Here are some tips that might help you increase your internet connection and network speeds. This should make your online gaming more stable (like with the Vizzed RGR Netplay) and should also improve your overall online experience. It'll also increase the connection speed between computers in your network.


Do an Internet Speed Test
First, you want to make sure you're getting the speeds you're suppose to be getting. You can do an Internet Speed Test here: http://www.speedtest.net/

Remember, 100 MBPS does not equal 100 MB. MBPS stands for Megabits per second and MB, when talking about file size, means Megabyte. 8 Megabits go into 1 Megabyte. So in other words, if your connection is 100 MBPS, you'll be able to download up to 12.5 MB per a second. Also, your upload speed will rarely ever come close to matching your download speed which is usually normal and isn't a big deal for most people.


Ethernet is better than Wi-Fi
Whenever possible, always connect your computer directly into your router. This avoids any interference and gives you the fastest possible connection. Ethernet cables are pretty cheap and usually only cost between $5 and $15 on websites like Amazon and you can get them in lengths between 10 feet and 100 feet which should be plenty to connect your computer directly into your router.


Use a Cat-6 or Higher Ethernet Cable
Older Ethernet cables don't support speeds higher than 100 MBPS so if you're using an outdated Ethernet cable, there's no way you'll be seeing speeds higher than 100 MBPS. Pretty much all modern Ethernet cables that you'd buy in the store brand new are going to support speeds 1 GBPS (1000 MBPS) or higher.

So how do you know if an Ethernet cable is good enough? Usually, but not always, it's going to be thicker. It should have 8 pins at the ends and not 4 (if you see 4 empty slots, you need a better Ethernet cable).

When shopping for a new cable, make sure it's Category 6 or higher. Usually if you're shopping online, it'll let you know what speeds the cable supports. If you need speeds of up to 10 GBPS, then go with Category 7.


5GHz is better than 2.4 GHz
If you have to use Wi-Fi, then use the 5GHz wireless frequency if possible. Not all devices can connect to a 5GHz connection and not all routers support it but it's way better than the 2.4 GHz. 2.4 GHz is a crowded frequency since a lot of devices use it (almost every wireless device such as phones) and a lot of appliances can interfere with it (such as microwaves). 5GHz is also just a lot faster and more reliable.


Router Location is Important with Wi-Fi
If you're using Wifi, then the location of your router and everything between you and it are important to consider. If you have a lot of devices throughout your house that need to connect to the router, then the best location is probably somewhere closest to the center of your house. Your router should also be high up and have as few objects near it as possible. You want as few things between your computer and your router as possible and you want it to be the shortest distance possible too. So try to avoid having a lot of walls, metal objects and other objects that these frequencies have troubles traveling through in between your device and the router.


Update Your Network Adapter
If your Network Adapter driver is outdated, it may need to be updated in order to increase your computers network speeds. For details on how to do this, go here: http://www.ehow.com/how_6669386_update-network-adapter-drivers.html


Adjust and/or Update Router or Upgrade
Some routers, especially older ones, may not support higher connection speeds. In situations like this, your only option is to upgrade. Some routers that do support higher connection speeds may need to have settings adjusted or may need to be updated.


If your internet provider recently updated your speed and you're not seeing the affects, here's what you can do to make it kick in.


Unplug Everything for 30 Seconds
Sometimes your devices need to be restarted in order for an update connection speed to kick in. Here are a few things you can do to make sure that it takes affect:
-Unplug Modem and/or Router for 30 seconds
-Unplug Modem from Wall
-Shut down computer, wait 30 seconds and then turn it back on

In some situations, all of the above things may need to take place at the same time. If all of this doesn't work, then try resetting your router by holding the reset button for 5-15 seconds (you may need to use a pointy device).

It's always a good habit to try and restart your computer every once in a while because the longer it's on, the more likely it'll have issues. It's also a good habit to restart your internet browser often, especially if you play browser games or games in the Vizzed Retro Game Room.

Staff : If anyone ever complains about having netplay issues, refer them to this thread. This will give them tips on how they can decrease netplay lag and delay.

Barely above 51 MBPS, so that means roughly 6 MB per second. No wonder why I have so many issues with netplay.

I'll take care of restarting my computer every so often. Right now, it's been on for +10 hours straight, and lately I have started to notice some issues when going +15 hours straight. 

