Does your online gaming experience suck? Do you have to deal with lag, disconnects, and other rage-worthy problems while trying to accomplish something online? There are a lot of details that aren't part of an internet package's advertising campaign, and you need to understand where the problem is coming from to not only fix it, but buy a decent service in the first place. Here are a few networking and online gaming details to help make the internet service choice easier.
Internet Is A Stream That Can Be Interrupted
There are a lot of analogies for how the internet--and networking in general--works. In some explanations, it's an information superhighway with literal roads, traffic rules, congestion, and even collisions. In other explanations, it's like water. It's both and more.
Your internet connection is a high-speed series of delivers and exchanges, as if all traffic in the world were nothing but deliver vehicles and service trucks. These vehicles can still crash, either because the hubs or intersections have too much traffic or errors in the way they manage the traffic, or because the roads are bad.
The only thing that you're responsible is your in-house part of the information superhighway. This means from your computer's general health (viruses, too many programs open, an other problems being managed) to the network port, the network port across the cables, the cables to your modem or router(s), and then the wiring in your home.
Anything outside of your home is past what is called a demarcation point, which is where your responsibility ends and the Internet Service Provider's responsibility begins. That said, many ISPs will help you perform basic troubleshooting of your home devices and technically take responsibility for any modem(s), router(s), and other equipment that they lease or sell to you as a special service.
Consistency is The Key
Before anything else, set the idea of "fast internet" aside. Fast is great and it comes in handy at some point, but if online gaming is your core concern, you need to make sure that your gaming situation is stable.
Online gaming data isn't very big. Although every game is different, the file sizes are small enough that you could theoretically play most online games on the earlier definition of broadband internet--4Mbps or megabits per second--without issues in a perfect networking situation. The new minimum broadband speed of 25Mbps is more than enough for someone who only plays online games and browses the web.
Your bigger concern is consistency, which isn't easy to measure. Your connection needs to be free of constant corruption and congestion, and there's not much you can do on your end to fix that problem. Just make sure that you and other internet users in your home or on your network aren't downloading huge files constantly.
Outside of your home, it's all about the internet company. Your ISP needs to explain why certain consistency issues are happening, which usually means restarting your router or sending out a technician. Many issues that aren't related to your computer or modem will be a wiring repair issue, and this is where it gets tricky.
Most decent companies will schedule a wiring repair. It may take a few days or weeks, but it has to happen for decent service. If you've been waiting for over a year, speak with a new internet service provider and discuss whether the issue is about your service package, or if there's something wrong with your area in general.
Have you ever struggled with figuring out different aspects of technology? It isn't always easy to know where to start, which is why I began thinking more seriously about creating a blog dedicated to teaching everyone about different aspects of technology. I wanted to create an interesting place where people could really learn a lot about the various aspects of computers and new devices, so I made this website. Check out these friendly, easy-to-read posts outlining everything from finding great items for your home to troubleshooting your equipment for a simpler tomorrow. After all, you never know when you will need more information.