Power line Vs WiFi gaming latency

Soldato
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Hi guys,

Struggling to find anything more recent than two years ago on this with Google. I have just moved and running my big Ethernet from router to computer is gonna be a right mess and cause me A lot of hassle moving across hallway and landing etc.

Does anybody here use wi-fi/Powerline for gaming where low latency is wanted like fast FPS etc and have any recommendations on the best kits available or an I wasting my time and need to start drilling?

Cheers
 
Soldato
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In terms of stability and response times of each solution I'd order as follows:

Wired
Powerline
Wireless

Both power line and wireless can be impacted greatly by the product you buy and external factors. Quality of wiring/outlets, building construction, positioning of PC compared to Access Point etc
 
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Man of Honour
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If you are serious about FPS gaming start drilling - while Powerline or wi-fi isn't gamebreaking I've never used a setup yet that doesn't have some latency variation and random disconnections even if relatively infrequent. Although my main experiences of especially Powerline was while playing Eve Online where if say you are playing as a fleet triage carrier any drop at all is very less than ideal even less than an FPS game when it can completely lose the fight.
 
Soldato
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My last set introduced approximately 1ms-3ms additional latency, but it was rock solid compared to wifi, even if theoretical throughput was lower. It's a YMMV thing though, with lots of factors

Which set did you get? I think I better just try a set for a few days and if it's not up to par I will have to do the drilling. My computer is above the router so theoretically I could go through the wall and up the front of the house to avoid the mess indoors.

Appreciate the quick responses guys thanks a lot
 
Soldato
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If you can run a cable externally do it. Make sure you use external grade cable.

Unless you have to buy all of the tools new it'd most likely cost less than a decent set of powerline adapters.
 
Man of Honour
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My last set introduced approximately 1ms-3ms additional latency, but it was rock solid compared to wifi, even if theoretical throughput was lower. It's a YMMV thing though, with lots of factors

Yeah 1-3ms extra latency is pretty par for the course - might not sound like much but potentially can be felt in gaming especially if it results in a round trip time that pushes you over the next boundary of the update rate (Hz) of the server - player actual latencies ingame tend to effectively be grouped by multiplies of the update rate depending on engine and networking approach, etc.

Stability can vary highly - the last Powerline system I used would be pretty stable up until around 10-11pm then for some reason went to **** for 3-4 hours.
 
Soldato
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Struggling to find anything more recent than two years ago on this with Google. I have just moved and running my big Ethernet from router to computer is gonna be a right mess and cause me A lot of hassle moving across hallway and landing etc.

Actually, I've done this and it's not a big mess, nor is it a hassle. An ethernet cable can be 100m long, which is more than enough to route round doors and walls and the cable can be tucked into the gap between the carpet grip and the skirting board. To make going around a door look neat, get some 8mm trunking from Screwfix. This or this.
 
Soldato
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If you can run a cable externally do it. Make sure you use external grade cable.

Unless you have to buy all of the tools new it'd most likely cost less than a decent set of powerline adapters.

First house, currently have no tools but am sure could borrow some lol. I'm really not very handy am just learning now as I go :)
 
Soldato
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Actually, I've done this and it's not a big mess, nor is it a hassle. An ethernet cable can be 100m long, which is more than enough to route round doors and walls and the cable can be tucked into the gap between the carpet grip and the skirting board. To make going around a door look neat, get some 8mm trunking from Screwfix. This or this.

That might be doable thanks for links, will show my wife tonight see if that is acceptable though the external may be preferred. Hate thought of putting holes in the house though lol
 
Soldato
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First house, currently have no tools but am sure could borrow some lol. I'm really not very handy am just learning now as I go :)

It's time for you to face facts: you are going to become intimately acquainted with your local DIY stores, so you might as well get cracking.

That said, as you've just moved in, you have the opportunity to do it right. And that means thinking and planning the other locations you want network points.

Hate thought of putting holes in the house though lol

Do it right and there won't be any problems. You already have holes for the TV and the telephone. Just make sure the holes are properly sealed against water and mice.
 
Soldato
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Which set did you get? I think I better just try a set for a few days and if it's not up to par I will have to do the drilling. My computer is above the router so theoretically I could go through the wall and up the front of the house to avoid the mess indoors.

Appreciate the quick responses guys thanks a lot

Devolo IIRC, but it was a long time ago
 
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