Having a high ping rate can create a lot of problems not just for gamers but also for internet users. However, it is the gaming enthusiasts who are the most affected by it. Ideally, every gamer would want to have as less a ping rate as possible. It is because a low ping will drastically improve the gaming experience. You will encounter fewer lags, and your gameplay will become much smoother. And who doesn’t want that!
When it comes to the ping rate, one thing is for sure; the quality of your internet connection matters. Luckily for you, there are many decent providers in the market. Even if you have Cox Internet only for gaming needs, it should work just fine.
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Why Does a Game Lag?
Online gamers often complain about lags. It is indeed a very frustrating problem. When a game lags, you don’t really know what’s going on anymore, which gives your opponent a chance to earn a point against you. But what causes lags? The answer is latency! If your latency ranges into the hundreds of milliseconds, you will have a crappy gaming experience, wanting you to just quit the game.
High Latency Will Cause Troubles
Before you get confused between latency and ping, please note that the former can also be called the ping rate. So, what’s latency? It is the measurement of time used by a single data packet to leave your device, head to its destination, and bounce back to your device. This problem can be resolved if you boost your internet speed. So, what causes latency or ping? Well, there are a couple of factors:
#1. Physical Distance Between the Gamer & Server
Do you know that physical distance is a big factor that causes latency? Games that support multiplayer and co-op mode have to use regional servers to make sure that the gamers can have a smooth experience. But why does it matter? Well, the signal travels through multiple hops between the server and your device. The longer the journey, the more hops will be there, which means that there will be high latency.
#2. Type of Internet Connection Being Used
Some internet connections have a higher latency rate than others. For instance, the satellite internet has a high latency. Why? It’s a wire transmission whose signals must go to space and travel back to reach the server. The insulated cable connection will have lower latency than the satellite connection. Then, there is fiber optics that have the lowest latency as compared to the other two. You should also keep in mind that the speed at which the signal travels will be different than your download speed.
Ideal Internet Connections for Online Gaming
As stated earlier, the fiber internet connection is perfect for online gaming. And the reason is simple; it has low latency, allowing gamers to game without any worries. But this doesn’t mean that other types of connections should be ignored. They should also be considered, but ultimately, the decision will be yours to take.
| Connection Type | Download Speed | Latency (Ping) | Providers |
| Satellite | 12-100 Mbps | 594-624 ms | HughesNet & Viasat |
| DSL | 1-100 Mbps | 25-43 ms | Verizon & CenturyLink |
| Cable | 15-1,000 Mbps | 15-35 ms | Cox & Xfinity |
| Fiber | 50-2,000 Mbps | 11-14 ms | Verizon & Google Fiber |
A reliable and consistent ping rate is hard to achieve. However, 4G LTE and 5G technologies can somewhat help in attaining that. So, if you are looking to get a near-zero ping, opting for a mobile plan like the Cox internet plans wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Download & Upload Speed
Let’s get one thing clear; online games will not take away much of your bandwidth. But do you know what will? Streaming videos! Now, you may not know this, but your connection’s download and upload speeds matter a lot. And you will know why in just a second. First, you have to know that there is some common information that passes between the gamer and the gaming server. And it is the following:
- Controller, mouse & keyboard input
- Player communication
- The current world state
- Player location
In the aforementioned list, it is the player location that can cause slowdowns. For instance, there are chances of you experiencing frame drops. Plus, your player might start to teleport from one place to another randomly. You have to remember that those games that have high-definition graphics will require a download speed of at least 3 Mbps.
Download speed may make sense to you, but why do you need the upload speed to be good? Well, there are some interactive games as well. So, if you are playing that, then the upload speed will matter. After all, it will determine how fast information can travel from your console or computer to the remote server. The upload speed of 1 to 2 Mbps will be sufficient to run a game with HD graphics.
If you are unsure of your download and upload speed, you can check the details of the package you are subscribed to. Normally, providers mention such details on the bill. For instance, Cox internet billing lets the user know which deal they are subscribed to.
Conclusion
Having a zero ping is a near-impossible thing to achieve. This is because it takes time for the data packets to travel. And nothing can move faster than the speed of light. However, you can always find ways to lower the ping. One method is to switch to a reliable internet service. If you are worried about the installation cost, you can do it yourself like many users do the Cox internet self-installation.
Another thing to pay heed to is the download and upload speeds. Moreover, if you want to eliminate the lag issue permanently, then you can try using an ethernet connection. This will certainly lower the ping rate!
