Playing online games on wireless

Killerkebab · 7 Sep 2009 at 21:00

I've just been forced to use wireless for my desktop computer at my university home (more on this later) and I'm finding the experience less than fun. I ended up buying a USB 802.11G adapter from Belkin. The speeds seem fine, downloading and connecting is fine.

However when I connect to online games, such as CS:S, BF2, or Arma2 the connection will occasionally "drop" for a second or so. My character will stop moving and a second or so later I'll show up somewhere else on the map. However my ping is usually low (I checked it in CS:S and had 5ms constant) but occasionally I'd get these "cuts". Is it because I'm on wireless? Is it because its a USB adapter (I don't have PCI slots to spare)?

I considered using a wire anyway since I have a long ethernet wire but no one seems to want me to lay a wire from my computer to the router in the living room (maybe 20m of cable, though the rooms are about 6 or so metres apart) because people might trip on it, which is understandable. Considering we're renting the house and the landlord probably isn't keen on me hammering wireclips into the walls, are there ways to tidily run a cable between rooms without leaving marks/traces?

TaKeN · 7 Sep 2009 at 21:02

This sounds dead *****

But I have an ethernet cable.. going from the router downstairs, up along the roofbeam. Through the ceiling into my parents room, then under the carpet all the way through the landing and into my bedroom

aaron333 · 7 Sep 2009 at 21:11

What's the ping like?

setter · 7 Sep 2009 at 21:14

Im currently using wireless myself (netgear wpn111 usb adapter) the other system in my room is connected to the router about 6m away, im considering cutting a few holes in the floor and running an ethernet cable through a piece of electrical conduit to connect to the router. Gonna have to "borrow" a few bits and pieces from work.

aaron333 · 7 Sep 2009 at 21:14

setter said:
Im currently using wireless myself (netgear wpn111 usb adapter) the other system in my room is connected to the router about 6m away, im considering cutting a few holes in the floor and running an ethernet cable through a piece of electrical conduit to connect to the router. Gonna have to "borrow" a few bits and pieces from work.

Can I ask how your finding gaming over wireless?

Daegan · 7 Sep 2009 at 21:16

You haven't done yourself any favors choosing USB and Belkin.

setter · 7 Sep 2009 at 21:22

aaron333 said:
Can I ask how your finding gaming over wireless?

Not great tbh mate, doesnt help that im on bt and they throttle my connection to death during peak hours.

Duke · 7 Sep 2009 at 21:26

Can't you just run the cable underneath the edge of the carpets (almost under the wall)? Thats what most people do if you don't want them on show.

xb8browney · 7 Sep 2009 at 21:27

I thought this was a thing of the past. I have gamed with wifi plenty of time no problems.

setter · 7 Sep 2009 at 21:31

Duke said:
Can't you just run the cable underneath the edge of the carpets (almost under the wall)? Thats what most people do if you don't want them on show.

Unfortunately theres no carpets in the room, varnished wooden floors, i was thinking of sinking faceplates into the floors in discreet corners to keep things a bit tidier looking.

J.B · 7 Sep 2009 at 21:42

Daegan said:
You haven't done yourself any favors choosing USB and Belkin.

Too true, Belkin is never a smart choice.

Kreeeee · 7 Sep 2009 at 22:03

Actually this sounds like a well known issue amongst SFIV online players. It's do do with Vista/XP polling wireless occasionally which causes lag spikes. You can turn off the WCZ service in XP to fix it but it's integrated into the core wireless service in vista and requires a dodgy application to sort out.

Alexrose1uk · 7 Sep 2009 at 23:07

Try 85mbps homeplugs . Generally works brilliantly, and if its not you know pretty sharpish

iNPUt · 8 Sep 2009 at 14:56

Kreeeee said:
Actually this sounds like a well known issue amongst SFIV online players. It's do do with Vista/XP polling wireless occasionally which causes lag spikes. You can turn off the WCZ service in XP to fix it but it's integrated into the core wireless service in vista and requires a dodgy application to sort out.

Yeah im on wireless for the moment, there a tutorial on it somehow, when I game I click this shortcut:

Code:

C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /k netsh wlan set autoconfig enabled=no interface="Wireless Network Connection 4"

When I finish turn it back on incase connection drops and wants to reconnect.

Code:

C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /k netsh wlan set autoconfig enabled=yes interface="Wireless Network Connection 4"

Just google wireless optimization vista or something..

Killerkebab · 8 Sep 2009 at 19:30

Daegan said:
You haven't done yourself any favors choosing USB and Belkin.

Didn't have much choice - this was given to me and I can't afford to buy a decent wireless receiver. I don't even know what is a decent receiver.

Duke said:
Can't you just run the cable underneath the edge of the carpets (almost under the wall)? Thats what most people do if you don't want them on show.

Bearing in mind this is a house I rent during university, will it be obvious I ripped the carpets up to run wires under them?

Alexrose1uk said:
Try 85mbps homeplugs . Generally works brilliantly, and if its not you know pretty sharpish

Unforunately someone else in the house is already on a homeplug. I don't know if its the kind of thing that I can just buy my own and plug it in - since his homeplugs were given to him and he doesn't know where they were bought.

Daegan · 8 Sep 2009 at 20:27

Killerkebab said:
Bearing in mind this is a house I rent during university, will it be obvious I ripped the carpets up to run wires under them?

If they're fitted carpets it'll probably be hard.

Unforunately someone else in the house is already on a homeplug. I don't know if its the kind of thing that I can just buy my own and plug it in - since his homeplugs were given to him and he doesn't know where they were bought.

You should be able to buy a single matching homeplug and connect up that way. Will probably cost anywhere between £20 and £60 depending on brand and model though.

Kreeeee · 9 Sep 2009 at 00:25

iNPUt said:
Yeah im on wireless for the moment, there a tutorial on it somehow, when I game I click this shortcut:

Code:

C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /k netsh wlan set autoconfig enabled=no interface="Wireless Network Connection 4"

When I finish turn it back on incase connection drops and wants to reconnect.

Code:

C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /k netsh wlan set autoconfig enabled=yes interface="Wireless Network Connection 4"

Just google wireless optimization vista or something..

Found the Vista fix:

http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?p=7419440#post7419440