Gaming is so popular right now and playing online with others makes it such a sociable thing to do. During the recent lockdowns, it has been tough going and not being able to see friends and family, has meant the online world has taken over even more. To be able to connect with friends and family via gaming will have been a lifeline for so many people. Gaming will have combat boredom and loneliness for a lot of people and allowed people to meet others and connect.
I have got very into playing on the Oculus Virtual Reality Headset over the last few months and this has honestly kept me sane. It’s cleared my mind, kept me active and been so much fun! You can play some of the games with others too and connect via the online virtual reality world. My neighbour and brother have one too.
To do this effectively though, it is very important to have an adequate internet speed.
How to Check Your Internet Speed
One way you can check your internet speed is via a tool called SpeedCheck.
Using SpeedCheck.org is really simple. You load up your webpage and press “Start test”. This will give you the true speed at that time of day. Results may vary at different times of day (less people online, it will go faster).
When you get your results the bigger the download and upload number the better.
If you are into gaming however, the lower the latency figure, the better. This is how quickly the internet responds, not how fast it is.
Once you have the result about the speed of your internet, what do you do with them?
Improve The Performance of Your Internet
When you have the information about the speed of your internet, you may want to consider if you are happy with it and try to make improvements, which in turn may improve your gaming experience.
These are the sorts of things you can do:
– Talk to your neighbours. What Internet Service Provider (ISP) do they use and what is the speed they get? Is it better than yours and is it worth switching?
– Test your internet speed on wired vs. WiFi. Wired will be more consistent.
– If you can use wired, use it. But you may not like wires running around your house and of course you cannot use of mobile devices. So this would work for console gaming but not the VR Headset.
– If using wireless, research what wireless router your ISP provides. Some are much better than others!
– Put your wireless router in a place that is closer to where you use wireless devices. Try and avoid your wireless signal going through big thick walls or lose to metal devices like fridges.
– Get wireless extenders if using WiFi. However, this will extend the range but won’t speed things up.
Like anything in life, we always want a good experience and the best from any situation! We all use the internet whether it be for shows, social media, work, connecting or gaming. Getting the best speed for your money is important, so why not check the speed of your internet and see if it is something you can improve on!
