Wifi Upgrade!

wonder_lander · 7 Nov 2022 at 10:11

I posted this in the Unifi/Ubiquity megathread in the networks sub forum but wanted feedback here too:

Current setup is a Virgin Media 350Mbs, into a USG-3P and then off to two US-8-60W's. Each US-8-60W has a UAP-AC-LR attached to it.

Locations:
Lounge - Virgin Modem, USG-3P, 1 US-8-60W and 1 UAP-AC-LR.
Garage - US-8-60W and UAP-AC-LR

I've just picked up a Pico 4 VR headset and I'm reading a lot about requiring a Wifi 6 to get the most from it. It'll be used in the lounge so what would be my best option? Do I just add a Wifi 6 AP or swap out some of the other kit?

Any recommendations on anything else I should tweak, add or change to get the best VR experience?

Someone has suggested I just get a generic, sub £50 wifi 6 router and add that into the mix, any direct feedback from you guys on solutions?

drakulton · 7 Nov 2022 at 11:53

wonder_lander said:
I posted this in the Unifi/Ubiquity megathread in the networks sub forum but wanted feedback here too:

Someone has suggested I just get a generic, sub £50 wifi 6 router and add that into the mix, any direct feedback from you guys on solutions?

Where is your PC and where is your playspace?

wonder_lander · 7 Nov 2022 at 11:56

My "PC" is in the cloud https://shadow.tech/en-gb/ so decent wifi is a must!

Lounge is the playspace.

melmac · 7 Nov 2022 at 12:35

wonder_lander said:
My "PC" is in the cloud https://shadow.tech/en-gb/ so decent wifi is a must!

Lounge is the playspace.

What virgin modem is it? Exact make and model please.

wonder_lander · 7 Nov 2022 at 12:53

melmac said:
What virgin modem is it? Exact make and model please.

VMDG505 / TG2492LG-VM Hub 3.0

melmac · 7 Nov 2022 at 13:09

wonder_lander said:
VMDG505 / TG2492LG-VM Hub 3.0

The easiest thing for you to do is setup an SSID on the 5Ghz band on that modem for Pico 4 use only. I am presuming that the modem is in the lounge and that's where you intend to use the Pico 4? If you can set it up so that the only wireless device attached to the modem is the Pico 4, that would be best.

For your use case, the quickest path to the outside world is best. Anything you put in between the Pico 4 and the router will add latency, even if it's a Wifi 6.

Do you mind me asking what GPU and CPU you have on the shadow PC?

Terminal_Boy · 7 Nov 2022 at 13:10

My SuperHub 3.0 was shocking for wifi performance. I used it with wireless disabled and had a Netgear WAP provide wifi instead.

Are all you modems broadcasting the same SSID? If not, you want to ensure that they’re not using the same wifi channel.

melmac · 7 Nov 2022 at 13:17

Terminal_Boy said:
My SuperHub 3.0 was shocking for wifi performance. I used it with wireless disabled and had a Netgear WAP provide wifi instead.

Are all you modems broadcasting the same SSID? If not, you want to ensure that they’re not using the same wifi channel.

ohhh you just reminded me!!

@wonder_lander Update the firmware on your Hub 3. I think you have to ask your ISP to do it for you. On some Hubs the wifi is terrible until you get the update done.

wonder_lander · 7 Nov 2022 at 13:20

melmac said:
The easiest thing for you to do is setup an SSID on the 5Ghz band on that modem for Pico 4 use only. I am presuming that the modem is in the lounge and that's where you intend to use the Pico 4? If you can set it up so that the only wireless device attached to the modem is the Pico 4, that would be best.

For your use case, the quickest path to the outside world is best. Anything you put in between the Pico 4 and the router will add latency, even if it's a Wifi 6.

Do you mind me asking what GPU and CPU you have on the shadow PC?

I have the VM routers running in modem only mode as the Unifi equipment handles the rest of the requirements. I have a feeling if I knock it out of this mode then all hell will break lose?

I'm on the no longer offered Shadow Infinite specs, CPU is 6 cores on a Xeon W-3235 @4Ghz, 32GB Ram and an RTX 6000 - you can see the specs on the image over here -> https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/12/cloud-gaming-platform-shadow-brings-its-new-plans-to-the-us/

wonder_lander · 7 Nov 2022 at 13:21

On the Unifi I do have a dedicated SSID that's locked to 5Ghz which I've been using but that's showing 300Mbps to 400Mbps when I look in VD which is why I thought it needs to be better!

melmac · 7 Nov 2022 at 16:24

wonder_lander said:
I have the VM routers running in modem only mode as the Unifi equipment handles the rest of the requirements. I have a feeling if I knock it out of this mode then all hell will break lose?

