[Tech] wireless connection lagging

[Taffy]

Got a slight problem with my wireless network at home. Whenever I play games, I get lag. This lag usually only lasts a couple of seconds, but sometimes i get disconnected from the server completely. Is there anything I can do, without buying new kit, that would strengthen the connection between this computer and the router on the other one?

 

[thatbloke]

The location of the router can be an issue - are you able to move the router at all?

It could be some kind of interference. Change the wireless channel that your Router is using (you should be able to pick from 11 different ones, numbers 1, 6, 11 are the most commonly used).

Turn off stuff like WPA/WEP encryption - I gained about 30ms in doing that on my own network. There are other ways of securing your network, by using MAC address filtering and hiding the SSID I find is just as effective if note moreso than using encryption.

Are you able to try a wired connection to see if the wired connection is at it too?

 

[Nanor]

Wrap your router in tin foil. More specifically wrap the aerials.

 

[Taffy]

I changed the channel and got an extra bar of reception, which seems to have helped. The other problem I have is that whenever someone is on the other PC, I seem to get a sharp drop in internet speed, whereas the other computer gets none at all. Is there some sort of bandwidth prioritisation that means the other computers traffic goes before mine? and if so, is there any way of stopping the other computer hogging all the bandwidth, cause it's mine that needs most of it, yet I seem to be getting only a small proportion at the moment.

and Nanor: very funny.

 

[Taffy]

[mod]Closed. its not needed any more, as I'm getting an ethernet cable[/mod]