Online gaming via Wifi card impossible

tjrwelch

tjrwelch

tjrwelch

Associate
Joined
1 Dec 2014
Posts
19
Hi all,

Built new PC from Overclockers a month or so ago, including ASUS PCE-N15 Wifi card. It worked fine from the outset, didn't even need to install any drivers, picked up Wifi signal full strength as soon as Windows 8.1 was installed. It works fine for browsing, streaming video, downloading etc etc but for some reason online gaming is impossible.

Tried to play CS:Source; ping on the server list was apparently standard, around 50-90ms, but once in the server it freezes and eventually disconnects me because my ping is too high.

Tried to play League of Legends; it actually does connect me and I can play for a minute or so at a time, albeit with some stuttering, but periodically all throughput will drop, both send and receive, in Task Manager and obviously I won't be able to play at all in-game. However I can still browse the web even when the game is frozen. Sometimes it recovers, but only for a minute or so.

I ran the Netalyzer tool which told me my packet buffering time for uplink and downlink was in the 2000-4000ms, which seems extreme, and was getting around 3% packet loss.

Any ideas why this might be, any possible fixes? I don't understand why I can browse, stream, download fine but not deal with online gaming. My wireless laptop has no problem with CS:Source or LoL, so seemingly it's not the router or the overall internet connection.

Thanks for any and all input! A diagnosis would be as useful as a fix to be honest - it's things like these that really frustrate me because it seems like there's no reason for it!
 
Thanks for that, or for reading at any rate. I guess given that my other wireless device has no problem with latency, I might want to push for a more nuanced suggestion!
 
Have you tried dropping your routers speed down to 54mbps or so? I'm not sure what type/speed your laptop is compared to the Asus but a faster speed usually means a weaker signal, if your laptop is connecting at a slower rate the signal might be less patchy.
 
Last edited:
My WiFi adds only a few ms - sounds like you're just getting a bad signal, ensure you are using the least busy channel you can, try and rearrange the antennae, try it in a different place to rule out local interference, etc.
 
I had no problems when I had a WiFi card, added like 5-6ms if that compared to been wired now, like mentioned above check your channel and move the antenna see if that helps any
 
I would download the latest drivers from the Asus website first off, the ones that come pre-installed with windows are always ****.

If this doesn't solve the issue, then maybe it would be best to invest in some powerline adapters.

Let me know you get on.
 
My Intel Wi-Fi card connected to an old Apple AirPort Express gives me pings between 1-2ms to my router. It's not a noticeable difference.
 
Vanhishikha said:
I would download the latest drivers from the Asus website first off, the ones that come pre-installed with windows are always ****.

If this doesn't solve the issue, then maybe it would be best to invest in some powerline adapters.

Let me know you get on.
Click to expand...

Which powerline adapter do you recommend?
 
First step is to eliminate the wifi as the issue, even if it means trailing a cable round the house to test or moving the PC. If you have no issues when directly connected via cable then you know it's the wifi, as suggested start with drivers and antennae/router position, a small change can make a big difference. If that fails then look at other options, but you could (and others have) spend money on new hardware only to find out that the issue wasn't the wifi connection and simply due to something else maxing the connection.
 
Last edited:
What speed is your wireless card negotiating at?
How far away from the router are you (in relative terms)?
What obstructions are between your pc and the router?
Is it constantly bad or periodically?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom