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The Speed You Need: Understanding Internet Connections & Online Gaming

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With games like Fortnite and Destiny 2 taking the world by storm over the last few years, it’s easy to see that gamers are starting to find it hard to accept games which don’t have online features. Of course, for those who like to play with their friends, this is great, as it gives you the chance to enjoy loads of games with the people you care about. Along with this, though, it also raises questions for some people. As one of the biggest, a lot of people aren’t sure how fast they need to have their internet connection.

To begin the process of deciding something like this, it’s important to first get an idea of how an internet connection is measured. Speed can mean a handful of different things, and it isn’t always the network itself which could be slowing things down, making it crucial that you do your research before you start buying higher speeds. Download speeds are what you tend to pay for when you buy pricier packages, but this is really a measure of your bandwidth, rather than the speed. The most realistic statistic to look at when you’re thinking about speed is known as ping, and this is measured by recording the time it takes for a message to be sent between your machine and a remote server.

Once you have an idea of what the different terms being used mean, you can start to think about what a game actually needs. In most cases, you won’t be using much bandwidth when you’re in game, even when it comes to very large titles. You’ve already downloaded all of the data you need, making it easier for your computer to keep the network requirements down nice and low. Ping will be important, though, as you need to be able to know what other players are doing very quickly, or the game won’t be very fun.

This means that a super high-speed internet connection isn’t really required for gaming. This will help when you’re downloading a game, as it will make it go faster, but it won’t always improve your experience inside the game.  For instance, if you’re just playing mahjong online as a time killer, you won’t need super speed to play well.  If you have very poor ping, you could think about changing your home network to see if that is where the issue lies. Being wired is much better than a wireless connection, and can save a lot of money considering internet pricing in most places. You need this resource to play the games you love, but you don’t need it to be the very best money can buy.

This post should give you everything you need to get started on choosing the right internet connection for your gaming needs. Speed isn’t the only important feature you should be looking for, with this statistic being much more important for streaming TV and movies, especially with the way that modern games are being built. Of course, though, you should still spend some time thinking about the needs you have outside of gaming, as this will be important, too.

Approximately 31% of people in the United States lack a broadband internet connection to their home. For those adapting to working or learning from home, the need for a reliable internet connection has never been so pertinent. Keeping this in mind, experts have created an all-in-one resource that highlights everything to know about the availability of home wifi, including:

See it at the link: https://geekalabama.com/2018/11/07/the-speed-you-need-understanding-internet-connections-online-gaming/

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