|
|
|
I'm moving soon and I'd like to get the best service possible to support me playing Xbox online.
Currently I'm with Virgin Media on a 70/5 package which is okay but I'm wondering if there's anything better out there? My ping at the moment is about 20-30ms and I've heard that some services can provide a better ping, which in turn would likely improve my gaming experience online apparently.
I've seen plusnet recommended a few times but apparently whilst they start off with a low ping they can creep up over time. Does anyone know much about this?
|
|
|
Hi, and welcome to the forums.
I assume you know the address you are moving to. Better still, the existing phone number if it has one.
If so please enter (preferably the phone number) into this checker. Phone is best, Address nearly as good, pure Postcode not safe.
Then copy and paste the contents of the table or post a screen shot somewhere and give us a link. We need the line above the table as well, but make sure you erase the phone number or full address. We need to see the exchange and cabinet number from that line.
That tells us what is available to you and a rough idea of the speeds.
Kindness isn't going to cure the world of all its awfulness but it's a good place to begin. Daisy Ridley.
My broadband basic info/help site - www.robertos.me.uk. Domains, site and mail hosting - Tsohost.
Connection - AAISP Home::1 80/20. Sync 57825/13835kbps @ 600m. - BQM
Edited by RobertoS (Thu 15-Sep-16 16:07:02)
|
|
|
|
Ping isn't necessarily something that someone can lock down for you.
Ping is dependent on where you are. On where you are connecting to. On the technology used to connect. If FTTC or ADSL then on the characteristics of the individual line (such as fastpath, interleaved, etc). On how heavily utilised your connection is. On how heavily utilised the various parts of the ISP network is.
There are so many variables to a "ping" that one person saying they have 10ms and another saying they have 20ms is pretty much meaningless unless you know all of the variables involved in the test.
|
|
Register (or login) on our website and you will not see this ad.
|
|
|
Thanks for the reply!
This is what I got back:
http://imgur.com/ndiQnO8
Edited by deleted (Thu 15-Sep-16 17:08:55)
|
|
|
Thanks for the reply!
This is what I got back:
http://imgur.com/ndiQnO8
|
|
|
|
I generally find a BT based connection over FTTC such as BT Infinity much better for gaming than virginmedia. The pings are consistently much lower and the jitter is far less.
That said, every line is different.
Virginmedia have a bad reputation for gaming. Headline speed is not everything.
|
|
|
|
I too find the same thing, I had 200Mb VM and Sky FTTC 38Mb, did all my gaming on the sky connection due it being very stable, all other devices that did not need such a stable connection I put on VM, for example son's you tubing, facebook, wifes netflix, etc.
|
|
|
At least we know you can get FTTC, at or near maximum speed as well. If you fail to get the full speed, assuming you go for a 76/19 service rather than a 54/9 or 38/9, then we could probably help you sort that out.
Bear in mind what has already been pointed out - the connection speed is no real guide to latency/ping. That is much more down to how the ISP routes from the BT Openreach (or BT Wholesale) handover point.
Checking out the exchange we also see this. That means you have your choice of all almost all ISPs. We can't tell from the exchange print whether VM Cable is available to you, but from the estimates we can see FTTC definitely is.
Not important, but was that result from the new premises' phone number or its address?
Kindness isn't going to cure the world of all its awfulness but it's a good place to begin. Daisy Ridley.
My broadband basic info/help site - www.robertos.me.uk. Domains, site and mail hosting - Tsohost.
Connection - AAISP Home::1 80/20. Sync 57825/13835kbps @ 600m. - BQM
|
|
|
|
Based on what everyone has said I'm looking at BT quite seriously now. Their 76mb with a TV package has the same channels my partner likes from our current VM subscription for marginally cheaper, so we'd both be quite happy with BT potentially.
On our second viewing of the place I noticed there wasn't a Virgin socket installed and the current owners had a HomeHub. I don't know the phone number though so that test was based on the address.
