How to lower the ping and play well on the smartphone

The ping they spike lag have always been two enemies of players engaged in sense competitive. In fact, playing on a network with significant latencies can deteriorate the quality of the gaming experience, falsifying the outcome of the interaction and compromising performance. Equally deleterious are those situations in which the intensity of the network is not stable: in these circumstances, maybe you play well for most of the time, but then, inexorably, that moment arrives in which the lag suddenly rises, perhaps together with a key moment in competitive play.

Modern mobile games can no longer be called gods casual games. They have futuristic graphics engines that move thousands of polygons like console and PC games, and often include multiplayer game modes that require dedication and a processing system that is extremely responsive. The smartphones today enjoy high refresh rate screens, in order to bring the player interaction to the screen as fast as possible. And the same is required of the Wifi connectionthe only possible way of interaction between smartphone and internet connection.

Specifically, games like Fortnite or the now imminent Call of Duty: Warzone Mobileas well as Diablo Immortal they require the player to directly interact with game situations without delays and any kind of filtering. This is only possible if the Wi-Fi network to which the smartphone is connected is configured well and is supplied by a device capable of guaranteeing the minimum necessary performance.

This aspect is measured with the concept of ping (Packet Internet Grouper), i.e. the time a data packet takes to reach its destination measured from the instant it is sent. Not only does the internet connection have its own latency time, but also the connection between the smartphone and the internet-connected Wi-Fi router introduces its own latency time: if the ping with respect to the internet is difficult to control (because it depends on factors external to the home connection), the ping to the router can be optimized.

Furthermore, the quality of the internet connection is also judged on the basis of a second parameter in addition to the ping, namely the jitter. Let’s go back to the concept of spike lag previously exposed, since here we are referring to ping variation over time. A spike lag, or a sudden increase in latency, can in fact have repercussions on jitter, so to get a clear idea of ​​the overall responsiveness of the internet connection, it is necessary to evaluate both ping and jitter, two data that are usually returned by all the speedtest.

Run the speed test

When running a speedtest you must first make sure that there are no other devices connected to the Internet that make intensive use of connection resources (this would in fact strongly affect the test result). Furthermore, a precise result can only be obtained by carrying out several speed tests consecutively and, subsequently, by averaging the results obtained.

To run a reliable speedtest from your smartphone you need to download from App Store or from Google Play the app which is called “Ookla Speedtest” since it is the most reliable among all the apps that perform this type of service. At the end of the download, and after having granted all the necessary permissions, just press the big button “GO” to start the test. It will be sufficient to carry out the test both via the smartphone and via the PC connected via LAN cable to the router to verify how the results in the first case are significantly poorer, depending on the distance between the smartphone and the router. In fact, the wired connection will always be more efficient than the wireless one.

However, the latter can be optimized until it approaches the performance of the wired connection. To play well we must necessarily have a value of ping not longer than 10 mswith jitter as close to 0 ms as possible, let’s say that an average of 2/3 ms can be fine. The data on download and upload speeds, on the other hand, are not that relevant for gaming purposes.

How do you lower ping?

If we find ourselves in conditions of ping greater than 10 ms we have to act on the router. First, you may need a restarting the device in order to clear its cache and prevent settings from remaining enabled that can be harmful to gaming. Routers usually have a button that allows them to restart (attention, we are not talking about a factory reset, which completely erases the memory). To restart the router, normally, just unplug the power cord for 5/10 seconds. The restart can also be done from the web interface: for example, in the case of FRITZ!Boxjust go to the software item System -> Backup -> Reboot (we will see in the next paragraph how to access the web interface).

If the performance still does not satisfy us, we must enter theweb interface of the router. Normally the address to reach it is printed on one of the labels on the underlying surface of the router. The most common address is 192.168.1.1 but some routers can be reached via personalized addresses: in the case of FRITZ!Boxes, for example, the reference address is precisely fritz.box. These addresses must be typed into a web browser tab, preferably on a desktop PC.

