Massive WiFi lag issue, please help (details inside)

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FuzzyDunlop

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May 2, 2013
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I am constantly lagging out while playing MineCraft and it's making me lose my mind. We've purchased 18mbps which i think should be plenty to play MC, though speedtest.net is showing 11-13mpbs most times. It's not the minecraft server, everyone else on the server is playing fine, it's just me constantly lagging out.

Please help me boys I have a lot of information.

I need help dissecting what the actual problem is with my internet. Here's some information:

1. We've bought 18mbps from at&t, after doing multiple speed tests the typical download speed is 11-13mbps, is this normal? (We have multiple televisions so I don't know if this affects bandwidth, with that being said, most tvs are almost always off)

2. At&t put the wireless router in the back corner room of our house, I typically play Minecraft about 35-40 feet from the router, could the router be too far away?

3. I tried to change the wireless channel but the wireless security pw underneath the router is blatantly not working as the pw, with that being said, if I can gain access will changing the channel make a huge difference? I downloaded inssider or w/e and we are on channel 7, no one else is on this channel but there are a lot of people on 2,3,4,5,6, so could they be interfering?

Solutions:

1. Will one of those usb network things help my signal strength? Something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=33-704-045

2. Should I raise the bandwidth to 24mbps? I am hesitant on this, because 18mbps should be plenty to play minecraft, yet I'm lagging out constantly and making me rage.

3. If you all think the problem is the location of the router, is there an extender or something to move the wireless router?

Anyway, tl;dr: 18mbps, speedtest is showing 11-13mbps, wireless access point 35-40 ft from where I play minecraft, I keep lagging out on minecraft (its not the server), what is the best solution.

Please help and thank you
 
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aatje92

aatje92

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Mar 31, 2013
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well nowadays it's pretty manageable, but you need a proper router and a proper receiver and a not too busy wifi spectrum in your area. But i get a steady ping of 11 on my wireless connection, and gaming is as good as with a cable.
 
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bobusboy

bobusboy

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Issues with wifi generally have to do with signal strength (too far away from router or things in the way), drivers (incorrect or missing), or the channel that the wifi is operating on is being obscured by other networks in the area and then what wifi standard you're using. There are several different standards b,g,n,ac etc.

Make sure your wifi is broadcasting on the N bandwidth and then mess with the channels. Wifi channels indicate a range with in the 2.4ghz band that they operate on, and they do spill over on to other channels. eg, channel 5 will interfere with 4 and 6 a little bit. This is over simplified but gives you the gist of how that works. Other networks on the same channel will obviously cause more interference.

IMO the best thing for you to do is to pick the channel which has the least usage by other networks in your area. I use channel 11, a) because no one here is using it currently, and b) it's above 2450mhz which is where amateur radio bands usually ends IIRC and c) technically higher frequency = higher throughput in an ideal situation.

TVs will not slow down your internet unless your internet comes in via co-axial cable (same kind you use to hook up your TV)

If it comes through the phone jack in the wall (RJ45 cable) then watch TV and surf to your hearts content.

In my experience there is almost always a little disclaimer for the rated speed which says something like "up to (X)mbps" or it indicates that the advertised speed is the download plus the upload speed. (Bell tried to tell me that anyway).

Getting less than the advertised speed is common; it's happened to me in several houses/places I've lived and on different providers. All those speeds should be prefaced with YMMV.

Bumping up your network speed will not resolve this issue. Don't waste your money on the higher speed. And yes there are devices for rebroadcasting your network signal to increase the strength.

eg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=100010072&isNodeId=1&Description=repeater&x=0&y=0

Are you using a laptop or a desktop? If it's a desktop I recommend a PCI wireless network card over USB

PS: I game with a USB wireless adapter right now because of where I'm living and my ping is usually 54-60 at the worst. Wifi gaming is a non issue.
 
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FuzzyDunlop

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May 2, 2013
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I'm using a laptop (Lenovo Y500)

Thanks for all the replies, it seems that I'm gonna need to get in contact with at&t because the router isn't letting me change the settings and unfortunately the pw is simply wrong. Sigh.

If changing the channel doesn't work what should be the next step? Getting a repeater or getting a usb network adapter?
 
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FuzzyDunlop

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May 2, 2013
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I'm at work right now but I'm going to take a look at it more closely when I get home. They pretty much said that that room was the only place to put it.

I don't really understand that, I've set up wireless routers before and I thought all you do is hook up the ethernet to the cable line and into the router?

Like I said I'll take a look when I get back. Also fwiw, don't get at&t internet/cable, it just blows.

So pretty much if I can't move it, and changing the channel doesn't work, wireless repeater is the way to go?
 
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FuzzyDunlop

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May 2, 2013
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It actually seems like I can't move the router, though I'm still going to try. Here was a post I saw on the ATT forums:

Re: Can I move the Uverse router to another room?
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‎11-29-2012 10:55:05 AM

No. The RG or wireless router as you call it needs a dedicated signal to it from the box on the outside of your residence. If you want it moved you would have to call AT&T to have a tech sent out to move it.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Mar 16, 2013
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I've never had an installer dictate where the modem/router needed to go. Cable, FiOS, whatever. They put it where *I* told them to put it.
Whatever type of cable is coming from the wall to the router, get a longer one and move it.
 
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FuzzyDunlop

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May 2, 2013
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Yeah, I should have been more aggressive with the guy, it wasn't really my house but my friends always look to me for any type of technology thing, so I should have asked more questions. So yeah, I guess I'll need to buy some type extender or buy a repeater.

I don't really know much about repeaters, I know what they do in theory but I don't have any experience in how effective they are.

Thanks a lot for the help, I've been in a full blown rage the past week.

I'm trying to visualize what the router looks like, pretty sure there is the standard power plug which could be moved to the next room over, and the only other thing (I'm pretty sure) is the ethernet cord coming from the wall, so I could move the router power plug to the next room and simply leave the cable where it is, but extend it.
 
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