About the wifi, since my computer is +5 years old, it's highly possible I don't have access to 5GHz. Since you provided some helpful links, anything you could provide to check what wifi frequency I'm using and how can I know if my computer can connect to it? 

EX Palen : Check the name of the network you're connecting to, sometimes the frequency number is in the name of the actual network name. If your router offers more than 1 frequency to connect to, it'll usually show up more than once in your available networks list.

You could also try researching your router to see if it even supports 5GHz.

Wow, the results that website give me for download are SO MUCH different from what the task manager tells me (21 MBPS). The upload is fairly accurate however; are there ways to boost THAT? It would be useful for uploading videos quicker so it does not drain my browsing capacities to dial-up speeds.

janus : Doing the things mentioned in this thread could potentially boost upload speeds as well but if your max upload speed is low then it probably wont make a big difference.

The weird thing about uploading is that for most people, it slows down their download speed if their upload speed is being maxed out. Whenever possible, try and set your upload speed to be no more than 80% of what your max upload speed is. It's not possible to do this with your internet browsers by default and you would need to get an addon of some sort to do this. When using a Torrent or Filezilla, it's pretty easy to manually adjust the upload and download speeds of those programs.

Wow, I'm only at 42ms and download speed of 5.08 mbps. No wonder I have lag issues with netplay. Anyways thanks for making this thread. It makes things much easier to understand.

gamerforlifeforever2 : That's not the best ping but it could be worst. I get between 20 and 30 ms. Did you make sure it selected a server nearest your location?

Davideo7 : I did. Also, I went ahead and tested it again, and this time I got 51 ms and 5.05 mbps. I wonder why it's different now than earlier?

gamerforlifeforever2 : The time of day can be affected I think. Also, was there anyone using your connection during the 2nd time? Others using the same network can have an impact on it as well.

Yeah there was. That's probably why. I'm the only one still awake where I live, so that could be why I guess.

EX Palen : That's not slow...that is way above average. My connection is 50MBPS down/ 25 MBPS up...its more than enough for netplay and streaming at the same time.

Davideo7 : That ping seems a bit high. For purposes of the speed test, it seems like it should be lower.


janus : Are you on Wi-Fi? My laptop gets 1/2 the speed even with a 5ghz 300MB/s connection.

Vanelan : How close the server your connecting to has a lot to do with the ping. The closest server that the site had available was around 40 miles away. 27 ms for me does seem high but I get 9 ms when I do a speed test on this site: http://speedtest.comcast.net/

Davideo7 : Ah, that makes sense now.
I have I think 6 servers on speedtest that are within 10 miles...I assumed that there would be at least 1 within 10-20 miles. ^^;

On the comcast one, my upload is off their gauge at 28.98. xD

I forgot to say in the other post, great guide.
Just resetting the modem/router will probably do wonders for a lot of users.

I wanted to add that wifi devices shouldn't be too close to a router. About 3-4 feet (that's approximately 1 meter for you metric people) away should be sufficient.

Also, Cat 5E network cable is a bit cheaper these days and does support 1GB.
I would recommend Cat 6 however. Cat 6 and Cat 5/5e are both compatible with each other if you have both types in your house, but Cat 6 is superior for many reasons I won't get into...so its worth that extra 15-20% you might pay for it.

Vanelan : But you don't have to connect to a server that is an ocean away. This is the main reason why I'm so interested in my own server.

I ran a speedtest now that I have just turned on my computer for the day, and got +300 MBPS, which is more than triple of what it offers after a long day. It concerns me that the ping is 21 ms, since the server is in my own city.

On a side note, my router doesn't have the 5 GHz option, which seems strange as it's not more than 2 years old. Guess I'll have to deal with it.

EX Palen : Are you using wifi?
From what we were talking about yesterday, it sounded like you are on a desktop computer...not a laptop.

This thread makes me so happy. :')


This is a great guide! And I'll certainly be linking people to it. Resetting the router solves 90% of my computer issues.

As a former HSi support tech, everything makes sense to me. One thing to always remember when power-cycling Internet equipment is to go ahead and restart the modem first, then the router if you're not using an Internet gateway.

I am glad you posted this to be honest, I need to do just about everything you posted here geez. I recently moved and just got internet and did not worry about any of these. Thank you for the router tip- mine is on the floor behind the tv surrounded by all the console wires and metal tv stand so not the best set up. I will take those tips and place it higher above the tv. Thanks!