Once logged in, the first thing to do is update the router’s firmware. In the case of the FRTIZ!Box, using the function of “Online Update” you can install the FRITZ!OS most recent. Just go up System -> Update -> Search for new FRITZ!OS and then click Start update now. Also, if in the section System > Update > Auto Update of the user interface the option is activated Notify of new FRITZ!OS versions and install them automaticallyfuture updates will be installed automatically.

Also, make sure you are logged in 5 GHz band networkwhich is almost always characterized by better performance than the 2.4GHz network. Modern multiband routers almost always deliver a 5 GHz and a 2.4 GHz network: therefore, you need to check that you are connected to the right network. With the FRITZ!Boxes it is possible to disable the 2.4 GHz band network: to do this, click on the menu Wifi on wireless network and activate in the section Active frequency bands only the Wi-Fi network for the 5 GHz frequency band. Finally, click on Apply.

Another trick to lower the ping concerns the entry of dns adequate (Domain Name System). Some call them the “telephone directory” of the internet, because they translate numerical IP addresses into textual addresses, in order to facilitate navigation. We can change the DNS from Windows by going to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > Change Adapter Options. Then we have to click with the right mouse button on the connection we intend to configure and choose the item Property. At this point you have to choose Internet Protocol Version 4 TCP/IPv4 It is again Property to enter the new DNS. We click on Use the following DNS server addresses. It is always advisable to insert those of Google: for which it must be written as primary DNS 8.8.8.8 and as secondary 8.8.4.4.

And then It is inadvisable to use a VPN or proxy, which are private connections between devices on the internet that normally boost ping. Furthermore, it would be ideal to have an internet connection of this type Fastor FastPath. In opposition to Interleavedit is a connection that offers a lower transmission latency and therefore a more reactive response, giving up greater protection against errors in the transmission of data packets.

Another precaution that we can take concerns the enabling of functions such as Turbo, Game Boost, Game Genie or similar that are found on those smartphones with an operating system optimized for gaming. These modes, in fact, are able to automatically suspend all processes active during the game, in order to give priority to the latter with regard to the available network resources.

The Repeater is the best solution

However, there is a much more effective solution than all those exposed up to now, that is, trivially, bring the game device closer to the Wi-Fi router. This will increase the strength of the signal as it is transmitted to the smartphone, decrease latency and improve jitter, meaning there will be fewer annoying lag spikes or hopefully none.

However, it is not always possible to be close to the router when playing (the advantages of mobile gaming would be lost, right?), so it may be convenient to have external devices such as repeaters or powerline. One of these devices almost completely restores the signal strength for what is found around the router, even in another strategically chosen place in the house (where perhaps it is more comfortable to play or dedicate yourself to entertainment?). As we have seen in tests carried out in our editorial staff, in fact, the signal strength at 10 meters from the router, and consequently the transfer speed, are comparable to those around the router if a repeater is placed at that precise point.

Configuring a Wi-Fi repeater, then, is very simple. In the case of repeaters FRITZ! just press the key WPS extension of the FRITZ!Repeater and hold it for about 6 seconds until its Wi-Fi LEDs flashes. Then, press the key within 2 minutes Connect of the FRITZ!Box and hold it down until the LED Connect it doesn’t turn on. You don’t have to do anything else or adjust other parameters in the software, as the intelligent system behind the connection takes care of everything.

FRITZ!Repeater 6000 is a very powerful Wi-Fi repeater to be used if you need to extend the network over large ranges at high transmission speed and for numerous devices. In other words, it is ideal for Mesh Wi-Fi networks which we hear more and more frequently. Through one same SSID shared between router and repeater and the same passwordin fact, manages to manage the network in a unified manner ensuring the on-the-fly reassignment of the device when it is far from the router and instead close to the repeater’s operating area.

Also, have devices compatible with the standard Wifi 6 can improve the gaming experience. In this case, remember that both the smartphone and the router must be Wi-Fi 6, so that the connection established between the two is of the Wi-FI 6 type. This latter connection standard, in fact, guarantees higher transfer speeds , as confirmed by the tests, a more stable network and also support for a greater number of devices connected simultaneously on the same network.