Advice for Gamer

[Brody]

Hi everyone. For the past few days I've been reading many different articles about routers and the way internet speed works. Ill try to keep it short. I'm a very heavy first person shooter console (Ps4) gamer. From what I've read it all comes down to internet speed and ping for the slight advantage. Unfortunately it's not as easy as just paying for gigabit internet, hard wiring my Ps4 to my router, and having no one else on my internet but me.

Basically I have Fios internet at the moment with a download of 80 Mbps and and upload of the same. I run my PS4 to my router via ethernet cable. The reason I am posting this and, the reason I cannot find a good is answer is because of this. My family all streams movies and TV shows through a movie box. We have my Ps4 and 4 movie boxes plugged into our 5 ethernet ports on our router. Then there are 4-5 cell phones on the Wifi.

The probem is I need to have a fast consistent internet speed and ping. I read about gaming routers that use QoS and other features to give gaming an advantage. The problem is it is all very confusing to me with the addition of 4 people streaming movies all the time. Since we pay for 80Mbps is that "80" being divided into those 5 ethernet ports and those 4 cell phones? I read some about maximum bandwidth and that's what you have for everyone to use. After reading a little into that I just decided to post this.

I'm going to be paying for Fios 1 gigabit internet speed once I figure out the router situation and understand how everything works a little better. But I need advice into which router to use to benefit me and how all the gigabit internet is being divided. I know I may sound stupid and I apologize. Thank you for the answers. Please help me out even though I may sound annoying I am just trying to get consistent speed and fast ping to my PS4 whether everyone is streaming or it's just me on the internet.

Saw many people advising the Asus rt-ac88u and the Nighthawk r7800.

Edit: Since all movie streaming boxes and Ps4 are wired connections. Should I keep the Verizon Quantum Router offered? Is the only benefit to me of a new router like the Asus or Netgear the Wifi features? Or does the gaming features of the Asus apply to wired ethernet connections as well?

 

[sm00thpapa]

You came to the right place. I also play nothing but FPS on the PS4. Mostly Destiny at this time. I would have to recommend the Netgear X4S R7800 and here's why. My ISP speed is 240Mbps down and 25Mbps up. I have a wife and 3 kids who constantly game or stream 4k to 1080P video at the same time. I have 45 devices connected to my X4S and when I game there is no lag what so ever. I just got rid of my 88U as I felt the X4S performed better with better range on Wi-Fi. I'm not sure if you can test ping on PS4. But like I said I game with no lag so I don't worry about checking my ping. Hope this info helps.

 

[small_law]

I'm also on a PS4 Pro and I'm also a Destiny player, although I finally got around to building a gaming PC and I've been using it more as of late.

I have an Asus AC3100 that has been a very capable performer. I probably have the slowest external connection of anybody here, only 6 Mbps up/60 Mbps down. I can't get fiber in my building quite yet.

It took quite a bit of reading figure out how all the elements of networking fit together, externally and internally. It is not as simple as plugging in Ethernet cable and calling it a day obviously. The things I would read up on and that I would try out are static addresses for your devices on both your router and each device (especially your PlayStation), changing your DNS, QoS versus NAT pass through (including traditional versus adaptive QoS), and the proper settings for Wifi. Anyone can buy an expensive router, but but getting the most out of it takes a little bit of effort. Not so much that only a rocket scientist can figure it out, but some at least.

 

[Brody]

You came to the right place. I also play nothing but FPS on the PS4. Mostly Destiny at this time. I would have to recommend the Netgear X4S R7800 and here's why. My ISP speed is 240Mbps down and 25Mbps up. I have a wife and 3 kids who constantly game or stream 4k to 1080P video at the same time. I have 45 devices connected to my X4S and when I game there is no lag what so ever. I just got rid of my 88U as I felt the X4S performed better with better range on Wi-Fi. I'm not sure if you can test ping on PS4. But like I said I game with no lag so I don't worry about checking my ping. Hope this info helps.

Thank you both for your response I appreacite it. I guess as a whole it's a bit confusing to the average person like me. If I purchase the gigabit internet is there enough bandwidth for me to still have the advantage and ping response playing FPS tournaments. While everyone else is streaming movies? Do I need to rely solely on a router that has the features to make my console a priority over the movie boxes? Or would it be more beneficial for me to leave my Fios router in the living room and set up my own separate router next to my console?

 

[Brody]

You came to the right place. I also play nothing but FPS on the PS4. Mostly Destiny at this time. I would have to recommend the Netgear X4S R7800 and here's why. My ISP speed is 240Mbps down and 25Mbps up. I have a wife and 3 kids who constantly game or stream 4k to 1080P video at the same time. I have 45 devices connected to my X4S and when I game there is no lag what so ever. I just got rid of my 88U as I felt the X4S performed better with better range on Wi-Fi. I'm not sure if you can test ping on PS4. But like I said I game with no lag so I don't worry about checking my ping. Hope this info helps.