I'm on the no longer offered Shadow Infinite specs, CPU is 6 cores on a Xeon W-3235 @4Ghz, 32GB Ram and an RTX 6000 - you can see the specs on the image over here -> https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/12/cloud-gaming-platform-shadow-brings-its-new-plans-to-the-us/

Does the VM router handle DHCP? If so, then it shouldn't affect anything if you enable the wireless on it.

Nice Pc specs. Just making sure your CPU/GPU were good enough.

wonder_lander said:
On the Unifi I do have a dedicated SSID that's locked to 5Ghz which I've been using but that's showing 300Mbps to 400Mbps when I look in VD which is why I thought it needs to be better!

By the sounds of it, it seems like you are only connecting at 2.4Ghz. Does the Unifi come with separate 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz networks or are they invisible to the user and the Access point just picks what it thinks is the best?

EDIT: Doh, reread your post a bit better this time. You say it's locked to 5Ghz. That's strange because the speeds you are getting are 2.4 Ghz speeds. That the access point is in the same room makes it even stranger.

wonder_lander · 7 Nov 2022 at 21:03

The Unifi network handles the DHCP requests.

melmac · 8 Nov 2022 at 16:14

wonder_lander said:
The Unifi network handles the DHCP requests.

Ok. Wasn't sure if Modem Mode on the Hub routers passed everything off.

I am trying to figure out why you are only getting 300Mbs/400Mbs on your setup currently. What's slowing things down? Your current setup should be more than adequate for the Pico 4.

If you got a Wifi 6 access point/Router, where would you plug in it? I mean would you connect it directly to the hub 3? or would you connect it to one of the switches?

wonder_lander · 8 Nov 2022 at 16:33

melmac said:
Ok. Wasn't sure if Modem Mode on the Hub routers passed everything off.

I am trying to figure out why you are only getting 300Mbs/400Mbs on your setup currently. What's slowing things down? Your current setup should be more than adequate for the Pico 4.

If you got a Wifi 6 access point/Router, where would you plug in it? I mean would you connect it directly to the hub 3? or would you connect it to one of the switches?

It looks like I have 2 options, remove the lounge Wifi 5 access point and swap it out for a unifi one, or replace the USG with the Unifi Dream Router which would be directly connected into the modem and would handle all the DHCP side of things but would also be a wifi 6 access point.

melmac · 9 Nov 2022 at 16:27

wonder_lander said:
It looks like I have 2 options, remove the lounge Wifi 5 access point and swap it out for a unifi one, or replace the USG with the Unifi Dream Router which would be directly connected into the modem and would handle all the DHCP side of things but would also be a wifi 6 access point.

Actually, you have 3 options

The first option would be to try and troubleshoot the problem you are having. You should be getting 866Mbps in the Virtual desktop app with your current setup.

Of the two other choices, I would go with the Unifi Dream Router and use the Wifi on it for the Pico 4.

wonder_lander · 9 Nov 2022 at 17:01

melmac said:
Actually, you have 3 options The first option would be to try and troubleshoot the problem you are having. You should be getting 866Mbps in the Virtual desktop app with your current setup.

Of the two other choices, I would go with the Unifi Dream Router and use the Wifi on it for the Pico 4.

Reading up and looking through the vast array of options on the Unifi stuff it appears my 5Ghz was operating at 40Mhz which was affecting the connection speed. Have upped it to 80Mhz and now I'm hitting 866Mbps - result!

Because of the low speed I've not actually tested anything running on PCVR, is there a recommended game that's cheap/free that I can install to give it a whirl?

melmac · 9 Nov 2022 at 17:54

wonder_lander said:
Reading up and looking through the vast array of options on the Unifi stuff it appears my 5Ghz was operating at 40Mhz which was affecting the connection speed. Have upped it to 80Mhz and now I'm hitting 866Mbps - result!

Because of the low speed I've not actually tested anything running on PCVR, is there a recommended game that's cheap/free that I can install to give it a whirl?

That's great

I Should have thought of that before now, it was a common enough issue when setting up routers with the Quest 2. I'm a dope!!

Anyway, what games have you got? Any PCVR game should work for testing. Just enable the performance overlay on Virtual Desktop before starting the Game and you will be able to see any problem areas, if they exist.

Nvidia have a VR demo called VR Funhouse on Steam that's pretty good. You could try the Lab on Steam, it has a range of different experiences inside the one game. Worth trying anyway. There is also a game, well, it's just a demo really, called Aircar. If you are into flight simulators, then you should try the Xplane 11 demo.