How to get rid of lag?

[nibbler]

I play ET online and I have been lagging like hell recently. Normal ping 60 and I drop out to 999 all the time plus lag spikes. Im on a wi-fi network and it's a good connection so I wouldn't have though that would be the cause. I'm 8 m away from the router and I have a good adapter with an arial. The problem I think is AOL. I get 8mbits supposedly. I'll get 6 on a good day and on a bad day I get less than one. Do I have any grounds for complaint? How should i fix this?

[mikemikemi]

Anymore info? You say recently so it didn't do this previously? Have you changed anything?

[nibbler]

No everything has stayed the same. It's just been particularly bad this weekend. I wish it was consistent because I keep starting matches and then having to quit
It happens from time to time that I get an unplayable connection like this.

[DaemonLee]

If the advertised speed is higher then what you're getting (and the guaranteed speed), I would file a complaint with AOL.

[mikemikemi]

You could always try using an ethernet cable and check whether it's the wifi as it has been known to cause lag problems.

What router are you using? Is there a firmware update for it? Or are there any QoS setting you can apply?

[DaemonLee]

If the advertised speed is higher then what you're getting (and the guaranteed speed), I would file a complaint with AOL.

Nibbler, first off for being my first EVER thank you. But, what I really meant to clarify further, is that if you're not getting your advertised speed, it could be classified as a breach of TOS (Terms of Service) and or a few months back in free service or $XX off your bill.

[oolon]

In adverts here they are careful to say "up to XXX", meaning unless your sitting on top of the exchange you will not get the maximum speed. Complaining can't do any harm, do you have a friend whos connection you to try out to compare lag. Do you have an unbunded connection or a BT resold one? As this effects which network the traffic goes over.

[circuitmonkey]

Wow, I'm not the only one playing this still then.
I've been having the problem recently, all be it over Ethernet and ADSL
IIRC there where some settings that needed to be changed in ET to work well with ADSL

I'll try and dig out the settings, I didn't actually get round to changing it myself, and every Tuesday night (when we play) its to late to do anything about it

[circuitmonkey]

Ok, just to clarify, is this RTCW:ET or ET:Quake Wars?

if it's the former, have a look at this ... http://www.planetwolfenstein.com/fea...q_et.shtml#lag

If the later, I have no idea!

I'll be giving it a go tonight and can report back if you like.

[Phage]

Strangely, I've no problem this week with pings and connections in ETQW but huge problems in Steam games.
Ethernet connection to no-name router on ADSL line from BT re-seller.

[nibbler]

It's RTCW: ET
I have been playing 2 years so it's more down to the connection than the game. I'm on a mac atm, i'll have a look at that link later. Thanks for suggestions, could it just be wifi being pants?

[Lee H]

I reckon it could be down to the fact your using wireless for the connection.

More and more people are now starting to use wireless thanks to ISP's giving out routers and whatnot with wireless enabled and I can see this myself at home as my PC picks upto 16 different networks in the local area, and they all use the same channels as well.

Not only this, but because wireless is on the 2.4 Ghz frequency, things like cordless phones and even microwaves can cause interference and this can cause lag and ping spikes if the data packets need to be resent again.

I would advise getting a network cable, connecting the PC to the router in this manner and checking if the ping spikes still occur.

[nibbler]

I play etpro anyway and the rate is fixed at 2500 on the 2.60b patch anyway. Bah, there gos my med skill

[nibbler]

It's RTCW: ET
I have been playing 2 years so it's more down to the connection than the game. I'm on a mac atm, i'll have a look at that link later. Thanks for suggestions, could it just be wifi being pants?

Strangely I cannot thank you, but thankyou
Homeplug would have the same effect? My parents don't want to run an ethernet cable

[Phage]

+1 for homeplug. Should be fine for gaming provided you house wiring wasn't done by Catweazle.

[nibbler]

Haha, it is a victorian house, who knows