If you enjoy fast-paced gaming online, live streaming your sessions, and downloading new games, you need a reliable, speedy network that doesn’t lag. If you’re struggling to get a smooth gaming experience despite having a good internet plan, your wireless network could be to blame. Next-gen consoles like the PlayStation 5 Pro and Xbox Series X/S push data faster than ever, making weak connections a disruption.
If you’ve been frustrated with lagging games or slow updates, this guide will help you finally get your network to perform as well as your consoles.
Wire your connection whenever possible
Wired Ethernet connections outperform wireless on every level, including speed, reliability, strength, and latency. Wired connections eliminate interference and the quality of the connection isn’t lost in space.
Provided you have a good service package, hardwiring your consoles should satisfy your gaming bandwidth needs. In fact, according to tests, using a hardwired connection results in the greatest increase in download speed out of eight total techniques. In one test, Destiny 2 was downloaded on PlayStation 5 using a wired and Wi-Fi connection. It took 43 minutes to download on Wi-Fi, but only 28 minutes on Ethernet.
Ethernet cables provide superior speed
Other options for increasing speed include connecting to 5 GHz Wi-Fi, reducing the number of devices on your network, and placing your modem closer to your console. Although these options sometimes work, an Ethernet cable produces the most significant improvement.
If you need to hardwire your console with a cable longer than 165 feet, try using a Cat5e cable. Cat6 cables have a higher max frequency (250 MHz) and higher max speed (10 Gbps), but the connection will start to degrade at around 165 feet. Cat5e cables don’t experience degradation until around 328 feet.
If a hardwired connection isn’t an option, a proper Wi-Fi setup is crucial.
Router position matters
Rather than moving closer to your router, consider moving your router to a better location. Often, routers are located in areas that block and weaken the signal, but once you find the sweet spot, you can enjoy better speeds.
Put your router in a central location in your home, away from walls, and out in the open. You want the signal to easily travel throughout the house without being stopped by barriers like appliances, metal doors, and other objects.
Prioritize 5 GHz for gaming
If you have a dual-band router, it will automatically assign your gaming console to whatever band it thinks it needs most. It won’t always be the one you want. To control which band you connect to, separate the 2.4 GHz band from the 5 GHz band with distinct network SSIDs. This way, you can choose which band to connect to and avoid being assigned to the slower band.
Use better DNS servers
Default Domain Name System (DNS) servers aren’t always fast enough for a smooth gaming experience. If your internet service provider’s DNS is slow or overloaded, your console will take longer to connect to servers and download updates. Thankfully, you can change your DNS to get faster downloads, lower ping, and eliminate lag.
Cloudflare (1.1.1.1), Google DNS (8.8.8.8) and OpenDNS (208.67.222.222) are commonly used to speed things up.
How to change DNS settings
On a PlayStation 5, go to Settings > Network > Settings > Set Up Internet Connection > (choose your connection) > Advanced Settings > Set DNS manually
On an Xbox Series X/S, go to Settings > General > Network settings > Advanced settings > DNS settings > choose “Manual” and then enter your new DNS servers.
After changing the DNS servers, run a network test to compare download and ping speeds. You should see faster response times, especially during peak times when your ISP servers tend to slow down.
Get a gaming router
Specialized gaming routers aren’t just regular routers with a new label for marketing purposes. They’re actually different. For example, the NetDuma routers allow you to customize your network settings to meet your specific gaming requirements. With geo-filtering, you can connect only to specific servers and block undesirable servers, optimize ping, and prioritize the 5 GHz band.
Level up your gaming network
While a hardwired Ethernet connection is the gold standard, sometimes it’s not an option. In that case, a strategic Wi-Fi setup that prioritizes the 5 GHz band, optimizes network settings, and makes use of the right hardware can perform well.
Whether you use Ethernet or Wi-Fi, the goal is to minimize lag, speed up downloads, and keep your sessions glitch-free.
Once your network is optimized, you’ll be free to play without worrying about long update times, annoying lag, or a dropped connection.