How To Lower Ping (Latency) (2024)

At a Glance

Many users immediately associate ping (latency) numbers with online gaming. While it’s true that low ping numbers make for a more enjoyableonline gamingexperience, ping can also affect other online activities, like video conferencing.

In this article, I’ll discuss what can cause high ping (bad) and what you can do to achieve lower ping numbers (good). We’ll also take a look at why lower ping numbers are a good thing.

What Is Ping (Latency)?

Ping (also known as latency) measures the time it takes for you to see a response to an action you take on your computer, mobile device, or gaming console, such as clicking on a link or seeing a reaction when you press a button or move your joystick in online games. The time between your action and when you see the on-screen reaction is partially due to lag. Think of it as an electronic game of Marco Polo. The ping is the amount of time between when your device sends a “Marco!” and the server replies “Polo!” (not literally, but you get the idea).

Simply put, the lower the ping (measured in milliseconds), the less lag you’ll experience. The less lag you have, the better your online experience will likely be.

FUN FACT:The computer world borrowed the term “ping” from the days of World War II, when it was used as the technical term for the sonar signal sent by submarines to measure their distance from other vessels in the ocean. The word “ping” comes from the high-pitched “ping” sound that was heard. (Listen for it when you’re watching a submarine movie. I recommend “The Hunt for Red October” or “Crimson Tide.”)

Why Are Low Ping Numbers So Important for Online Gaming?

Ping numbers directly affect your online gaming experience, as lower latency numbers reduce the time it takes to take action in a game and have that action registered by the game’s servers.

This is especially important in online games like Overwatch,Fortnite, and other fast-moving online multiplayer games. As long as your ping remains low, you’re on a level playing field with other players (although success will still depend on your skills, sorry). If you have high ping numbers, you’ll be at a disadvantage, as it takes longer for the server to respond to your move. You’ll also find that low ping results in smoother and better game play, meaning you’ll likely have a more immersive gaming experience.

What Causes High Ping?

There are several reasons why your online experience may be affected by high ping.

Your ISP’s Infrastructure

Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) could be having issues with its network infrastructure, which can cause high latency numbers. You’ll also usually see higher ping numbers on cellular and satellite internet connections than you will on your in-house fiber or cable internet connection.

Your Home or Office Router

Your home or office router can also cause high ping numbers. You may have other devices on the network using a large amount of your bandwidth and your router’s resources. If other devices on the network are gaming,streaming HD or 4K video, or downloading large files, this can lead to an unstable connection which can be a contributor to high ping.

Your router may be in a bad location in your home or office. If a router is too far away from your device or if there are several obstacles, like walls, between you and the router. Plus, a WiFi connection will usually have a higher ping than a wired ethernet connection. You’ll also usually get faster connection speeds using Ethernet over wireless.

Older or cheaper routers may also not have enough horsepower to handle your high-speed internet efficiently. Outdated ethernet cables and network adapters can also cause high ping.

If you have a WiFi router, make sure you password protect it. Leaving your router unprotected or sharing your network password can result in several other users freeloading on your internet connection, eating up precious bandwidth and possibly overloading your router.

Gaming Server Location

The geographic distance between your device and the game server you are connecting to can significantly impact your ping numbers. The greater the distance between the server and your device’s location the further the data has to travel and the longer it takes to see the result of your skillful gaming moves.

The next time you play an online game that lets you select a server to play on, look closely, you’ll likely see a ping number for each server, allowing you to select a nearby server with low ping.

Gaming Server Issues

A gaming server could be having issues, resulting in higher ping. This could be caused by a server being overloaded by too many connections. This can often happen following the release of a new game or new content being released and the company has underestimated the resulting amount of traffic. High ping can also be caused by a server undergoing maintenance or having technical issues.

It is also possible that the server may be the target of DDoS attacks, which overwhelm the server, causing ping and overall performance to greatly suffer. A DDoS attack (Distributed Denial of Service attack) is when a large number of computers and other devices flood the server with requests, overwhelming the server, resulting in many genuine requests not being handled properly.

Network Congestion

Evenings and weekends are the peak usage times for home internet, as more people are at home and online. Having hundreds or thousands of fellow internet users connecting at once in the same area can result in network congestion, resulting in slower connections and increased ping. ISPs have also been known to throttle the connection of users if they share files or stream from an “unapproved” source, also slowing your connection.

Other Software Running on Your Computer

If you’re on aWindows PCor on amacOS machine, there could be applications running in the background, consuming bandwidth, computer resources, and increasing ping. Your computer could be downloading and performing updates, or you could be downloading a large file in the background.

Double-check your computer’santivirusor anti-malware programs or its firewall, as some may default to overly strict settings that can interfere with network traffic.