My partner's brother actually works for BT as an engineer so is there anything that I could ask him which might be useful to me?
|
|
|
|
"BT based" does not necessarily mean BT Infinity. There are other providers such as PlusNet, AAISP, Sky, Xilo, etc, etc. In fact there are 100's so there is lots of choice out there all using the BT technology but with potential differences in price and service (some may have better support or spend more on their own networks which could make a difference).
Saying all that I have been on BT Infinity for a few years now and have not had an issue. Others have different experiences with them.
|
|
|
|
Based on that I checked Sky and they say they only go up 40mb for that address. I've also check Plusnet but I've read online about them having pings that start low but begin to creep up. Do you know what might cause that or if it's likely to happen with other ISPs?
|
|
|
|
That's the pain with sky, they only ever advertised their standard FTTC, you had to phone and ask for Pro....they have launched it as fibre max...maybe call them and ask as where I had it before if I could get 76Mb from Bt then I could get it from all available suppliers at my exchange, my only negative with Sky is their router is rubbish, I even have the new SkyQ router....so whoever you go with be prepared to buy your own router to get best performance out of the line, plusnet do "traffic prioritisation" and I didn't want that in case it got me killed more on FPS lol
|
|
|
|
Oh, I didn't realise that was an option. Maybe I'll give them a call or chat online and see what they can do.
My current setup has my VM in modem mode and everything connects to a cheap TP-link router that I installed dd-wrt firmware on. That way I get QoS for my Xbox and it made a huge difference for £20 and an hour or so of my time to set up. So if I can transfer that setup to a new ISP that would be helpful. Do you know if you can setup the sky modem as modem only?
|
|
|
Sky modem is a closed box, and T&C says their router should be used. You can find out the username and password, but breaks T&C, but those who do that just ensure that if reporting a fault they have double checked the fault exists when the Sky Hub is in use.
|
|
The author of the above post is a thinkbroadband staff member. It may not constitute an official statement on behalf of thinkbroadband.
|
|
|
|
No you can't put sky hub in modem mode like VM hub. But there are many options if you google "use own router sky fibre" I used a draytek vigor 130 and Asus AC 68U for the QOS too, also used the BTopenreach modem with my Asus, got it from a well known auction site. Some tp-link work without a modem as are VDSL compatible, but a similar set up can be set up but as stated if you need to call them for support, which is rare to be honest then install the sky hub first.....also for first 10 days leave the sky hub on as DLM will be working to optimize your line, it will be less than 10 days but thats to be on the safe side.
Another thing on FTTC is the 20Mb upload, excellent for gaming. You have to get VM's gamer package to get 20Mb upload.
My only negative is their router is pants and they make it awkward to use a decent router, otherwise I would not use any of the other mainstream providers.
|
|
|
Hey there!
You're welcome to PM details of where you're moving to so we can see if we're in the area. Alternatively, you can explore our availability map here -> https://www.hyperoptic.com/map/
Good luck!
Karis
|
|
The above post has been made by an ISP REPRESENTATIVE (although not necessarily the ISP being discussed in the post).
|
|
|
There is no such thing as "modem only" outside of virginmedia. That is a firmware modification they made.
If you intend on using the ISP supplied router...
If you get Sky, do ask for the Sky Q Hub, it is usually a surcharge, but if you intend on using the ISP supplied device it is well worth paying for.
I think your gaming experience would be good with BT and Sky. I have used both and found both to be better than virginmedia for gaming. Damn, even my sky ADSL at 15Mbps was better than my virginmedia connection.
EDIT: To clarify, I am not saying using a modem is not possible, sure you can go out and buy one, but the ISPs do not supply a device capable of being a modem like virginmedia. E.g. BT will not have a "modem only" mode like virginmedia, nor will Sky, or will Talktalk. You would need to go out and purchase a modem such as a HG612 or a router with a build in vdsl2 modem.
Edited by ukhardy07 (Fri 16-Sep-16 19:03:53)
|
|
|
Whoever the OP moves to [ISP] ping or "latency" depends on 4 main variables speed is not really an important factor for online gaming.
