Imagine it’s the last round of search and destroy in Call of Duty Mobile. The enemy has planted the bomb and you’re the lone survivor of your team. You’ve managed to hunt down the enemy players; all that is left to do is diffuse the bomb. As you’re heading to the bomb site to diffuse the bomb with 20 seconds left on the clock, your internet connection betrays you. Been there, done that!
Gamers are simple creatures; a group of friends and a reliable internet connection is all they need to spend their lives in peace. By a reliable internet connection, most people may think of high-speed internet. However, high-speed internet alone doesn’t always ensure a smooth gaming experience.
So, consider this article as a guide, as we’ve boiled down some handy tips to choose the best ISP for gaming. So, let’s get started.
1. Choose the Best Internet Connection Type:
A high-speed internet connection with minimal latency and reliable connectivity is the key to having an ultimate gaming experience. While you may find different types of connections, the following types stand out:
Fiber Optic Internet:
Fiber-backed internet should be your first choice when it comes to gaming. It’s because fiber internet can provide you with speeds up to 10Gbps, which may solve most of the gaming problems related to the internet. Also, they’re prone to any weather changes and provide top-speed internet with unreal consistency.
Their reliability makes fiber connections quite expensive when compared to any other internet connection type. Also, they’re not as widely available as other types of internet connection.
Cable Internet:
Cable internet can also be a viable choice for gaming. Although it’s not as fast as a fiber internet connection, still cable internet can provide you with a wholesome gaming experience. For instance, Xfinity Internet Speed can reach up to 1Gbps, which is quite good for any online game.
Also, if you’re on a budget, don’t think twice and go for quality cable internet, such as Xfinity.
2. Best Gaming Experience Comes with Low Latency:
Sometimes while playing, we notice that our character moves in circles. It’s because your game experiences high latency or ping that makes your character move repeatedly at one spot or not move at all.
In layman’s terms, latency usually means the time it takes for a data packet to travel from the source, i.e. your console to the game’s server and back to your console. For example, when you move your character, the console sends the movement action to the game’s server. Then, the game server sends back the signal to move the character and then it finally moves on your screen. Ideally, this should happen in milliseconds and even half a second delay can cause high latency.
Now, let’s look at how much latency you should be aiming for:
Exceptional Latency: 0 – 20ms
Desirable Latency: 20 – 40ms
Bearable Latency: 40 – 100ms
Notable Latency: 100 – 150ms
Unbearable Latency: Over 150ms
Your graphics processing unit (GPU) is another factor that affects your gaming experience. . A GPU’s working is not related to the internet at all, but latency depends on it too. If you’re trying to run a game whose requirements exceed the capacity of your GPU, then you might face lag. Here, you can try to run the game on the lowest graphics available.
3. Enough Bandwidth to Elevate Your Gaming Experience:
Most people often mix the concept of internet speed and its bandwidth. They might think that if the internet speed is fast, it will automatically translate to bandwidth as well. For the most part, they’re not wrong, however, in technical terms, bandwidth and internet speed are two different things.
Bandwidth is the amount of data that flows through your connection while internet speed measures how fast you can download or upload a file. Now, let’s see how bandwidth holds the key importance for gamers:
When you’re playing, bandwidth ensures a smooth flow of data packets. As discussed above, a game lags when data packets take sufficient time to travel to and from the server. A connection with good bandwidth ensures that the latency time stays minimal so that you can have an ultimate gaming experience.
However, there’s a bandwidth limit your ISP can provide. If someone is downloading a heavy file or streaming a movie on the same connection, the bandwidth may decrease.
This can be cured by upgrading your internet plan or by limiting the devices connected to the internet. Also, closing the unused applications in the background may also free up some bandwidth.
4. Be Wary of Data Caps:
Most internet plans you opt for have data caps. In simple words, a data cap is the limit imposed by your ISP on how much data can be consumed in a given time. If you’re close to that limit or have already exceeded it, your internet speeds may slow down. Moreover, it’s possible to see a few more bucks added to your internet bill for the additional internet that you used.
One way to outdo data caps is to go for an internet plan that doesn’t have a data cap. That way, you won’t have to worry about how much data you’ve consumed.
Conclusion
To sum up, nothing can replace the importance of a speedy internet connection. However, to have a wholesome gaming experience, make sure your connection provides enough bandwidth to keep the latency at bay. Also, beware of data caps as they can be an unwanted enemy you might not be looking forward to facing.
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