You prefer the X4S over the Asus 3100?

 

[sm00thpapa]

You prefer the X4S over the Asus 3100?

Yes, it has working MU-MIMO and just runs better for me. It's just an all around great router. The 88U was nothing but lies on the box and website.

 

[System Error Message]

FPS on a console? Thats heresy

Many routers have QoS. Gaming routers dont offer any advantage over other routers other than pre set profiles. Any router with a QoS will work, any more advanced router like mikrotik and pfsense will do even better giving you even better control. FPS games dont need bandwidth, they just need low latency and to be processed first. So to put it simply you only need to reserve a little bandwidth for FPS games and put the FPS game packets as one of the highest priority compared to other things so it gets processed first.

 

[Brody]

FPS on a console? Thats heresy

Many routers have QoS. Gaming routers dont offer any advantage over other routers other than pre set profiles. Any router with a QoS will work, any more advanced router like mikrotik and pfsense will do even better giving you even better control. FPS games dont need bandwidth, they just need low latency and to be processed first. So to put it simply you only need to reserve a little bandwidth for FPS games and put the FPS game packets as one of the highest priority compared to other things so it gets processed first.

& @sm00thpapa
Thank you. I appreacite the responses I just wasn't sure because I read a couple different forums on here where some people swore by the Asus. This may be an extremely dumb question so I apologize but I'm not sure how to do it. Verizon said for me to upgrade to gigabit internet I would need there Verizon Fios Quantum router. Do I need both this router and the Verizon one? If not how do I hook up the X4S without a coaxial cable input in the back of the router? :/

 

[System Error Message]

& @sm00thpapa
Thank you. I appreacite the responses I just wasn't sure because I read a couple different forums on here where some people swore by the Asus. This may be an extremely dumb question so I apologize but I'm not sure how to do it. Verizon said for me to upgrade to gigabit internet I would need there Verizon Fios Quantum router. Do I need both this router and the Verizon one? If not how do I hook up the X4S without a coaxial cable input in the back of the router? :/

people who swore by asus simply dont know the differences and what networking really is. What asus offers is only pre set profiles. What im saying is that its no different than taking a QoS capable router and configuring it yourself. In many places asus is sold for more because of the brand name. Sure the product is good but its not the only solution.

You would need their router if it accept coax in. Are you sure this is 1Gb/s internet? Because i would not take cable ISPs at their word or reliability either.

 

[Brody]

people who swore by asus simply dont know the differences and what networking really is. What asus offers is only pre set profiles. What im saying is that its no different than taking a QoS capable router and configuring it yourself. In many places asus is sold for more because of the brand name. Sure the product is good but its not the only solution.

You would need their router if it accept coax in. Are you sure this is 1Gb/s internet? Because i would not take cable ISPs at their word or reliability either.

I pay for 80Mbps both up and down now. For me to upgrade to 1000Mbps up and down it's around $30 more a month if I remember correctly. When I spoke with Fios they told me they would send out their Quantum router because the Fios router I have now cannot support that speed. So I still would need their router because it has the coax in? Then run the internet from the Quantum to the X4S? Thanks for clarifying about the two routers. I just wasn't sure because of all the 4k streaming and all the devices on my internet. Just looking to guarantee my PS4 has the lowest latency of all devices. Again I appreacite your help.

 

[sm00thpapa]

I pay for 80Mbps both up and down now. For me to upgrade to 1000Mbps up and down it's around $30 more a month if I remember correctly. When I spoke with Fios they told me they would send out their Quantum router because the Fios router I have now cannot support that speed. So I still would need their router because it has the coax in? Then run the internet from the Quantum to the X4S? Thanks for clarifying about the two routers. I just wasn't sure because of all the 4k streaming and all the devices on my internet. Just looking to guarantee my PS4 has the lowest latency of all devices. Again I appreacite your help.

Before you connect the X4S the Quantum router would have to be bridged. Only $30.00 more a month for 1GB speed. That's sweet. I have 200Mbps down here with Spectrum and to just go to 300Mbps down they want another $100.00. I said no thanks I'll stay with my current speed.

 

[Brody]

Before you connect the X4S the Quantum router would have to be bridged. Only $30.00 more a month for 1GB speed. That's sweet. I have 200Mbps down here with Spectrum and to just go to 300Mbps down they want another $100.00. I said no thanks I'll stay with my current speed.

Okay that's what I wasn't sure about. I know it's probably a stupid question but I wasn't sure how to set it all up with having two routers. So I just need to hook the Quantum up normally then bridge it to the X4S with what? I'm assuming all my ethernets would go into the X4s and I'd basically not use the Quantum? And i'm happy Verizon has a decent prize on it where i'm from i'm excited to check it out.