1) The server that is hosting the game needs to be setup correctly
2)There is no such thing as no latency as everything takes time in the case of latency 10ms is for the round trip to and from the server. So about 10-35ms is ok for online gaming.
3)As has been already stated your location and the consistency of your connection matter.
4)These days online gaming is a hit or miss affair due to congestion.
Edited by deleted (Fri 16-Sep-16 18:05:39)
|
|
|
To be honest if you're hoping a reduced ping will bring an improved gaming experience I feel you're totally wasting your time. Your current ping is totally adequate for online gaming and I doubt you would notice any difference with a reduced level, in fact I would go as far as saying even a higher ping of around 70ms wouldn't feel much different in practice as there are so many other factors involved as stated above.
Edited by deleted (Sat 17-Sep-16 13:41:17)
|
|
|
|
Agree with this, 20 to 30ms is a good ping anyway. My VM was considerably worse than this.
|
|
|
Whoever the OP moves to [ISP] ping or "latency" depends on 4 main variables speed is not really an important factor for online gaming.
1) The server that is hosting the game needs to be setup correctly
2)There is no such thing as no latency as everything takes time in the case of latency 10ms is for the round trip to and from the server. So about 10-35ms is ok for online gaming.
3)As has been already stated your location and the consistency of your connection matter.
4)These days online gaming is a hit or miss affair due to congestion.
Point 4 is spot on with the current condition of the UK's infrastructure.
|
|
|
There is one thing that can be done , but that is at the server end.
A setting in most gaming servers allows the host or server guy to restrict the max amount of speed [bandwidth] for all players no matter if they have a faster connection.
There is also a way to boot any player who can`t keep below a certain level [about 130ms] as they can disrupt the whole session.130ms is over 1/8th of a second which imo is way to high for online gaming.?
I used to run an online racing server and to get more drivers [clients] connected they all got the same.
It helped with consistency but lag and jitter was still a problem because of the different setups of each PC and graphics cards.
But a console connection should be ok I guess.
I agree latency can be ok even up to about 80+ms but obviously lower is better.
To Bartman1967, yeah the UK needs a shake up. 
Edited by deleted (Sat 17-Sep-16 17:41:39)
|
|
|
I wouldn't go anywhere near Plusnet at the moment for gaming. They have been having horrendous packet loss and latency issues with people who have been moved to their new network. As a new user it's likely you'd be put on the new network.
See this topic on their community forums https://community.plus.net/t5/Fibre-Broadband/High-p... (fast approaching 1000 posts). There's many other topics about this issue on there.
jelv
Plusnet user since November 2001
Telephone rental: Pulse8
|
|
|
Its interesting as have had some moans about PlusNet not been shamed in the news over this, but every time I look at any data things look pretty much the same as normal when taking a wider view.
|
|
The author of the above post is a thinkbroadband staff member. It may not constitute an official statement on behalf of thinkbroadband.
|
|
|
To be honest if you're hoping a reduced ping will bring an improved gaming experience I feel you're totally wasting your time. Your current ping is totally adequate for online gaming and I doubt you would notice any difference with a reduced level, in fact I would go as far as saying even a higher ping of around 70ms wouldn't feel much different in practice as there are so many other factors involved as stated above.
With a game running at 60 fps there's a fair amount of difference between a ping that's lower than the frame refresh rate and one that's higher for those who are really hard core about it.
|
|
|
You haven't been looking in the right place!
Just take a look at many of your broadband quality monitors posted in this monster topic!
https://community.plus.net/t5/Fibre-Broadband/High-p...
There's many pingtest.net results in there showing shocking jitter and "ping -t" showing horrible lost packets.
It's been picked up by ISPReview and other sites - it has puzzled me why you've said nothing.
jelv
Plusnet user since November 2001
Telephone rental: Pulse8
|
|
|
Why? Because am well used to PlusNet customers throwing toys out of the pram and the overall set of data did not support a major incident.
