention to the case. In others, a change in the transmission route of your data on the network can also be solved, and this is a process that needs to be done by the company that provides services to you.

Most of the time you will not be able to connect to a server without having the latest client installed. But there are times when an outdated client can connect to a server.

Always check that you have the latest client, as any patch will generally improve the connection to the game server.

Sometimes a faster internet connection will certainly help you reduce pinging to a server. But there is always the problem of a high contention ratio for broadband customers.

A contention ratio of 50: 1, for example, means that fifty other clients share the same bandwidth. There isn't really much you can really do about that, unfortunately, but if you're considering switching to another broadband provider, it might be worth looking into the proportion of containment they offer before committing to a contract.

Restarting the modem and internet router from time to time can also be a solution not only to reduce ping, but also to solve other internet problems.

To do this, simply disconnect the devices from the electricity and wait a few seconds to connect them again. In some cases, this can even modify the IP of your connection, which can also be beneficial in the improvement.

In addition, it is worth paying attention to factors that are beyond the reach of users and the operator itself. During peak hours of use, during business hours, for example, there are a greater number of people sharing the same network and, with this, everything can end up being a little slower. After 6 p.m., and mainly during the early hours, the tendency is for congestion to decrease and the quality of the connection to improve.

Reduce lag by modifying Windows TCP

After making all the above fixes, download Leatrix Latency Fix.

The program is free and works on Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Vista and XP. Being compatible with all games, you will see a significant improvement in shooting games such as Call of Duty, Team Fortress, Diablo 3, Counter Strike and World of Warcraft, among others.

This program automatically makes two changes to the TCP protocol in Windows, the TCPAckFrequency, which increases the speed of contact with the server and therefore you will see a noticeable improvement in all games that connect and require a quick response.

You don't need any tutorial to install this program, simply unzip the file and click Install. After clicking the button, restart the computer and you're done. Now it only remains to try the online games. Although we cannot expect miracles either.

Using a traffic shaping program

Traffic Shaping was a technique used to control your connection and order internet packets to prioritize one type of connection over the other.

However, you could investigate if your internet provider practices traffic shaping, identifying the type of connection and speed control. In providers with traffic shaping, you access the internet very fast, but downloading a song is very slow.

If you want to improve the ping of online games through traffic shaping, it is recommended to buy an excellent wireless router, which already has the packet coordination settings for the most famous online games already installed and configured at the factory.

conclusion

There are many causes of a slow connection and, therefore, the causes for lag in online games and high ping are multiple.

Use this tutorial to reduce latency in multiplayer games and have a better experience. Take advantage also to use the Leatrix Latency Fix software, which fixes a configuration error of the different versions of Windows and can improve and decrease the ping of online games in Windows with a single click. Although always the best solution is: network cable and a fiber optic line with a good router. Hopefully it has helped you!