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The Graveyard - Products No Longer Supported => Routers / COVR => DIR-655 => Topic started by: wtburnette on March 23, 2010, 09:13:37 AM

Title: Is wireless N fast enough for gaming?
Post by: wtburnette on March 23, 2010, 09:13:37 AM
I'm currently using a Linksys WRT54GS router (I think that's the model) and it works decently, but my son with a computer in the next room can't play FPS games on it without lagginess and periodic disconnects.  I was wondering if the speed boost in going from G to N would provide him with smooth gaming?  Also, is there a need to go dual band?  I've heard 5Ghz would be better, though it would have a smaller broadcast range.  Trying to prevent having to drill a hole in the wall between his bedroom and our office to run a cable... ;)
Title: Re: Is wireless N fast enough for gaming?
Post by: thecreator on March 23, 2010, 11:20:45 AM
I'm currently using a Linksys WRT54GS router (I think that's the model) and it works decently, but my son with a computer in the next room can't play FPS games on it without lagginess and periodic disconnects.  I was wondering if the speed boost in going from G to N would provide him with smooth gaming?  Also, is there a need to go dual band?  I've heard 5Ghz would be better, though it would have a smaller broadcast range.  Trying to prevent having to drill a hole in the wall between his bedroom and our office to run a cable... ;)

Hi wtburnette,

You posted to the wrong Company's Forum for this question!

You need to post here: http://forums.linksysbycisco.com/linksys/board?board.id=Wireless_Routers (http://forums.linksysbycisco.com/linksys/board?board.id=Wireless_Routers)

You can check out the D-Link Router here: http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=681 (http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=681)
Title: Re: Is wireless N fast enough for gaming?
Post by: wtburnette on March 23, 2010, 12:32:14 PM
Sorry to have not been clear.  My current router is a G router.  I'm thinking of upgrading to an N router, specifically the DIR-655, which is why I chose to post in this forum... ;)

So with that in mind, can someone answer my question?  Would wireless N be fast enough for gaming on?  Thanks!
Title: Re: Is wireless N fast enough for gaming?
Post by: davevt31 on March 23, 2010, 02:07:25 PM
Any wireless in FPS's is going to have some lag.  Most people I hear from say that when they use their wireless to connect with that its not worth playing.
Title: Re: Is wireless N fast enough for gaming?
Post by: wtburnette on March 23, 2010, 02:49:09 PM
Rats, that's not what I wanted to hear... :(

Guess I'll have to just stick with my G router and drill a hole through the wall for my son's computer to hook into.
Title: Re: Is wireless N fast enough for gaming?
Post by: ewerner on March 23, 2010, 06:43:48 PM
I use my N for gaming... set it channel 11 Less interference on that channel.

I would give it a try with the G and see if anyone in the game complains.

If they don't your good To go

Regards

EW
Title: Re: Is wireless N fast enough for gaming?
Post by: Sammydad1 on March 23, 2010, 08:36:53 PM
Hi,

Dont be drilling that hole quite so fast.....

The facts are this:  Your Internet speed is the issue, not the wireless speed.  Even at real world speeds (roughly 1/3 of the advertised "Hype", say 18 Mbps for .11G's 54 Mbps) your internet speed is likely to be only 3 Mbps depending on your level of service....

My cable internet speed is 8 Mbps so even still, .11G is far faster than that....

If you do drill the hole for a wired connection, make sure its the size of the connector and not the wire or the connector wont fit thru the hole....
Title: Re: Is wireless N fast enough for gaming?
Post by: stormeffect on March 23, 2010, 09:00:18 PM
Even at G speeds, your router probably runs at a higher bandwidth than your internet can provide.

The issue at hand is latency: how long it takes for data to travel from your son's computer to the FPS game server.

A stronger signal improves latency (makes it lower). A reasonable signal from any router (above 70%) should be fine for gaming. Most competitive FPS players I've known always try to play at less than 80 milliseconds of latency. A good internet connection should give you something like 30-50 milliseconds of latency, the router will add AT MAX something like 5-10 ms latency. So, even in the worst case, your router is adding an imperceptible amount of latency to the game. Of course, this is provided you have a strong signal between the computer and the router.

Ideally, a DIR-655 should help by boosting the signal to your son's PC and stopping the disconnects. In the past I'd recommend it without question, I'm not quite sure what your experience will be with the newest models and the newest firmware. While the 1.33NA firmware (the newest) has corrected most of the issues I used to have with the DIR-655, I can't guarantee this will be your experience.
Title: Re: Is wireless N fast enough for gaming?
Post by: wtburnette on March 24, 2010, 06:57:22 AM
Thanks for all the replies. 

Here is the deal, my son can play just fine on a wired connection.  Plenty of bandwidth for both he and I to both be on our own computers with wired connections, both in the same game playing together.  We've done this for years and have had no issues.  We recently moved his desk and computer to the room next door to where the router is located.  With a wireless G card connecting him to the G network and excellent signal strength, the game is too laggy plus he is now getting frequent disconnects.  We ran a long cable from the office to his new location and everything ran fine again.  My bandwidth testing shows that we get 16Mbps download speed and 2.9Mbps upload speed, which should be more then enough bandwidth.  I had tried a netgear WNDR3700 dual band router recently, but it is defective or incompatible with my modem because I can't get any good speed out of it, wired or wireless.  I'm thinking of taking it back today and getting either the 655 or 825 to see if my luck is any better.