Decoy 119 / 2,421 Report Post Posted February 28, 2018 Edited February 28, 2018 by Decoy While most people enjoy a stable connection without ping spikes, some people are forced to endure constant ping spikes as part of their gaming experience. Ping spikes have a number of different causes, such as low-end routers and modems causing packet delays, Windows periodically scanning for new WiFi networks, your connection being maxed out on shared internet, or by the routing of your connection to the server. In many cases, ping spikes can be eliminated. Possible Solutions Ditch your WiFi If you have the option, you should always use an Ethernet connection for gaming. If a direct Ethernet connection is not an option, consider purchasing a DLink PowerLine kit for around $50 on Amazon. This technology can offer a significantly more stable connection than WiFi. Although people with older homes and dated wiring may have issues. Installation is very simple. Plug the first unit into the wall beside your router and connect an Ethernet cable to it. Next plug the second unit in beside your computer and connect it with an Ethernet cable. You're done, Windows will recognize it as if you're using regular Ethernet. Disable Windows WiFi Scanning If WiFi is your only option: Download Wlan Optimizer: http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/wlan_optimizer.html Extract the archive and run the program. Disable Background Scanning in Settings. *works with Vista / Windows 7 / Windows 8 / Windows 10* Enable QoS on Router QoS or Quality of Service is a feature available on most mid-range to high-end routers. QoS will ensure you retain sufficient bandwidth while gaming, even when other people in your home are using the internet. You will need to connect to your router to enable this feature. As the process will be different for everyone, I suggest googling how to enable QoS for your specific router. Otherwise find a guide for a router of the same brand, the process should be similar. Last resort: Upgrade router/modem If you are using Ethernet and have enabled QoS on your router (or you don't have the option), but you're still experiencing ping spikes: Connect your computer directly to your modem and see if the issue remains. If this resolves your issue, consider upgrading your router. If this doesn't resolve your issue, I recommend contacting your ISP, they may offer to upgrade your modem for free. Additional TipsOptimize an Ethernet connection for gaming The default settings of Ethernet adapters can cause packet loss when gaming and issues with Windows networking stack. Press Windows Key + R Type: ncpa.cpl Hitting enter should open Network Connections. Find your Ethernet adapter, right click on it and select Properties. Click Configure. Go to the Advanced tab and disable the following: (you may not have all of these settings) Flow Control - disable this to prevent issues with Windows networking stack. Green Ethernet - disable this to avoid degrading performance from conserving power. Interrupt Moderation - disable to prevent delayed packets; this is the main culprit. Receive Side Scaling - disable this to prevent issues with Windows networking stack. [anything] Checksum Offload - there are several settings with names ending in "Checksum Offload", disable them all to prevent issues with Windows networking stack. Use appropriate rates (Source games) Nowadays even low-end internet connections and computers can handle maximum rates. However if your ping spikes are happening at the beginning of a round, during intense firefights, or other similar events, then lowering your rates may help. The most prominent being: cl_cmdrate and cl_updaterate. Routing path Our US servers are hosted with NFO, they have provided an explanation as well as a potential solution: Quote Problems with the routing (or forwarding) path to or from the server can lead to problems in-game, most notably high pings. If a router is making a poor forwarding decision (for instance, one that sends traffic across the US and back) on the outbound, we can often either directly reroute around it or have InterNAP make an adjustment that avoids the troublesome route. For inbound problems to certain locations, we can also sometimes work around the issue in creative ways. To troubleshoot the routing path, we primarily use the "tracert" command. If you believe that your cause might be due to routing, please follow the instructions under "Tools: Traceroute and MTR" and send us a copy of your trace to the server, along with your IP address. We will investigate the situation thoroughly and let you know what we can do to help. Often routing problems become worse in peak evening internet-surfing hours, when ISPs are more likely to overload their peering connections. You will need to contact NFO directly for this solution. Our EU servers are hosted with OVH, I assume they offer a similar solution however I will need to confirm. Bonus: Change DNS Servers In most cases this will not improve gaming as you are already connecting directly to server IPs. However I have included it as we are optimizing connections and changing DNS servers can improve the responsiveness of websites when surfing the net. When you visit Google.com for example, your router queries a DNS server to retrieve the associated IP address for Google.com. Standard DNS servers are often not optimal, resulting in a minor (sometimes substantial) delay resolving domains. GRC offers an incredible tool which benchmarks over 5000 free DNS servers to compile a personalized list: https://www.grc.com/dns/benchmark.htm *Running the complete benchmark can take 30 to 40 minutes, you will need to suspend all network activity during this time for accurate results. Once you have your results, you have two options to implement your replacement DNS servers. A. Override the default DNS servers set on your router. You may need to lookup a guide specific to your router, however it should look somewhat similar to this: B) Set the DNS servers on a single computer: Press Windows Key + R Type: ncpa.cpl Hitting enter should open Network Connections. Right click and select Properties on your active internet adapter (ie. Local Area Connection / Wireless Network Connection). On the Networking tab. Under "This connection uses the following items", select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties. Click Advanced and then select the DNS tab. Add your new DNS servers. (write down any existing entries just in case) If you have other potential solutions to suggest, please message me so I can add them to this thread! @Riggs @Kite9867 Edited February 28, 2018 by Decoy Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
