Hey what is going on guys, in this video today
we're gonna be going over how to improve your
Fortnite ping and general connection if you
play on PS4 or Xbox One.
Out of all the questions and requests for
videos that I get in my comments section and
Twitter, "How do I get better ping" is definitely
one of the most common.
And I can totally understand why that is,
ping has always been incredibly important
in Fortnite and I don't see any reason why
that would change in the future.
Now I wanna put this disclaimer at the beginning
of this video to be transparent with you guys,
when it comes to ping and connection on console,
a lot of it boils down to things that are
probably out of your control.
Now don't get me wrong there definitely are
some smaller things that you can do, but just
be aware that they can only help so much.
So, without further ado, let's get right into
it.
Alright, so we're gonna start off with the
more basic aspects of improving ping/connection
and gradually work our way to some more advanced
things.
So when it comes to having good ping and connection
there's 3 main factors that really matter.
First off for ping specifically, a major factor
is where you're located in the world, 2nd
is the general strength and provider of your
internet, and 3rd is the way that your console
is connected to the internet.
If you're someone who's played or followed
Fortnite for a while, a player's location
impacting their ping is probably something
that you're relatively familiar with.
I'll just quickly flash an image of all the
server locations on the screen right now,
and when it comes to ping it's as simple as
this: the closer you are to any of those servers
the better.
So using the U.S as an example, a player with
bad internet who lives in a state like Virginia
or Pennsylvania, will probably have better
ping than someone in Florida or the Midwest
even if that player has really good internet.
The 2nd factor is the general strength and
provider of your internet, and even though
you probably have more control over this than
where you live, I don't think there's too
much I can say about this that you guys don't
already know.
Obviously better internet is going to lead
to better connection and ping, also certain
internet providers are better and more reliable
than others.
For example, Verizon Fios is typically regarded
as the best widely-available internet provider
for gaming, while other companies like Spectrum
and Comcast get much less favorable reviews.
So that covers the 2 factors that are mostly
out of your control, now let's go in-depth
about some changes you can make regarding
how your console is connected.
So there are 2 ways that this connection can
be made, wired via ethernet cable or wireless
via wifi.
Right off the bat, I wanna make this as clear
as possible, if you really want good connection
and ping you need to do everything in your
power to make you consoles' connection wired.
No matter how good your internet is, wireless
gaming, especially with the older versions
of the Xbox one and PS4 is pretty terrible
in general.
Being wireless probably won't have a huge
impact on your ping, but it'll without a doubt
lead to more packet loss, more lag spikes,
increased download time, and a bunch of other
negative connection-based things.
So if you're console is close enough to your
router where you can relatively easily hardwire
it, you are absolutely shooting yourself in
the foot if you haven't already done that.
And even if it's far away, you still have
a variety of different options.
I'm not an expert by any means but I know
you can use things like extension cables,
powerline network adapters, MoCa adapters,
trust me if you put a little bit of effort
into google searching some stuff you can probably
figure it out.
However, if you can't get ethernet connection
or maybe you just don't care enough to do
so, there are still some things you can do
to improve your wireless connection.
The first thing you wanna do is go to your
console's network settings and take a look
at all the wifi connections that are available
to be connected to.
Now in this list you should obviously find
the wifi connection that you use for your
console, and what you may also see is another
network that has the same name as your regular
connection and then - 5G.
I'll throw an image up on the screen of my
connections albeit with some parts of the
name blurred out just so you can see the regular
network and then the 5G one.
So the base connection without the 5G in the
name that most people use is a 2.4 GHz connection
while the 5G network as the name kinda indicates
is 5 GHz.
Let me break down the difference between the
2 options as well as which one will be better
for you depending on your setup and situation.The
primary differences between the two frequencies
are the range and speed that they provide.
The 2.4 GHz connection provides coverage at
a longer range but transmits data at slower
speeds.
The 5 GHz connection provides less coverage
but transmits data at faster speeds.
The range is lower in the 5 GHz because higher
frequencies struggle to penetrate solid objects,
such as walls and floors.
However, the shorter range allows data to
be transmitted quicker, so the 5 GHz connection
allows you to upload and download files and
information faster.
Your WiFi on a particular connection can also
be faster or slower because of interference
from other devices.
Many WiFi-enabled technologies and other household
devices use the 2.4 GHz connection, such as
microwaves and garage door openers.
When multiple devices attempt to use the same
radio space, overcrowding occurs and connection
slows down.
The 5 GHz connection tends to have less overcrowding
than the 2.4GHz because fewer devices use
it and because it has 23 channels for devices
to use, while the 2.4GHz band has only 11
channels.
Not entirely sure what that part means but
I think the main summary of it is: If you�re
experiencing a lot of interference from other
devices, consider using the 5 GHz connection.
For me personally on my Xbox, I do get slightly
lower ping, faster download speeds, and better
overall connection with the 5G wifi network.
However, that may be totally different for
you.
So if you plan on using WiFi, you definitely
wanna give both options a try and see which
one works better for you.
And if you ultimately end up using the 2.4
GHz option for whatever reason, try to limit
the interference from exterior devices.
For example, devices like external hard drives,
wireless headsets, and even phones can hurt
your connection if they're within a few feet
of your console.The final and most advanced
thing that you can try to do to improve your
connection is manually changing your DNS settings.
On Xbox you do this by going into network
settings, then advanced settings, DNS settings,
and finally when it asks whether you want
automatic or manual you choose manual, and
I'd assume on PS4 the steps are very very
similar.
So once you get into the DNS menu it's going
to ask you for a primary DNS and then a secondary
DNS.
What this gives you the option to do is manually
choose a network to connect your console to.
And even though it's not going to be the same
for everybody there are 2 options for DNS
that are unanimously considered the best.
The first is cloudflare, the primary DNS for
this is 1.1.1.1 and the secondary DNS is 1.0.0.1.
The second best option is Google and the primary
DNS for that is 8.8.8.8 and the secondary
is 8.8.4.4.
I've heard some mixed reviews about the effectiveness
of manually changing your DNS on console,
but most people agree this can have a positive
impact on your wireless connection.
I'll even link a video down in the description
below of a guy testing his default upload
and download speed on his console vs. his
upload and download when using either cloudflare
or google, and both of those options ended
up increasing his overall speeds.
So if you're going to play on wireless I would
strongly recommend giving this method a try.
I would first go into your network settings
with everything how it normally is and then
click "text network speed and statistics"
and either write down or just remember your
download speed, upload speed, and latency.
Then connect to the cloudflare DNS via the
method I showed you, reset your console, and
do the same test again to see if your connection
is either better or worse.
Then repeat that again but this time for the
Google DNS.
If your default stats are better than obviously
stick with that, but if either cloudflare
or google is better then you wanna play Fortnite
or any other game and see if your connection
actually seems better in-game.
For me personally this DNS method greatly
improves my upload and download speed but
doesn't seem to make much of a difference
when it comes to lowering my ping.
So I'll change it anyway just so I can download
games and updates better, but it may be totally
different for you guys so that's why you need
to test it.
So, I hope you guys enjoyed this video and
if you watched the entire thing be sure to
let me know with a comment down in the comment
section below.
In general are you normally happy with your
connection and ping while gaming or not so
much?
Be sure to leave a like, leave a comment,
subscribe, turn on post notifications, do
whatever the heck you want, and I, will catch
you guys next time!