Yes can see individuals with issues, but looks to be a small sample.
Reactions such as "Just had a word with Think Broadband on their lack of news on our situations with Plusnet, they tell me their figures from their tests and survey reports used by broadband users do not show these problems and all appears well at Plusnet." when I had told them that looking at a wider PlusNet population there is not a widespread problem has been interepreted as me saying there is no problem.
I have never said there is no problems at PlusNet but in a desire to have positive proof and be sure its not just 0.1% of the customer base affected, but maybe 10 to 20% then it is difficult. Have been stung in the past by issues affecting a handful of customers.
So yes packet loss for the individuals is not good, but is PlusNet in meltdown?
|
|
The author of the above post is a thinkbroadband staff member. It may not constitute an official statement on behalf of thinkbroadband.
|
|
|
How sure are you on the 30-40% of PlusNet users being on the new network?
Plus is the new network using an easily identifiable IP block that is different to the old network, i.e. so I can sift out the BQM from old/new networks.
|
|
The author of the above post is a thinkbroadband staff member. It may not constitute an official statement on behalf of thinkbroadband.
|
|
|
I've sent you a PM.
I think it is possible to partially identify from the IP blocks but I don't know what they are and they will be continuing to add blocks as they move more users across. There's also the complication that users on fixed IPs will be tunnelled via the new network to the old gateways and hence on the fixed IP blocks there will be a mixture of users on the old and new networks.
jelv
Plusnet user since November 2001
Telephone rental: Pulse8
|
|
|
Why? Because am well used to PlusNet customers throwing toys out of the pram and the overall set of data did not support a major incident.
Well I'm not a toy thrower, and my Plusnet connection is unusable for multiplayer gaming at present. The de-sync due to packet loss is a joke, warping and rubber-banding all over the place, regardless of which EU servers I connect to. Plusnet themselves have admitted there is a problem but scant information is being given to customers of its cause or ETA of a fix. The problem is not a new one, and given that the default router provided is locked not to respond to ping queries I'd suggest that it is your data acquisition methods that should be in question here, not the userbase.
Despite skipping gateways the packet loss persists for me. I'm 200 yards from the main exchange and have enjoyed a very good fibre connection from Plusnet until 2 weeks ago when the problems started. I've been patient, not rushed into complaining, but I think 2 weeks is long enough don't you MrSaffron?
|
|
|
BQM will need a router that responds to ping, which people have never particularly raised as a problem with Plusnet, though if its the new Hub One (i.e. BT Home Hub) then yes no possible to configure ping responses.
http://labs.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest does some extra ping testing that we can look at if you share the results page
|
|
The author of the above post is a thinkbroadband staff member. It may not constitute an official statement on behalf of thinkbroadband.
|
|
|
Its interesting as have had some moans about PlusNet not been shamed in the news over this, but every time I look at any data things look pretty much the same as normal when taking a wider view.
andrew are we looking at different data?
I see tbb graphs from plusnet users plastered over various forums showing packet loss yet you say you cannot see it?
or are you saying packet loss is normal for plusnet? lol
It reminds me of last year when you said you could not see the slowdowns.
|
|
|
|
The router in question (in my case and many others) is the Sagemcom 2704n, Yes you can modify the firmware to enable it, or use another work-around, but the average user won't be able to do that in order to contribute your monitoring data. As for the speedtest ping stats, the chance of intercepting intermittent packet loss spikes (the pattern I've observed) would suggest to me this is unreliable compared to long-term monitoring.
I'm not here to discredit your monitoring services, which are admirable. But I do think you should give credence to the gamers/streamers/users who are reporting this. Yes you will get people who moan about the slightest hickup, ever ISP has them, but the majority of customers have better things they'd rather be doing. When you get low post-count users complaining you know its problem. Here's: an interesting comment from one member:
"If we didn't have a house full of gamers I would probably be unaware of the problem like I guess the majority of Plusnet customers."
|
Pages in this thread: 
Print Thread
