I set up a mesh router pair a while back - super easy setup, and the speed is good enough to have multiple TVs streaming at once, and without needing to run cables between rooms… Worth it.
The problem with wireless isn’t speed anymore, its stability. For a lot of applications that’s fine since buffering and whatnot hides any hiccups. but gaming for example is a nightmare on wireless still.
I’ve been playing FPS exclusively on wireless for almost 15 years (802.11n 5ghz) and stability has been fine unless you set up your access point far away from your gaming PC for some reason.
Back then you had to get a pretty nice wireless router to do it, but it still worked fine.
Now days even relatively cheap routers will let you game just fine unless you set up far away from the AP and you’re in a pro tournament.
If you arent sensitive to jitter, packet loss, etc., and the various ways games react to it, then im happy for you.
Personally, i and many others hate it. It only takes 1 rubber band moment in a shooter to ruin a round, it only takes 1 round to lose a match. Even if you aren’t playing super sweaty, its not fun. Even my wife who only games casually noticed the difference between wireless vs wired in a few different shooters after i ran a wire to her new desk. And we do have a good setup overall.
Dude, what you’re describing is not a “good setup overall”.
I know I’m not sweaty, but what you’re talking about goes beyond being “sensitive” or not. Wtf is wrong with your wifi that you’re getting any packet loss.
I just ran a speed test multiple times from my phone in another room, and got jitter under 20ms, and packet loss between 0% and 0.1%
My gaming PC with external antenna in the same room as my wireless AP is going to get even better results.
edit:
for kicks i tested my wireless gaming PC too:
ping: 2ms
jitter: 0ms
packet loss: 0%
So I’m curious what kind of performance you’re expecting to be noticeable to a casual or even sweaty non-pro player.
Testing on my phone with a few different services: 0.0 to 0.2% packet loss. 9 to 12 ms jitter. Ping 5 to 25. (Edit: also this is same room but with 4k tv wireless streaming going on)
I’m not claiming to be a network expert on why wireless is noticably worse in practice, i picked out packet loss, jitter, etc randomly, i assumed that’s how it manifests. but i’d suspect these tests aren’t indicative of actual game netcode. They are short too. The whole point is the stability. If i play for 15 minutes no issue but suddenly have a single rubberband, thats an issue which may not show up in 100 tests.
On wireless i can feel that pretty much every session. Everything fine for a while, then not for a moment, then fine, etc.
On wired i only have an issue if the server itself or my isp itself is having an issue.
Are you connected over 5ghz or 2.4?
2.4ghz overlaps with other consumer devices that cause interference, like microwaves, drones, and cordless (landline) phones. If one of those devices turns on nearby, it could cause that until your router hops bands.
I haven’t had this problem with 5ghz (so for over a decade, on my gaming PC).
Yeah ive had 5ghz for ages as well. Use a channel scan to try and avoid my couple neighbors, Pretty decent hardware (not isp junk). House is small so max distance is only 1 wall and ~15ft.
Honestly id just guess you arent as sensitive to it. Are you the type who doesn’t notice other types of screen related feeling stuff too? Like 60fps vs 120+, input lag, or screen tearing, micro stutter, macro blocking, soap opera effect, etc.?
I’ve known plenty of people who are more or less sensitive to all the various ways things fuck up.
If you are sensitive to the other things, then who the hell knows lol.
I don’t imagine I’m especially sensitive to those kinds of things, but I don’t expect I’m especially insensitive to them either.
I personally feel like it’s hard to get gamers to honestly self report these things, since being able to notice them is caught up on a lot of macho gamer ego bullshit. Whenever I see semi-rigurous tests, it turns out that people over report how sensitive they are.
So do I notice those things? Yeah, I think I do, but I’m not confident in my ability to self report it.
Have I ever experienced things like rubber banding and lag in the last decade? Of course. But rarely can I attribute it to the wireless network rather than server issues, since typically it’ll go away when I change servers.
I will say that, personally, I don’t find a lot of value in >120fps unless it’s important to read a lot of moving text quickly.
