Keeping It Quick: Gamifying Your Internet Connection

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No matter how beefy consoles and computers are able to become, gamers around the world still suffer with a common curse. You can spend huge amounts of time working to ensure that you can run the titles you like, investing loads of money in hardware and tools which will improve your experience and help you to dominate. But, in the end, it can all be ruined by a poor internet connection. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring some of the best ways to improve your link to the outside world, giving you a great chance to improve the experience you have in the next big game.

What To Look For

Before looking into the network itself, though, it’s always a good idea to make sure that the issue is on your end. The behaviour of the game will give you a lot of the story, and you can easily tell the difference between network and hardware performance issues. When a machine can’t run a game, it will become choppy, but the game will operate as normal. If the network is slow, you will experience different issues, with things like being stuck in the same place and input lag being common issues. Along with this, most consoles and PCs can run a network speed test. This will show you whether or not your internet is running slowly.

Plug It In

The very first thing to try when you have a bad network connection is plugging in the machine which is having difficulty. Wireless networks can easily be interfered by walls and other signals, making it worth trying this easy option before putting more effort into it. You can find long network cables on websites like eBay and Amazon. It is worth bearing in mind, though, that these cables can only span about 100 meters. Of course, though, not everyone will be able to have a cable running through their home, especially in crowded places.

To solve this issue, tools like Powerline adaptors have proven to be very useful, over the last decade or so. These devices turn your home’s normal circuitry into network cabling, making it possible to keep your machines wired without having to have cables running through the whole building. Alternatively, you could also look into the idea of buying a beefier Wifi antenna for your device, as this can also improve network speeds a little bit. Most people can easily afford these sorts of upgrades.

A New Router

When most people buy a home internet connection, they will receive a free wireless router which will meet the most popular current standards. Over the years, if you don’t change to a new provider, you will be left with the same hardware, and it probably won’t age very well. It is always a shame to miss out on the latest features because you haven’t spoken to your internet company. Most of these businesses want to keep their customers happy, and will provide you with a new network device once yours proves to be too slow.

If you can’t convince your provider to give you a new route, you don’t have to stop here, and can look at investing in one for yourself. Most people won’t need anything too powerful, making this sort of approach nice and affordable. To help you to pick the best option for you, it’s worth looking at the number of devices which will be attached and how far away they are, as this is the biggest factor when it comes to determining the price of devices like this. There are loads of review sites out there which can help you out.

Other Programs

While it may sound like a simple solution to a complicated problem, a lot of people find that their network is far slower when certain applications are running on their devices. For example, if you have a gaming computer which is running Steam, it would hurt your online gameplay to have the platform updating in the background. Windows Task Manager is a great tool when it comes to figuring out what might be using your resources. Simply closing a program is a nice and easy way to make sure that your games are able to run as quickly as possible.

A New Provider

Once you’ve tried everything else on this list, it will be time to start looking at the option of moving to a new provider. While companies may promise that speeds will increase over time, it will be hard to take their word for it, and a lot of people will be sceptical about their ability to provide improvements at a speedy pace. Options like Suddenlink.com are committed to being honest about their service. This means that they won’t give you speeds which are lower than you were expecting, and they will think about other important aspects of your connection, like your ping.

What To Avoid

Over the years, the web has become laced with poorly researched articles surrounding this sort of area. There are loads of examples which suggest using software to improve your network speeds. In reality, though, this sort of option doesn’t exist. In most cases, tools which appear to work will simply be caching web pages, and won’t make a difference when it comes to gaming. It’s never worth paying for something like this, especially if it isn’t coming from a company which you recognise.

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to get your internet connection ready for gaming. A lot of people struggle with this sort of work, finding it hard to know whether or not it is their network which is causing problems. As time goes on, this should become easier and easier to understand, with some games letting you know when your network is bad. If you find yourself completely stuck, it could be worth talking to your provider, as they may be able to offer further advice which relates to their hardware.

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