We cannot argue the fact that the performance of every gamer primarily depends on the internet connection and its speed. Imagine a gaming experience without any lags and buffering. Every other gamer would agree that no matter how experienced you are or how good your muscle memory is, a connection that keeps on lagging could be a huge bummer.
This is why we are going to walk you through the internet requirements for gaming in this article. This could be significantly helpful to those who are thinking of jumping into the pool of the gaming world and want to prevent any and all kinds of disadvantages that could come out on top.
Download Speed
Typically, download speed is the one that you should be concerned about. No matter how well-trained your reaction time is, if your download speed is not impressive then, prepare yourself for constant lags throughout the game.
First, let’s understand what download speed really is. This speed determines how fast you can pull data from an external server to your system. If we compare it with upload speed then we can confidently say that download speed is considered way more important.
If you begin to observe your online activity, you will definitely realize that the whole activity involves more downloading than sending the data. The same is the case with gaming. Therefore, most game manufacturers recommend a minimum said speed between 3 to 6 Mbps.
Now, you might be wondering which internet service provider would be best in terms of speed? One of the largest internet providers in the US, Cox Communication makes sure that you can get a terrific download speed starting from 150 Mbps to 500 Mbps, depending on the plan you opt for.
Also, Cox internet prices are one of the most affordable ones you can find in the industry. It gives you 100% value for your money and provides you with a top-notch gaming experience. With this, you can forget over-the-top deals with sluggish speed.
No Data Caps
Here is the thing, while you are busy in your online gaming, there is a game that some ISPs play, which you should be aware of. Some ISPs restrict you from exceeding a certain amount of data over the internet and once you do, they may cut you off or throttle your internet connection.
This is essentially what data caps are all about. It is a limit that is placed on your online activity. This is truly a drag if you ask us.
To simply explain the whole concept more comprehensibly, consider this example, you may have an internet package with the super-fast speed of 60 Mbps but a monthly data cap of 100 GB. If you go over the limit that has already been assigned to you, you might start to experience lazy speed, which is internet throttling, or your ISP may cut off your internet access COMPLETELY!
Obviously, sometimes that super-fast speed comes with a catch. Going over the predetermined data cap can result in poor speed that is good for nothing or simply no bars at all.
Some credible ISPs understand how important it is for you to have a reliable internet connection on which you can stream and play online games without any constant worries of going over the data limits. All you have to do is find the ones that are most reliable and even if their plan involves data caps, it should be generous enough to hardly exceed the limit.
Avoid Throttled Connection
Avoiding such connections primarily comes from avoiding ISPs that throttle your internet connection. Throttling is a practice of reducing a client’s speed when they have exceeded their monthly data cap.
Some shady companies offer unlimited data access at a massively lower price compared to their competitors all because they plan to throttle your internet connection. Now, the thing is, in some states internet throttling may not be illegal, however, it could become a huge problem for online gamers, especially the heavy streamers who cannot afford poor speed internet.
What the ISPs really do is, place data limits because of network congestion so the bandwidth speed can drop to a rate that is even below the minimum requirements for online gaming. As a result, you start to experience poor connectivity and a high amount of lag.
Network congestion is when many people are connected to a network at the same time. The provider lowers the speed even if three or more people at your home are performing bandwidth-heavy operations on the internet. The network becomes practically usable.
To avoid this, you need to first ask your ISP whether they throttle connection or not. If they do, check the bandwidth that is already assigned to you and if you are likely to go over the said limit, then it is better to go for the internet provider that does not place restrictions.
Also, never forget to read the contract you sign with your service provider. If you want to avoid having a terrible gaming experience, then go over these details with your ISP and make sure that the connection is absolutely lag-free and seamless.
Lower Latency
Latency, ping, or ping rate are the terms that are casually thrown around in the gaming communities. Many professional gamers consider latency more important than download speed.
Predominantly, latency is used to measure the reachability of a host on a network. It essentially measures how many milliseconds your computer takes to send a message to another server and receive a response.
In simpler words, latency is the time from when a message is sent from one location on the internet to another and back. Basically, if anything goes wrong on the internet, it can hugely affect your latency or ping.
If you are an amateur gamer, know that high latency is one of your worst enemies. When you are playing an online game and latency gets too high then you start to experience lag. Which is clearly not something you want to experience.
Even if your muscle memory is incredible, high latency can sabotage the entire game for you. Want to know how it happens? Let us give you an example, suppose that you move a mouse and this movement is reported to a remote server by your game. Obviously, the server acknowledges the movement and in return sends a response showing the movement of other players along with yours.
However, because of your high latency, your movement appears delayed, compared to the other players. Now, you can imagine what could be the outcome of such delayed response on the part of your latency. This is why getting an internet connection has considerably lower latency.
Avoid going for satellite internet and lean towards insulated cable connection or even better, if you happen to find an ISP near you that offers fiber optic internet then don’t waste any time and go for it. It will give provide you with a better gaming experience.
Key Takeaway
Even if you are a professional gamer or just an amateur, there are some internet requirements you need to fulfill to have an excellent lag-free gaming experience. Such experience comes from choosing an internet connection that offers download speed that can satisfy your connections. In addition to this, always remember, lower latency is your friend and high latency can cost you a huge loss in the gaming world.
Fast blazing-speed is nice, but you don’t have to overpay for that speed. This is why we have already suggested that Cox Internet prices are one of the most cost-effective and the connection is quite reliable. And reliability is what every gamer looks for from their internet service provider.