 

[sm00thpapa]

Okay that's what I wasn't sure about. I know it's probably a stupid question but I wasn't sure how to set it all up with having two routers. So I just need to hook the Quantum up normally then bridge it to the X4S with what? I'm assuming all my ethernets would go into the X4s and I'd basically not use the Quantum? And i'm happy Verizon has a decent prize on it where i'm from i'm excited to check it out.

When they set it up tell the tech guy you have your own router and you want their router to be bridged. They should be able to do it if not a tech can do it remotely. Then run an Ethernet cable from the modem Lan to the router Wan. Now your X4S will be your main router.

 

[Brody]

When they set it up tell the tech guy you have your own router and you want their router to be bridged. They should be able to do it if not a tech can do it remotely. Then run an Ethernet cable from the modem Lan to the router Wan. Now your X4S will be your main router.

Really appreacite the help man much respect. Is it easy enough in the Genie app to set it up so my console has the lowest latency of all the devices in my house?

 

[sm00thpapa]

Really appreacite the help man much respect. Is it easy enough in the Genie app to set it up so my console has the lowest latency of all the devices in my house?

Not sure if the App lets you set all the features. You may have to connect a laptop. I just hard wire my PS4 and Xbox One and game with no lag. They do have Dynamic QOS that prioritizes gaming and video streams.

 

[Brody]

Not sure if the App lets you set all the features. You may have to connect a laptop. I just hard wire my PS4 and Xbox One and game with no lag. They do have Dynamic QOS that prioritizes gaming and video streams.

Hey man sorry for the late reply but I wanted to wait until they came out and installed everything. So Verizon came out and hooked everything up. I am not using a coax cable because I do not use their TV service. Instead they hooked up the ethernet cable right to my router. So no need to bridge their Quantum router to mine. Everything looks good only problem is I am only getting about 400Mbps when it should be close to 1000Mbps. Any idea why? I'm basically getting half of what I should be. Also I set up the router online and set the Qos up. I ran Netgear's speed test for it to use the Qos properly and it only pulled a 400 download. Any thing I'm doing wrong when setting up the qos? All I did was have my PS4 hard wired and set the priority to highest.

 

[sm00thpapa]

Hey man sorry for the late reply but I wanted to wait until they came out and installed everything. So Verizon came out and hooked everything up. I am not using a coax cable because I do not use their TV service. Instead they hooked up the ethernet cable right to my router. So no need to bridge their Quantum router to mine. Everything looks good only problem is I am only getting about 400Mbps when it should be close to 1000Mbps. Any idea why? I'm basically getting half of what I should be. Also I set up the router online and set the Qos up. I ran Netgear's speed test for it to use the Qos properly and it only pulled a 400 download. Any thing I'm doing wrong when setting up the qos? All I did was have my PS4 hard wired and set the priority to highest.

Ok so they gave you a modem or you have an Ethernet cable just coming out of a socket on your wall? Are you wifi or hard wired and which band 2.4GHz or 5GHz? Hard wired you should get close to 1GB down. Wi-fi it will be less. Remember the PS4 speed test is testing from Sony's server. So what ever their server is maxed at is what you are going to get.

 

[Brody]

Ok so they gave you a modem or you have an Ethernet cable just coming out of a socket on your wall? Are you wifi or hard wired and which band 2.4GHz or 5GHz? Hard wired you should get close to 1GB down. Wi-fi it will be less. Remember the PS4 speed test is testing from Sony's server. So what ever their server is maxed at is what you are going to get.

I have an ethernet cable coming out of the new Verizon box they installed in my garage. That ethernet goes straight into my Nighthawk. The Verizon Technicain said their Quantum router wasn't needed because my internet is ran through the ethernet and can be plugged right into the Nighthawk. I am testing through a hardwired PS4. The part I am confused about is I run a speed test on the Nighthawk on Ps4 and get somewhere around 250 download. I unplug the Nighthawk and hook the Quantum up. I run the speed test again (Hard wired PS4) and get close to 600 download. Why is that?

 

[sm00thpapa]

I have an ethernet cable coming out of the new Verizon box they installed in my garage. That ethernet goes straight into my Nighthawk. The Verizon Technicain said their Quantum router wasn't needed because my internet is ran through the ethernet and can be plugged right into the Nighthawk. I am testing through a hardwired PS4. The part I am confused about is I run a speed test on the Nighthawk on Ps4 and get somewhere around 250 download. I unplug the Nighthawk and hook the Quantum up. I run the speed test again (Hard wired PS4) and get close to 600 download. Why is that?

Disable QOS and try again. Did you try with a laptop hard wired to the R7800?

 

[Brody]

Disable QOS and try again. Did you try with a laptop hard wired to the R7800?

I have been testing the speed on my hardwired ps4 and comparing them between the routers. I just tuned off Qos and tried testing it again and it still will not break 300. The Qos is important for gaming correct? It would not be better to take the Nighthawk back and use the Quantum instead right?