Online gaming has become a part of our daily lives. Not only does it aid in social skills development but also because it encourages teamwork. It can teach leadership and the ability to deal with unexpected issues. Additionally, online gaming has become easier than ever. Nowadays, you can buy whatever game you want from the comfort of your home. Online video game stores like YuPlay offer endless gaming possibilities, whether searching for the newest release or a classic title. Online gamers know that having problems with lag and ping when gaming is common. It results in lower-quality gameplay, and you can even end up losing the game. Think about it; a higher ping rate means players could be appearing, jumping around, and disappearing all the time.
You wouldn’t be able to tell what your opponents are even doing—let alone work out a strategy to defeat them.
Now, all that seems fine, but what even is ping?
We’re glad you asked! Ping is nothing but the measure of your connection speed, or more simply stated, your latency! If that still feels confusing to you, don’t worry; in this article, we’re going to study ping in a little more detail and talk about how to reduce it so that you can enjoy much smoother gameplay, including using a Canada VPN!
Let’s start by talking about what ping is.
What is ping?
Many internet users assume that the only way to judge whether you have fast or slow internet is by how fast or slow you can download or upload stuff or stream videos online—however, there’s so much more that goes into it.
Another critical factor is ping—which, in other words, can be called the reaction time. If let’s suppose you have a ping rate of 98ms, that means 98 milliseconds is how long your computer has taken to respond to a request sent over by another computer.
This clarifies that the lower your ping, the faster your internet connection will be. Now, speed is also something that is of high importance when it comes to gaming. This is why many online games show your ping as you play.
If your ping rate is between 100 to 150, you have a high ping rate, which will cause trouble for your gameplay. Ideally, it would help if you had a ping rate between 20 and 50 depending on what game you’re playing to ensure that it runs smoothly.
Now, even though the ping rate is important—there will be times when your game will just show a high ping rate, translating into a less-than-ideal internet connection. But don’t worry!
In the following section, we will go over some ways to lower your ping rates while gaming online.
How to reduce ping while gaming online
Move closer to the router
This one goes without saying. If you’re far away from your Wi-Fi router, moving closer could help. This is because distance, walls, and certain materials can hinder your internet signal. Decreasing the space between yourself and your router is the best way to boost your internet speeds and ping rate.
It is also important to note here that while this isn’t the best way to fix your ping rate, it is generally a good rule of thumb to try this step out before moving on to further methods.
Close background programs and websites
You might not realize that many platforms and programs like Netflix and YouTube are heavy on your bandwidth and will affect your ping rate. If you have these programs, along with other apps and websites running in the background of your website, this could be the reason you’re getting a high ping rate.
To counter this, close all your background programs and see if that helps. Again, this is not the ideal method to reduce your ping rate, but it is an excellent routine step to eliminate any minor issues.
Reduce the number of devices using Wi-Fi
Some routers are lighter than others and can only support so many devices. If you have a lot of devices connected to the same router, this could be another reason you’re getting a higher ping.
Even though the best thing is to use an ethernet connection when you’re gaming for optimum speeds, however, reducing the load on your router should help a great deal too! Either put other connected devices on airplane mode, or completely disconnect them; this should help!
Use a VPN
A Canada VPN will connect you to the internet through a remote and secure server. This means that you can be anonymous on the internet landscape and easily bypass ISP throttling.
This will mean that you can enjoy unlimited bandwidth at any point in time, which will, in turn, reduce your ping, letting you enjoy a smooth, fast, and high-quality gaming experience.
