The speed of the network connection does not only depend on the hardware used. Windows is an operating system designed to work on different types of computers, built with different pieces and never the same network configurations. Due to the abstract nature of the operating system, it cannot be optimized by default on a computer so performance can be improved in practically all scenarios. In this guide we will then show you the best programs that we can use to obtain a faster connection and improved latency, so that you can play on the computer in multiplayer online without problems.
In addition to the programs, we will dedicate a chapter to the changes to the connection parameters on Windows, so that the Internet speed and the connection speed to the local LAN are faster .
READ ALSO: Improve the quality of the internet connection
It is therefore not a question of increasing the transfer speed, i.e. the maximum upload and download value that can be reached when uploading or downloading from the internet.
On the other hand, latency and ping indicate a faster connection, i.e. less time for which the computer recognizes and finds a site such as www.navigaweb.net or www.google.it on the network. It seems nothing but having a lower ping, for example 50ms instead of 400ms, causes a marked improvement in performance for opening websites, for online games and for programs that require multiple connections.
Latency is this time interval between sending the request (I want to connect to google.com) and receiving the reply (I found google.com).
A symptom of high latency and a non-optimized network is, for example, slowing down the computer when you browse local network resources and connect to other computers (file and folder sharing). Another symptom is the delay or wait (short but always annoying) when opening a website that remains for half a second or longer waiting for a response. Those who play online games, on the other hand, may notice the lag problem, with delays in response to the actions.
As seen, you can measure the speed of the internet connection with various tools.
Programs to get faster connection
In this part of the guide we will show you the programs that can optimize the ping and latency of our connections on Windows, without having to manually make changes to the system. These programs are free and very simple to use, plus they always allow you to return to the starting conditions in case of problems or unsatisfactory results.Latency Optimizer Free
One of the best programs we can use to speed up Windows connection is Latency Optimizer Free.
With this program we can optimize the Internet connection with a simple click on the Start optimization item, present under the Sligh - Latency Optimization section . In a completely automatic way, the program will apply changes to the connection parameters, significantly improving the ping and latency parameters (the most important when we play online).
If we want to change our connection even more decisively, we can use the menus offered at the top of the program window to optimize the startup of the computer, to improve network speed and to speed up Windows every time we start a specific game. Unfortunately the most "pushed" settings are available only for the paid version, available at the price of 30 dollars. Since the changes made with the free version are more than enough to speed up the connection, we recommend that you consider this expense only if we play online at a professional level (therefore we always need maximum performance).
TCP Optimizer
Another free program that we can use to improve the ping and latency of our connection for TCP Optimizer.
TCP Optimizer, which we talked about in the guide to optimize the ADSL internet connection and the TCP / IP network, makes changes in a similar way to Latency Optimizer Free, but this time it's all free, we will not have to buy any paid version to get the maximum performance! The program allows you to change the network parameters automatically in order to have a faster connection .
After downloading TCP Optimizer we launch the program, select the network interface from the drop-down menu in the center ( Network Adapter selection ) and change the top speed selector, based on the speed of our Internet connection (better run a speed test to be sure to enter the right download value).
After selecting the right connection speed, click on Optimal below and check the changes applied by the program to the various items to be optimized; to apply the changes click on Apply Changes and restart the computer.
After the restart, go to the MTU / Latency tab, and perform a test to check the network latency with the pings on the websites by pressing the Latency button at the bottom: the lower the value, the faster our connection will be while we play online.
System changes to increase connection speed
After seeing the programs to get the fastest connection, here we will instead show you the manual changes that we can apply to the operating system. Among the most effective changes to be applied to the operating system, the Nagle algorithm, also known as TCP no delay, deserves a mention.Network traffic optimization
Nagle's algorithm is basically an optimization of network traffic that tries to reduce the overall packet volume but can cause more latency. This trick should work on all versions of Windows starting from 7 onwards and allows you to decrease latency and reduce connection time (ping) to external hosts.To apply this change, we follow the steps described below:
- From the Start menu we search for regedit or we press the Windows-R key combination and we write regedit . From the registry editor, we navigate in the left tree up to the following key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ services \ Tcpip \ Parameters \ Interfaces .
- Below the interfaces section are some keys with random names; among these, identify the one relating to the network interface used to connect to the Internet. Among the values that appear on the right you will read the IPAddress or the ip address, a number that can be 192.168.2.1 ; if the address is assigned by DHCP look at the value DhcpIPAddress instead of IPAddress . To find out what your IP address is, open the command prompt as seen above and write the ipconfig command.
- Once you have found the right network interface, right-click on the blank and create a new DWORD (32-bit) value by giving it the name " TcpAckFrequency ". Double click on this new item and assign it a value of 1 (hexadecimal), then create another new DWORD value (32-bit), call it " TCPNoDelay " (always respect upper and lower case), double click on it and assign the value 1 to this. Finally, check that both the new values, TcpAckFrequency and TCPNoDelay show the REG_DWORD properties and the value 0 × 00000001 .
We exit the registry editor, restart the PC and check if there is improvement in the system, which should now have better ping and better network latency .
Disable network restrictions
Windows has an integrated setting that limits the bandwidth that the computer can manage. You can then try (but the results will vary and may cause more harm than good), to remove this setting.- Look for the word Regedit on the Start menu and open the registry editor.
- Follow the following path
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Multimedia \ SystemProfile - Select the SystemProfile folder and click on NetworkThrottlingIndex
- Change the value data to ffffffff with hexadecimal base selected.
In another article we have collected the best Windows tricks to speed up the Internet connection, which we recommend you read in order to get a really fast computer while playing online.
Conclusions
As we have been able to guess, with these suggestions we will not increase the data transfer speed, that is the maximum upload and download value reachable, but we will act on other important parameters such as ping and latency, fundamental when we play multiplayer online . Using the programs mentioned, limiting the number of devices connected to the router and connecting the PC to the router via ethernet cable (not therefore in wifi), we will have a PC ready for online play.Finally, do not forget that it is possible to optimize the internet by changing the DNS servers, as explained in another post.
If we want to further optimize Windows 10 to make it very fast, we recommend you read our guide on How to speed up Windows 10 . If instead we suspect that the connection problem concerns the modem or router, we can solve it by reading our guide on how to speed up the router and optimize the Wifi network .