Hardware Limitations

If your computer is an older model or was a budget model, the computer itself will likely not have sufficiently powerful hardware to run the game properly, resulting in increased ping. This can be due to an overloaded CPU, GPU, network card, or a faulty network cable.

How To Troubleshoot High Ping

There are several things you can do to diagnose and troubleshoot high ping numbers. It’s a good idea to run these tests multiple times, at different times of day – including peak usage times like evenings and weekends – to determine whether there is a difference.

Speed Test

The first step when diagnosing high ping is to run a speed test to measure your current internet speed. Once you’ve measured it multiple times of day, you can compare your figures to the connection speeds advertised by your ISP. Use a website likeSpeedtest.netorFast.com(Speedest.net also offers native apps for most popular devices). Make sure not to run any other applications that use the internet. Make a note of the time of day, the download and upload speeds, and the ping measurement.

Ping Test

If you’re having ping problems with a specific game or service, you should run a ping test to measure the round-trip time to the servers. You’ll use the Windows Command Prompt or the Mac or Linux Terminal to perform the test. You’ll type “ping [specific game server IP].” Make a note of the ping times.

Monitor Your Network Usage

Check to see if applications or devices are consuming a large amount of bandwidth. You can do this through the Task Manager in Windows or the Activity Monitor in macOS. Also, check your router to determine whether there are devices connected to your network that shouldn’t be (after all, we’ve all read the r/EntitledPeople section on Reddit).

How To Lower Ping

If you’re in search of ways to reduce your ping/latency there are several areas that you’ll want to investigate.

• Use a different DNS provider:Your ISP’s DNS server could be having issues or may not have been optimized for best performance. Try a different DNS server, such as Google DNS (Primary 8.8.8.8, Secondary 8.8.4.4) or Cloudflare DNS (Primary 1.1.1.1, Secondary 1.0.0.1).
• Get a better internet connection:If you’re using a lower-priced internet plan with less bandwidth, or if you use a wireless internet service like those offered by Verizon and T-Mobile, you may be able to switch to another ISP and get a better ping. Make sure the new ISP uses cable or fiber to provide your internet connection and try using an Ethernet cable for the final connection to your computer in place of WiFi.
• Relocate your router:A poor WiFi connection results in higher ping and slower connection speeds. Try relocating your router to a more central location where it doesn’t have to deal with walls and other obstructions. And if I haven’t said it enough already, use an Ethernet connection if possible.
• Choose a closer game server:When selecting a server, find the closest one to your location. By doing so, data packets don’t need to travel as far. In games where you can select a specific server, look for one with the lowest ping numbers (many games provide this information).
• Reduce your router’s congestion:You can improve your router’s performance, which can help your latency numbers. Stopping downloads, not streaming, and ceasing other bandwidth-intensive activities can reduce your router’s workload. Also, look for freeloaders on your WiFi network. If you’re not using a WiFi password or have used the default password, there is a very good chance one of your neighbors is mooching off of your network bandwidth.
• Upgrade your network hardware: If you have a router that is several years old or a cheap router, this can affect your latency. You may also not be getting the full benefit of the bandwidth offered by your ISP. Invest in a higher-quality router that can handle high-speed internet. Also, use an Ethernet cable to connect your computer to the new router. Ethernet connections provide faster, lower latency connection than a WiFi connection.
• Double-check your applications’ settings:Close all unnecessary applications and utilities that may be running in the background. Check your firewall, antivirus app, and anti-malware app to ensure they aren’t interfering with your internet connection. Also, always keep your applications, operating system, and firmware up to date.
• Use a gaming-optimized VPN:Some VPNs (CyberGhostcomes to mind) have gaming-optimized VPN servers in their global server network. These servers provide lower ping, thanks to optimized data routing. A VPN also comes in handy for keeping all of your online activities incognito, while also providing access to content you might normally be blocked from accessing (CyberGhost also offers streaming-optimized servers).

What Is a Good Ping for Gaming?

If you’re a long-time gamer, you probably have a good feel for when your ping numbers are in an acceptable range for an enjoyable gaming session. Basically, the lower your ping numbers, the better your gaming experience.

Here is a good approximation of what to expect with various ping measurements:

• Under 20ms: This is an excellent ping for gaming. You should not see any lag with ping numbers like this.
• 20 – 50ms: This is still a good range for ping. You still shouldn’t experience much lag.
• 50 – 100ms: You should generally still have a decent gaming experience, but you could still encounter lag spikes.
• 100+: Anything above 100ms is unacceptable and you’re going to have a laggy gaming experience. Luckily, you won’t have to deal with it for long, because you’ll likely be taken down by a less laggy player as soon as you enter the virtual battlefield.

In Closing

As we’ve seen, high ping numbers can make it tough to have an enjoyable online experience when gaming, streaming, or engaging in a video conference. However, there are steps you can take to lower your ping, allowing you to enjoy a lag-free online experience.

Ping FAQs