Network and Wi-Fi guide
Reading the summary
| Number | Fine | Worth looking at |
|---|
| Router hop latency (average) | under 15 ms | over 30 ms |
| Jitter (std dev) | under 5 ms | over 15 ms. This is what VR and games feel. |
| 99th percentile / over 100 ms | close to the average, few spikes | many spikes, even if the average looks fine |
| Failed replies | 0 to 0.3 % | over 1 % |
| Signal | above 70 % | below 60 % |
| Roaming switches | 0 while stationary | many, if you are not moving |
An average hides trouble. A connection can average 10 ms and still spike to 400 ms every minute. That is why the summary shows jitter and the spike counts.
If you have a mesh (router plus nodes)
- Wired backhaul is the biggest win. Connect the nodes to the router with Ethernet if you can. Wi-Fi backhaul halves available capacity at the node and adds delay.
- If backhaul has to be wireless, make sure it uses a different channel or band from the one devices use. The Wi-Fi tab warns when they match.
- Place the node about halfway, with line of sight if possible, not behind a wall or in a cupboard.
- Restart the whole mesh (router first, wait 2 minutes, then nodes) if it has been up for weeks. Some units degrade over time.
- Put fixed devices (PC, console) on Ethernet. Keep Wi-Fi for things that move.
Gaming and VR
For a headset the important link is the headset to the nearest box, not the laptop. Use 5 GHz or 6 GHz, keep the headset close to a box, and avoid sharing the channel with the backhaul. Test from where you play.
How to test fairly
- Leave the monitor running for several hours that include the time you normally play.
- Note the times things felt bad, then look for spikes at those times in the log.
- Change one thing (restart, move a node, cable it), then compare a second summary.