Everything You Need to Consider When Choosing a Broadband for Gaming

Global access to the internet has changed a lot within a short time, and gaming has not been left behind. Nowadays, a majority of kids and adults are now playing games with virtual friends from far away places. The high demand for internet gaming means that people are currently looking for specific home broadband packages that will make their gaming time fun and enjoyable. Everybody who plays internet games can attest to the fact that slow and lagging connections are the most annoying event when playing over the internet. Gamers can compare deals before choosing the one that is most suitable for their gaming needs. Here are some of the factors to consider when selecting gaming broadband. Your best option is to browse across all providers using a comparison website such as Broadband Choices

Internet Speed

Online gaming requires a fast internet connection, especially for multiplayer games. Slow internet speeds are very frustrating and affect the gaming experience due to game pauses and lag. Though options may vary with the type game you are playing, the best connection for gaming is the one with a speed of more than four megabits per second. It would be best if you also had a fast internet connection to download games offline games that have huge files. The gold standard is to try and find a gigabit plan where you get gigabit speeds but this may not always be available in your area.  So you want to take in consideration not just download speeds but upload speeds as well, especially if you will be streaming games over the Internet or having multiple family members stream games or play online content you want to make sure your upload can handle the traffic not just the download.

Contention Ratio

Contention ratio might be jargon to many, but it means the ratio that shows the number of people using the same main connection at the same time in a given locality. For example, a contention of 50:1 means that 50 homes are sharing the main provider in the area. Contention ratio does not affect normal days, but it can change your download and upload speeds during peak times—when everyone else will be using that connection to access the internet. One way of avoiding the negative effects of contention ratio is to compare deals and avoid phone deals by switching to fibre optic connections. Fibre optics can handle huge internet use in the same locality without a drop in speed.

Monthly Data Allowance

Wrong phone deals and connection choice can be costly for gamers. Gamers spend a lot of time on the internet, and the games consume huge chunks of data. Downloading offline games will also eat up large amounts of data because they have large files. Gamers who want to enjoy their games without burning a hole in their wallet should look for a home connection package with the best data allowance. Proper calculations will prove that an unlimited data usage package is the best option for people who are highly dependent on the internet. Most of the packages with small data caps may not even download a single data without maxing out.

Latency and Packet Loss

Latency and packet loss also have an impact on internet gaming. Latency is the response time of a connection. It is the speed at which your actions are reflected in the game. Low speeds mean that there will be delays between the commands you press on a button and when the action is registered on the screen. Such low speeds can affect your gaming experience, especially if a delay happens at a crucial moment of the game. Latency can even affect your scores when playing a multiplayer game if the other player has a better connection.

Packet loss is an issue that affects gamers when it comes to data transfer and can affect your gaming experience. Packet loss refers to the loss of data in transit when moving to or from a server. Minor packet loss leads to game freezing and staggering during play, but a major one makes the game unplayable. The best broadband option for gamers is the one with low latency and packet loss ratio as it will improve the gaming experience.      

Tom Parillo

I am interested in all things technology, especially automation, robotics and tech that helps change how society will live in the future.