How fast does the internet need to be for smooth online gaming? How many Mbps is enough?
In today's context, especially in Thailand, our internet service already provides enough speed for gaming. Online games don't require a lot of bandwidth; typically, speeds of 10-20 Mbps for download and 5-10 Mbps for upload are more than sufficient. What truly matters is the quality of your Internet Service Provider (ISP). It's crucial to know whether they offer quality servers, maintain stability, and deliver satisfactory ping rates for gaming.
What factors affect the speed of the internet?
- Internet Service Provider (ISP)
While this factor doesn't typically have a significant impact on gaming, choosing a higher-quality ISP in your area can be crucial, potentially determining wins and losses. For example, in Province A, if Provider 1 has a more stable signal than Provider 2, it's better to choose Provider 1. This is especially important in games where frames per second and split-second decisions matter. Different ISPs offer various services and features, so you should consider multiple factors like price, speed, latency, reliability, availability, and data allowances.
- Multiple Internet Users at Home
Even if you've chosen a high-quality ISP with a fast internet package, having multiple people using the internet at home can lead to bandwidth competition. If one person is downloading movies while another is downloading games, this can slow down your internet and cause latency issues. In this case, upgrading to a higher-tier package with more bandwidth might be the best solution.
- LAN Cable > WiFi
If your computer is far from the router or in an area with weak WiFi signals from the router, or if you want to minimize latency while gaming, using a LAN cable is a better option. It can be considered as a 'back to basics' approach that always works.
Despite all the factors mentioned earlier, even if you have good internet, there's one thing that can significantly impact gaming, which is 'latency or ping.' However, you need to understand that high bandwidth doesn't necessarily mean lower ping. It also depends on the distance over which the data is being transmitted.
To explain the term 'Bandwidth' in simple terms
let's use an analogy. Suppose you want to send water from point A to point B. The easiest way to do this is through a 'pipe,' which can vary in size, with different diameters. The wider the pipe's diameter, the more water it can carry. If the pipe is narrow, it will carry less water.
In the context of computer networks, bandwidth is like the 'pipe' through which data is transmitted between points. The speed of data transfer is measured in bits per second. For example, if an internet service provider offers a speed of 300/300 Mbps, it means that within one second, it can transfer 300 million bits of data. Simply put, 'the higher the number, the better.'
To avoid confusion, let's explain further. The amount of data transfer or data volume is usually measured in bytes. For example, terms like 10 MB (10 megabytes) or 10 GB (10 gigabytes) are common. Note that 1 byte is equivalent to 8 bits.
So why does buying an internet package with a high bandwidth still result in the same ping?
Let's simplify this to clarify. We already know what bandwidth is, but let's discuss what ping is. Ping, or latency, measures the response time between the service provider's server and your computer or mobile device. It is measured in milliseconds (ms). People who use the internet for real-time content, like live streaming or gaming, are quite concerned about this value. If the ping value is high, it indicates a slow response, while a low value indicates a fast response. This is the opposite of bandwidth.
Next, let's consider why having high bandwidth still results in the same ping. The answer lies in 'distance.' If there's a significant distance between your location and the server, the data has to pass through many nodes, which increases the ping.
To illustrate, let's look at gaming examples:
- Suppose you're playing RoV on a Thai server while you're in Thailand. The ping will likely be stable and not too high. However, if you travel to another country, like Japan, even though it's in the same continent, the ping can jump to 200-500+ ms despite having the same internet speed and bandwidth. This is because the distance from your location to the destination server is greater.
- If you're in Thailand and want to play the same game on a U.S. server, your internet speed and bandwidth might be the same, but your ping will be significantly higher compared to those playing from the U.S., due to the greater distance.
So how do we solve the problem of high ping?
Using a VPN to connect to the destination server can be the solution.
When you use a VPN to connect to the destination server, it can help reroute data in a way that is more efficient, potentially reducing ping. Lower ping means computers can interact more quickly. It doesn't directly affect the data transfer speed, which depends on bandwidth, but it does have an indirect effect. This is because data transfer involves acknowledging receipt of a packet before the next one is sent. If the ping is high, this process takes longer.
To summarize:
- Ping is crucial for online gaming. The lower the ping, the better.
- Bandwidth affects how fast you can download/upload data and load websites. The higher the bandwidth, the better.
