Recommendations for gamer-friendly ISP

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zaptor

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#280779 10-Jan-2021 12:50

Greetings.

Currently, using BigPipe UFB on 900/400-500, which is sadly proving to be a somewhat ... underwhelming experience. Have raised a ticket regarding the sub 300Mbps (often mid-to-low 200Mbps) downstream speed we're seeing to the the closest speedtest server, with the typical arbitration response. Although, when I first connected was easily hitting 400+Mbps, of which I did mention in the ticket.

Would've gone with 2Degrees, except I think we'd need a static IP, as one of the games played sometimes uses the client PC as a host. Although, I wouldn't mind getting a static IP, assuming the cost isn't too bad, and the performance is better than what we're seeing with BigPipe.

So, maybe 2Degrees, or perhaps even MyRepublic (I know, have read the hate - although, recently not so much it seems...).

The main gaming servers appear to be in Sydney (for the games that are played), if that helps.

TIA.

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#2633061 10-Jan-2021 12:53

Are you testing over wifi or with an ethernet cable?

sbiddle

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#2633067 10-Jan-2021 13:05

How are you testing and what hardware are you using?

While there is always the possibility of a fault, based on the realities of the real world the issue is highly unlikely to be with Bigpipe, and is most likely your setup.

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#2633075 10-Jan-2021 13:27

Also you say for gaming but are concerned with speed ? I'd be more concerned about ping response times.

I'm on their Expert plan and game with no issues (GTA, Overwatch, SoT etc)

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michaelmurfy

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#2633077 10-Jan-2021 13:29

400Mbit indicates you're using WiFi or your router is struggling. What router are you using?

I do have a quick guide here on picking an ISP: https://murfy.nz/2018/02/06/picking-the-right-isp/ but really you need to fix your client side issues first. Use Ethernet, don't use those powerline adapters or WiFi etc.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
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Linux

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#2633079 10-Jan-2021 13:37

Don't change ISP fix your network issue/s

toejam316

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#2633085 10-Jan-2021 13:56

Can confirm it's likely an issue with your configuration or testing methodology, as I'm on Spark (literally the same network) at home and routinely pull 940-960 down and 500+ up when I'm busy teasing my Australian friends complaining about Aussie speeds.
Useful information would be what device your testing off of (including specifications if you know, a tool like Speccy could be useful if you don't), how that device is connected to your router (cabled, wireless, smoke signals, etc), what your router is (Spark Smart Modem, Huawei modem, or as I suspect, some flavour of gaming router).
From those specs we should hopefully be able to figure out where the wheels are falling off.

I also suspect you haven't raised your concerns directly with Bigpipe? My experience with them is they're a pretty switched on bunch and probably would ask for similar information from you.

Anything I say is the ramblings of an ill informed, opinionated so-and-so, and not representative of any of my past, present or future employers, and is also probably best disregarded.

zaptor

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#2633092 10-Jan-2021 14:36

Whoops - sincere apologies.

I meant 400Mbps upstream not downstream - my bad. Will update the OP.

Wrote it in a bit of a rush.

So, just to clarify a few points / answer few of the questions:

Connection is directly from PC <--> router <--> ONT
No WiFi at all
Only device connected to the router (Fritz!Box 7490) is the gaming PC
Can easily hit 900+Mbps downstream no worries
Tried the diagnostic thing with BigPipe, unfortunately connecting the PC directly to the ONT doesn't yield particularly good performance. I suspect a number of different variables contributing this, but, I think a dedicated router (even a consumer one like the 7490) is getting better throughput for valid reasons. Connecting PC directly seems fine for diagnosing things like non-connection, but, for performance not so sure.

The upstream performance issue was passed onto Chorus, who said they could see no issues on the line. Which is fine, just that somewhere/somehow there is degradation in performance to the closest speedtest server (222.155.201.178). So, the line may well be fine, but, I just want an ISP who can provide better (i.e. or at least the advertised) performance than what I'm seeing at the moment.

In terms of actual real-world gaming performance, there appears to be no difference between BigPipe 900/400 and Vodafone HFC 200/20.

Thanks for the responses.

Edit: Drat, I can't seem to re-edit/update the OP.

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RunningMan

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#2633093 10-Jan-2021 14:40

What OS? IIRC some recent Windows drivers have negatively impacted network performance - would pay to check you have the latest from the manufacturer.

toejam316

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#2633094 10-Jan-2021 14:45

Yep, still keen on the specs incl OS of the PC. No stone unturned and all that.

Anything I say is the ramblings of an ill informed, opinionated so-and-so, and not representative of any of my past, present or future employers, and is also probably best disregarded.

zaptor

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#2633096 10-Jan-2021 14:57

Except, I can easily get 900Mbps downstream.

AFAIK, the downstream/upstream speed separation is effectively an artificial ISP (or whatever the correct terminology) thing.

There is rate limiting capability in 7490, which I've set to 500Mbps upstream.

Plus, I was easily getting 400+ Mbps upstream when I first speedtest-ed the connection. It bizarrely just dropped a few days later.

zaptor

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#2633098 10-Jan-2021 14:59

michaelmurfy:

400Mbit indicates you're using WiFi or your router is struggling. What router are you using?

I do have a quick guide here on picking an ISP: https://murfy.nz/2018/02/06/picking-the-right-isp/ but really you need to fix your client side issues first. Use Ethernet, don't use those powerline adapters or WiFi etc.

Interesting read.

So, with Spark/BigPipe not doing any local peering, do you think that would potentially impact latency to Sydney-based servers?

Does Spark not have a basic route to Sydney?

RunningMan

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#2633109 10-Jan-2021 15:38

zaptor:There is rate limiting capability in 7490, which I've set to 500Mbps upstream

Turn it off and see what happens.

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#2633114 10-Jan-2021 15:53

Do trace routes to the gaming server/s look at the hops show us the results and I am on 2degrees and will do trace routes to the same location and you can compare

Jase2985

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#2633120 10-Jan-2021 16:18

you want an ISP for gamers but your focusing on raw speed, you want to focus on ping not Mbps the speeds you are getting will be more than adequate for gaming.

have you tied different speedtest servers?

have you tried the speedtest.net app as opposed to the browser based tests?

toejam316

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#2633127 10-Jan-2021 16:47

If you want a different ISP, Voyager or 2Degrees are my non-Spark recommendations.
If you're getting limited performance bypassing the router, try an alternative device such as a late model Core i7 or Ryzen laptop/desktop.

Regarding routes, Spark has a route to Sydney, the general complaint with Spark is that they don't have local open peering so some traffic goes to Sydney then back again. You'll find you either get a Spark based provider who has better pings to Spark hosted things, or a non-Spark ISP who has better pings to non-Spark things. Generally from NZ to Sydney ranges from 20-60ms depending where you are in the country.

If you want to be an extremely optimized gamer, I believe your best bet is to live somewhere close to Mayoral Drive or Airdale Street.

Anything I say is the ramblings of an ill informed, opinionated so-and-so, and not representative of any of my past, present or future employers, and is also probably best disregarded.

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