Tutor
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9 Messages
Comparing speeds to TWC
I currently have TWC 30 Mbps service, which is 30 down, 5 upload and I consistently get that number, have noticed a couple of times were it is just crap and I lag horribly. Now we had a sales rep come by the other night and we signed up for the U-Verse TV package, which blows TWC out of the water, but the internet though, is the 18 Mbps service, which I think is only 1.5 Mpbs upstream. My biggest question and concern is that the rep said that service can compare to my 30 Mbps service now. I am a avid gamer and it would seem that going from a 5-6 upstream to a 1.5 would be noticeable and is the biggest reason why I have not switched because I think I would see a difference.
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Official Solution
julywashere
Guru
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349 Messages
10 years ago
Hello iAnonymity,
Being an avid gamer, you may already understand this. However, I will post it for the benefit of people searching for a similar answer, and for yourself just in case you weren't aware. Most games use a relatively low amount of data when uploading. A 1Mb up connection can usually handle most game servers, perfectly. (Some gamers have connections with 512kbps up and game just fine.) There are a few factors that go into gaming online though, speed is nearly transparent in comparison (especially for FTTX and Cable connections, which tend to deliver more than adequate speeds). Most of the issues attributed to online gaming are associated with latency (ping and jitter).
To get a better understanding of latency, I will explain what packets, ping, and jitter are.
A higher ping = higher latency, higher latency causes lag. Anything below 100ms may be considered acceptable for gaming. (Although some console and PC games can compensate higher ping values.) Zero jitter means each packet was received in the same amount of time. Within the Internet a small amount of jitter exists, and is normal. (Usually a fraction of the ping value.)
Line quality, and noise, can have an effect on all three of these. Ping can also be affected by the distance to the server, distance to your ISP's data centres, and method of transmission between the server and client.
Bandwidth is another issue with gaming.
Certain games require their game-servers to push a certain amount of data to the client (your console or PC). If there is not enough bandwidth to push all packets through, some packets are dropped. While the client may be capable of compensating for this loss, it can cause an adverse experience during online game-play. Fortunately for you, 30Mbps and 18Mbps are both more than enough bandwidth.
To Answer Your Question
Unless you're in one of the few scenarios that requires a lot of upstream bandwidth, 1.5Mbps of upstream data should be enough for gaming. Your connection should have an acceptable ping as well. However, you may run into issues if your ping and jitter values are too high. Unfortunately, the only real way to know for sure how your connection will fare with online game-play, though, is to follow the advice my thoughts offered and try out the service for yourself, because as with most internet set-ups, ymmv.
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rf40928
Contributor
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6 Messages
10 years ago
Your answer 'might' make sense when read from a perspective - say someone single. But your answer left out important variables.
I play Halo on Xbox Live often and have for nearly a decade. When I was single I had a connection that was about 15 down and 2 up.. most of the time this connection was sufficient for myself. It worked but it wasnt optimal. Game internet requirements are much much lower then for what is needed for optimal game play. When you get HOST in games like COD and Halo - basically everyone is hinging off your connection - in cases like this - things can get ugly sometimes, but minimum game requirements don't mention this !
Also, your well communicated answer left out that a family requires much more bandwidth. Iam now married with a step son and daughter. While I'm playing Halo on Xbox, my wife will be uploading pictures to facebook, my stepson will often be on his xbox the same time Iam , his visiting friends ( or girlfriend ) will be using bandwidth on our wi-fi while on their smartphones, while my daughter will be on her tablet using additional wi-fi bandwidth. To answer someone's question in the manner you did is to give someone an answer to which they aren't even sure what they should be asking - because in this manner of useage most people are fairly ignorant as to how this system works in real life.
What I have found out is even with a 30 download & 5 upload connection ( I have TWC ) that even the 5 upload can still be 'mariginally' enough bandwidth .. at times ! When it just me and my wife - yeah Im good usually, but in some states people have fiber connections at home. These people can choose say a min package of 100 down & 100 upload ! Max would be 1000 down & 1000 up ! Sometimes I game against people with these super wide pipes.. and they always have an edge..
Although game minimum requirements are what we would all consider "low" .... a upload speed of only 1 or 2 would be horrible for a "good" gaming experience. I can tell you from hundreds of hours of experience over the years ( and with different carriers ) that 1 or 2 upload stinks for gaming. You need upload just as much as download for FPS ( first person shooters ) .. when you shoot at anyone in a game and when you move in the game it is being uploaded in the same manner that shots fired at you are being downloaded.
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JefferMC
ACE - Expert
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35K Messages
10 years ago
Normally, hosting a game is different from being a player, all though some games do connect players directly to each other which increase the bandwidth required for all users.
If you would like to submit actual figures of usage during these play sessions, e.g. statistics gathered from your router during play, rather than anecdotal stories, I'd be more inclinded to believe you. Nothing I've measured agrees with you. I've two children who play online games simultaneously over a 1.5 Mbps uplink with few problems.
Of course, if someone was to start a bulk data upload during their game play, I can assure you that they'd feel it.
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