RealNC wrote:I'm still on VDSL2, and have this issue since the ISP center is further away (I live on an island, and as you can guess, it's not the best location for high speed broadband.)
However, the problem is 100% solvable by using a modem that supports SNR margin adjustment. Tweaking it to a value that makes the modem connect at a lower speed than it normally would eliminates all issues.
It also works in reverse. I can modify the margin to connect with maximum speed, but then the problems get worse. Which is perfectly fine while you're not gaming
SNR margin manipulation is a great thing, especially when you have big variances in SNR margin during the day that is causing disconnections and huge packet loss (very low SNR margin). But sadly it will not fix bad hit registration. Errors on the line will remain there despite lower sync rate, and this is what triggers error correction and interleaving. However, if you originally had a higher level of interleaving depth on your line, error rates
may get smaller, and you may actually end up with lower interleaving depth than you orignally had. I assume it all depends on how much of speed you can sacrifice, someone who has 6Mbps connection will not benefit from it, but someone who has a lot of room to spare by having 20Mbps or 50Mbps connection actually might.
There are different levels of interleaving, fastpath with no error correction is best for gaming, yes, but lowest interleaving depths are perfectly acceptable and will not cause bad hit registration, at least not to a significant degree.
Chief Blur Buster wrote:Alas, this topic is the kind of topic that can be discussed ad nauseum because there are so many ways to turn an Internet connection crap (it takes just 1 weak link!). Modem, ISP, intermediate hop, server's ISP connectivity with your ISP, etc, etc.
While you are correct that there are many different things that may affect internet connection negatively, the hit registration problem in fps games is a real thing and it is separate from the usual suspects (some of the things you mentioned) when there are general problems with someones internet connection.
However, there is a situation that may affect your hit registration in gaming... that you may acutally be able to fix. But it requires having bad modem or bad/old/damaged cables in the first place. Remember, error correction and interleaving jumps in when there are many errors on the line, or burst of errors. That may actually happen because of your modem or cables that you are using. I am talking about both: 1) cables that are connected between modem and socket , 2) cable that is connected to your socket from the outside. Of course you can't really replace the whole cable between you and your ISP, but you might request a new cable between your home and the outside to the main cable connection on your street which should be around 10-50 meters if you live in a house. If the "short range" cables were the culprit you will be able to have higher sync rates and good hit registration... if the "long range" cables are the problem (or part of the problem) then sadly nothing will change.
Chief Blur Buster wrote:
One can easily require a networking degree just to solve some kinds of problems (If it's an Internet-related problem, which, alas, it often is).
Bad registration problem in fps games was never really addressed by any networking experts, afaik. It just sits there for years unnotinced and ignored and no one really gives a shit, thats the current reality. And i am pretty sure that if you ask an expert about that he would not be able to tell you what the problem is and where to start...at least not straight away and not unless the issue is investigated and studied first.
If customers would be able to switch between fastpath ("gaming mode") and interleaved then this problem would be pretty much non existent, with the exception of some serious problems with damaged cables/incorrect configuration on the ISPs side. Although i am not sure if it can be done only from the ISPs side, or it can actually be done via modem settings, but there are already a few people who tried creating a workaround, for example like
this one here. Basically, having a possibility to access advanced setting and configurations via modem and set fastpath by themselves. To be honest, i also asked asus directly few years ago about something similar, hoping that i will be able to disable error correction (or stop reporting errors to ISP) and enable fastpath or at least be able to change interleaving depth. In the end they obviously didn't added the setting i requested. I am sure that if someone dig deep enough... a some kind of hack would be possible.
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And now, when i think about it... maybe there is an actual chance (although a slim one) of having a
true gaming router ? If you really would be able to stop error reporting (by your router) and triggering interleaving or having a possibility to set fastpath or change interleaving depth by yourself, then such a product would be a best seller in the fps gaming market. Now, think about it, when it all comes down to it, in fps games hit registration is all that matters, and if you would be able to achieve the "best possible scenario" by having your router configured appropriately (or just set it to "gaming mode"), then someone would definetly could make a lot of money out of such a product.
Chief, you are in a unique position right now, maybe you can drop this idea to some Asus reps that you know ? I think the idea is sound, as long as you can achieve the thing i described (fastpath or ability to lower interleaving depth) then you will be able to enjoy a tangible difference in your online fps games.