Lag in online games on Wi-Fi: four tests to find the cause

Everyone blames the Wi-Fi. Sometimes they're right. Here is how to know before you spend money on it.

Published · 2 min read

In this guide
  1. Three things people call lag
  2. Four tests
  3. What to do for each result
  4. A word about speed
  5. Measure the numbers behind lag

"Lag" is one word for several different things. Before buying a router, a mesh kit or a faster plan, work out which one you have.

Three things people call lag

  • Delay. You press, and the action happens late, consistently. That's a long response time.
  • Stutter and rubber-banding. Characters jump back, shots don't register, the game freezes for an instant. That's an unsteady connection: see latency and jitter and packet loss.
  • Choppy picture. The image itself is jerky even offline. That's the console or TV, not the network.

Only the first two are about your connection, and the second is by far the most common on Wi-Fi.

Four tests

  1. Change room. Play the same game next to the router. If the lag disappears, the cause is the spot where you normally play. This is the Wi-Fi case, and the most common.
  2. Change time. Does it only happen in the evening? Then something is competing: someone streaming or uploading at home, neighbours' networks in an apartment block, or your provider's busy hours. See neighbours' Wi-Fi interference.
  3. Change game. If one game lags and others are fine, the problem is that game's servers or your distance from them. Nothing at home will fix it.
  4. Change link. If you can, plug in a cable for one session. If it's still bad on a cable right next to the router, it's the line, not the Wi-Fi.

What to do for each result

  • It's the room. Free the console from the TV cabinet, pick the band on purpose, or bring a node closer: see PS5 or Xbox in the TV cabinet and Wi-Fi for a game console.
  • It's the hour. Pause big downloads and backups while you play. Many routers have a setting to prioritise gaming or a specific device.
  • It's the game. Check the game's server status and choose the nearest region if it lets you.
  • It's the line. That's the one case for calling your provider, with your test results in hand.

A word about speed

A faster plan rarely fixes lag. Online play uses very little data. It needs every small packet to arrive on time, which is a question of steadiness, not size.

Measure the numbers behind lag

WiFi Heatmap measures response time, how much it varies and how many requests are lost, at the exact spot where you play. Those are the numbers behind delay and stutter. Compare your gaming spot with a point next to the router and you have test number one done properly, with a result you can see.