Using a computer as a relay.

[Zewt]

I've been playing CS: Source and GoW PC online for some time now, and still do. Actually, in the interest of being accurate, I should say that I'm 'trying' to play these games online. The reason the word 'trying' is in single quotations is because I've been playing with a reoccurring problem that only now am I trying to squash.

The interval of time between each occurance of this problem is somewhat random, but for the sake of this thread I'll say it happens every 30-40 seconds.

This problem is characterized by, first, a pause; a halt in all player movement and actions. This pause is then followed up by, only seconds later, a massive burst of activity, as if the game is trying to catch up with everyone else. Tons of sounds will play simultaneously, all ragdolls will be reset, and I'm usually lying on the ground dead because someone "BOOM, HEADSHOT!" 'ed me.

This happens in both GoW and CS: Source. To try to fix CS, I edited my rates. For GoW I took a more general approach and just updated my wireless adapter software. Both attempts were fruitless.

But I have an idea.

The computer that I play these games on is upstairs, while the router I use as an access point is downstairs. When I open up the wireless network monitor I see that the signal strength fluctuates anywhere between 11 and 54 mbps in a matter of seconds. I'm thinking this might be the cause of the occasional 'bottleneck' (forgive me if that's an inaccurate term) I'm experiencing in these games.

Here's what I was thinking, and where your help would serve me well. There is another computer upstairs that is connected (wirelessly) to the same access point. My brother frequently plays both CS and GoW on this pc without any hitches whatsoever. His computer lies only 15 feet closer to the router, but is surrounded by far fewer walls than mine. I was wondering if there was any way I could use my brother's computer as some sort of relay and maybe get a more consistent wireless signal.

Please, tell me if this idea is dumb. I want to fix this.

 

[=ACID RAIN=]

Yes, you can set up ICS on your brother's PC. Go wired with a crossover to his PC, and ICS his wireless connection. It will introduce some extra packet relay time (maybe 10ms? Less? who knows...), and may or may not fix the lag. Your issue, from what you have posted, is simply this: games are not meant to be played over wireless. Games use UDP as opposed to TCP, which means the server and the client stream packets, and if some get dropped, the client and server have to play "catch-up", as you have seen. Wireless will always drop some packets, so there will always be some random lag (unless you park your PC right by the router and don't own a microwave, etc).

The definitive fix? Wired gaming. Don't want to wire it? Then it's not that important to you

 

[Zewt]

As far as entertainment is concerned, yes it is important. But I guess what's more important is the privacy of having my comp in my own room ;D.

Thanks for your insight.

 

[=ACID RAIN=]

Well try ICS with a crossover between you and your brother's computer. You'll need to set machine A to 192.168.2.1 with a gateway of 192.168.2.2, and then machine B to 192.168.2.2 with a gateway of 192.168.2.1. Leave them at 255.255.255.0 for simplicity. You might have to manually change the metric for the LAN port on your bro's machine to a higher number than the wireless, otherwise it might try to browse the web through your machine, which of course won't work haha. Also, if you go wired, disable wireless so you don't get routing loops between your PCs.

ICS is a pain in the ***, huh? LOL. I swear it works though, I've even used one rig as a wireless relay with a router behind it hosting network for the folding farm. I could put the farm anywhere in the house with only one cable going to a plug for power

 

[mepis]

If running a cable doesnt work there is always the option of changing equipment. I know it sounds like a lot but it can help. Here's a couple tips to try:

• Move computer out form under the desk. Leave your computer in the open essentially and not in any surroundings. You would be surprised how much wood can kill a signal.
• Get a better antenna. Your goal here isn't to increase your range but improve your signal-to-noise ratio. Games actually use very little bandwidth to play a game. But as mentioned they cant handle packet loss that well. The better your signal-to-noise ratio is the less packets are dropped and the cleaner the signal. This is your ultimate goal with any solution and all things I suggest ultimately lead to this.
• Build a parabolic dish around your antenna from cardboard and tinfoil to achieve the same effect as mentioned above. This basically filters the signal to improve SNR without decreasing your DCB range.
• Depending on your router install after market firmware on it to strengthen the radio signal. Only do it a little though because the more amperage you pump to amplify a signal the worse your SNR gets. It's usally made up by the distance the signal can travel but we are looking to lower your SNR here.

Try a few of these to see if it helps. Wireless networking is a different animal then wired but if done right it can be just as effective. I just had to go through the mess after moving because my "server" could no longer be wired but was serving mass amounts of media to the rest of the house. Music didnt suffer but trying to play a DVD image did horribly.

 

[Zewt]

That also came across my mind. I've been told that maybe a PCI card might do the trick.

Acid Rain: Holy crap yes that does sound like a pain in the ***. You would say you are technologically inclined as far as computer networks are concerned, yes? That is something I am not

 

[Cheator]

Sounds like a wireless card issue if your brother is fine. Get a MIMO one perhaps?