Originally posted by Wosley
It wasnt the wind just dont remember what it was
Originally posted by aeneax
Even with 100 percent strength, and strong upload download speeds, wifi still isn't terrifically stable. For my purposes it's more than enough unless I'm going for something tough in which case I'll use a wired connection, but the difference is noticeable especially if you live in a suburban or especially urban area. Like Wosley said various materials can affect the signal, not just walls but even whatever your router is on, but if you're getting 100 percent strength walls or material might not be the issue. But unless you live in a pretty rural area your router is still competing with your neighbors' signal and their neighbors and so on, even with zero drop in signal on your end. The effect isn't in upload and download speed all the time (except maybe when people are just coming home from work) as much as just this nasty inconsistency which could be producing the lag you're noticing. It happens so fast that your router and any monitoring programs your PC uses or your PS4 itself won't report an issue. But it stems from the fact that most people use the exact same type of routers broadcasting the exact same type of signals on the same bandwidths.
If you don't want an ugly-@$$ wire going through your home, especially if your PS4 and router are not close to each other, and don't want to pay to have to run a wire through the wall, you could look into getting a different type of router. Maybe look into "upgrading" to an AC router. I'm probably butchering the technical terms by the way, but it transmits at wider bandwidths than an N router or anything in that family (A, B, G). The reason I put "upgrade" into quotes is because technically, in pure laboratory conditions, a good N router should beat it speed-wise, at least where the AC routers were the last time I checked. But in the real world, AC routers transmit at bandwidths that are free of competition from anyone else living near you unless they also have AC routers. Your PS4 would only be competing for signal with whatever else is on your router -- and still the freaking microwave for some reason.
They also have a bit less range, which can be a bit of a problem if you live in a larger house, but we have an AC router and a pretty large space and even without a range extender the signal still reaches the wifi PS4 (on a different floor and the entire house away) just fine. With the N router it replaced, which was a pretty decent one and fairly new until somebody decided it should have juice spilled on it, we always had between 80 and 100 percent strength, and with this, about 50 to 60 percent strength where the PS4 is, because of that range dropoff. So it's a bit of a mixed bag, BUT it took my PS4 download speed readings from about 10 megs per second up to about 80 megs per second. Far less lag too when playing multiplayer, not just with the PS4 but with streaming. I haven't seen the word "buffering" since we put it in. For your purposes, I think the important bit is despite a weaker wifi signal it improved lag significantly although wired is still better. If I cared enough I could always get a range extender to make that range dropoff less of an issue and improve lag more. It's far cheaper than a Pro, too. Might be worth looking into, but I'd do your own homework on it first and consider your physical setup considering the range issues. And again, if you live in a more rural area then it probably won't make a difference unless they've improved dramatically. Also, one of the biggest benefits of an AC router, your PS4 won't use, which is a bummer. AC's transmit on both 2.4 and 5 gigahertz, and 5 is clear of pretty much everything, even cellphone signals, but neither vanilla PS4s nor Pros can use a 5 gig signal.
Oh, and the "past few weeks" thing is consisistent with it being your wifi competing with other wifi signals. Someone around you might have bought a new toy, or come home from some trip especially since it's summer, or maybe they changed their own internet setup or decided to go a bit more smart-home.
*Disclaimer*
I’m in mobile and I’m not 100% sure who I’m replying to and who I’m trying to reply to 😂
OP some of this is for you my dude 🤣
@wosley Wi-Fi is essentially radio waves fitted to a format that the receiver can interpret as data transfer. Different types of radiation could effect Wi-Fi signals. Wind can also play a part by incorporating water vapors and dust into the environment and ultimately interfere with the signals. However for a home user this is almost certainly not the case. While, yes it would have some effect, it likely would not be to the amount that anyone would ever notice it to this extent.
@aeneax To touch on your point about others messing with signals, I think you got the right idea but I’ll butt in if you don’t mind... :p
Microwaves, garage doors, and various other wireless components around a typical first world home can and will likely interfere with each other. This is because they operate on an unlicensed and open band which for the longest time was the 2.4ghz band. Not too terribly long ago the support for the 5ghz band started picking up traction because of all the collisions in the 2.4ghz range.
Unfortunately we can’t just bounce to a different band because our handware can’t always play by our rules. To circumvent those limitations often times our devices will have the capabilities to play on each band. But in some cases that’s just not possible, and in others the alternative is just as saturated with noise and clutter that it doesn’t always make much of a difference. To combat the ever expanding world of wireless fidelity, 802.11 standard does support a variety of channels that we can operate under. These channels are usually set by default on our wireless routers and wireless repeaters.
I would strongly recommend researching your current Wi-Fi channel on each band and experiment on different ones. BUT, some perform less than others... I’ll let you find out that research for yourself
it’ll help you learn if you choose this route.
If you need additional help please feel free to reach out to me
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