I set up a mesh router pair a while back - super easy setup, and the speed is good enough to have multiple TVs streaming at once, and without needing to run cables between rooms… Worth it.
The problem with wireless isn’t speed anymore, its stability. For a lot of applications that’s fine since buffering and whatnot hides any hiccups. but gaming for example is a nightmare on wireless still.
I’ve been playing FPS exclusively on wireless for almost 15 years (802.11n 5ghz) and stability has been fine unless you set up your access point far away from your gaming PC for some reason.
Back then you had to get a pretty nice wireless router to do it, but it still worked fine.
Now days even relatively cheap routers will let you game just fine unless you set up far away from the AP and you’re in a pro tournament.
If you arent sensitive to jitter, packet loss, etc., and the various ways games react to it, then im happy for you.
Personally, i and many others hate it. It only takes 1 rubber band moment in a shooter to ruin a round, it only takes 1 round to lose a match. Even if you aren’t playing super sweaty, its not fun. Even my wife who only games casually noticed the difference between wireless vs wired in a few different shooters after i ran a wire to her new desk. And we do have a good setup overall.
Dude, what you’re describing is not a “good setup overall”.
I know I’m not sweaty, but what you’re talking about goes beyond being “sensitive” or not. Wtf is wrong with your wifi that you’re getting any packet loss.
I just ran a speed test multiple times from my phone in another room, and got jitter under 20ms, and packet loss between 0% and 0.1%
My gaming PC with external antenna in the same room as my wireless AP is going to get even better results.
edit: for kicks i tested my wireless gaming PC too:
ping: 2ms
jitter: 0ms
packet loss: 0%
So I’m curious what kind of performance you’re expecting to be noticeable to a casual or even sweaty non-pro player.
Testing on my phone with a few different services: 0.0 to 0.2% packet loss. 9 to 12 ms jitter. Ping 5 to 25. (Edit: also this is same room but with 4k tv wireless streaming going on)
I’m not claiming to be a network expert on why wireless is noticably worse in practice, i picked out packet loss, jitter, etc randomly, i assumed that’s how it manifests. but i’d suspect these tests aren’t indicative of actual game netcode. They are short too. The whole point is the stability. If i play for 15 minutes no issue but suddenly have a single rubberband, thats an issue which may not show up in 100 tests.
On wireless i can feel that pretty much every session. Everything fine for a while, then not for a moment, then fine, etc.
On wired i only have an issue if the server itself or my isp itself is having an issue.
Are you connected over 5ghz or 2.4?
2.4ghz overlaps with other consumer devices that cause interference, like microwaves, drones, and cordless (landline) phones. If one of those devices turns on nearby, it could cause that until your router hops bands.
I haven’t had this problem with 5ghz (so for over a decade, on my gaming PC).
Yeah ive had 5ghz for ages as well. Use a channel scan to try and avoid my couple neighbors, Pretty decent hardware (not isp junk). House is small so max distance is only 1 wall and ~15ft.
Honestly id just guess you arent as sensitive to it. Are you the type who doesn’t notice other types of screen related feeling stuff too? Like 60fps vs 120+, input lag, or screen tearing, micro stutter, macro blocking, soap opera effect, etc.?
I’ve known plenty of people who are more or less sensitive to all the various ways things fuck up.
If you are sensitive to the other things, then who the hell knows lol.
I don’t imagine I’m especially sensitive to those kinds of things, but I don’t expect I’m especially insensitive to them either.
I personally feel like it’s hard to get gamers to honestly self report these things, since being able to notice them is caught up on a lot of macho gamer ego bullshit. Whenever I see semi-rigurous tests, it turns out that people over report how sensitive they are.
So do I notice those things? Yeah, I think I do, but I’m not confident in my ability to self report it.
Have I ever experienced things like rubber banding and lag in the last decade? Of course. But rarely can I attribute it to the wireless network rather than server issues, since typically it’ll go away when I change servers.
I will say that, personally, I don’t find a lot of value in >120fps unless it’s important to read a lot of moving text quickly.