[b]Tips to avoid lag....[/b] When playing online you want your overall latency (or ping) to be as low as possible. Network traffic is measured in milliseconds (ms). 1000ms equals 1 second. It's not uncommon to encounter other gamers with 500ms+ of lag. Whilst you can directly measure network lag there are other components which can also introduce lag into your gaming set-up, such as your monitor/TV and controller. Here are some tips to reduce overall lag. [b]Home Network[/b] - WiFi networks will increase lag especially if others in your household are using it at the same time. Connect via a wired LAN connection to your router whenever possible as this will provide a nice fast 1Gbit (1000Mbits) connection to your router, this is faster and more reliable than Wi-fi. Power line adapters, which use your homes electricity cabling to route network traffic, are a very good alternative to Wi-Fi (you can buy a pair off Amazon for £25). This a nice option if you don't like the prospect of having to run cables around your house. - Ensure you are using good quality cables which are securely plugged into your equipment. Loose connections will cause issues. Ideally you want to use a shielded CAT6 cable that is kept away from Power cables. Most ethernet cables are unshielded. - If you do use Wi-Fi check you’re router has not chosen a channel similar to your household neighbours. For example, if your WIFI is on channel 11 and so is your neighbours there will be interference which will cause lag. This applies more so to 2.4Ghz connections than 5Ghz. There are free apps to check this (I use Wi-Fi Radar on OSX). This article will help:- http://www.extremetech.com/computing/179344-how-to-boost-your-wifi-speed-by-choosing-the-right-channel - If you are using the 2.4Ghz spectrum (usually on G spec connections) that signal will be subject to interference from other devices in your household. These included cordless phones, microwaves, etc. Keep your console as far away from these as possible. - You can download the OFCOM Wi-Fi checker smart phone app. That apps will tells you if your wifi network is causing speed issues. - Usage, if you, your mum or sister (for example) are streaming from a smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc when you are playing online you’ll be at a disadvantage. There is little you can do this unless you router supports Quality of Services (QOS) features, many modern routers do so including those from NetGEAR, D-Link etc. This will allow you to prioritise your console over other devices on your home network. Dedicated gaming routers are starting to emerge. Check out options from Netduma and Asus for more information. - Lag can also be experienced if your console is downloading an update in the background. It’s alway best to suspend all downloads when playing online. - NAT settings may also affect network performance. Moderate and Strict settings are to be avoided. It's best to enable uPnP on your router which should sort everything out for you or you can head over to portforward.com for help. As a last resort consider configuring a DMZ but this is risky. - Check your routers firmware level. Router firmware has bugs too so check if updates are available from your router manufacturer. You'd be surprised how often they are released and many of these update address wireless performance as well as security issues. - You may also want to consider pluging your router into power filter to eliminate any power interference which sometime can cause erratic router behaviour (although this is rare). Some ISP's will also offer power filters for your phone socket. - If you see a poor line quality result from dslreports.com you might want to replace your ADSL microfilters (if using them). In the UK you can replace the your socket faceplate so you no longer require them. http://www.increasebroadbandspeed.co.uk/adsl-faceplate [b]Broadband Connection[/b] - Outright speed is less of an issue when playing online, very seldom will you see games using more than 1Mbs of bandwidth when playing. Destiny only uses 300Kbs so even those on slow 2Mbs connections should not be disadvantaged. Bungie recommend upto 1Mbs bandwidth but in my experience this much is only required if your are picked as host. Note: Destiny bandwidth requirements do seem to have increased since the Taken King (possibly due to a net code change) - Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may be the issue if lag is an issue at certain times of the day. Some ISP’s packet shape (e.g. BT) and others do not (e.g Sky). Arguably packet shaping is a good thing as it means your ISP will prioritise gaming traffic at busy times of the day. - Check line quality. Run a line quality check (use the dslreports.com) test suite. This will rate your connections quality. Buffer Bloat and Quality readings of below C indicate issues. You may need to contact your ISP for support if this is an issue. Your local country ping times should be sub 30ms. Poor buffer bloat results will mean you experience more lag spikes. - 3G/4G/Satellite connections will suffer from much higher lag than typical DSL / Fibre broadband connections. Use these connections whenever possible - Router connection, it's alway best if your home router is plugged into your homes primary phone socket. Extension cables can be very poor and slow your connections speed and effect line quality. - Reboot your router. Many routers become less responsive overtime so it's alway better to reboot them at least once per week. - Adjust your MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) size on your router and console configuration settings. MTU controls your network packets size, depending on the routing of your packets some may become fragmented which may cause lag. This is getting a bit technical but this article should help: http://www.dslreports.com/faq/5793 - Your internet speed. I know I said speed was not something to worry about normally but if you are on low bandwidth connection and share your connections with others it is likely to get saturated. Internet connection utilising over 80% capacity suffer efficiency issues, at 100% capacity then you're going to run into problems, the lower the bandwidth the more likely this might happen. Like I said earlier low bandwidth connections are not a problem if you're the only one using it but if your sharing with others and someone decides to download a 4Gbs movie from a bit torrent site you might as well forget online gaming for the day. - Consider upgrading your router, many ISP's supply very basic routers and the Wi-Fi performance of many leaves a lot to be desired (although this is an improving situation, looking at you Sky). [b]TV/Monitor[/b] - TV and Monitors have a screen refresh time, the lower the better. Monitors should be sub 5/ms and 30m/s on TV’s is a good number to aim for. Check the following website for more information: http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/input-lag - Regardless of your display refresh time you can improve it by either a) enabling it’s game mode or b) turning off any enhancement modes such as MPEG noise reduction, smoothing etc. Any modes enabled on your display will require processing which will increase screen lag. Some TV’s can introduce 50-75ms lag in these modes. - If you connect your consoles HDMI connection via an A/V receiver or Soundbar check if it has a source/video direct mode. If not, that equipment might be adding 10-20ms of screen refresh lag consider connecting directly to your TV/Monitor instead. [b]Controller lag[/b] - Controller lag is real. Most console controllers use bluetooth to send controller information. Other household items can interfere with your controller such as cordless phones, microwave ovens, etc. These operated on the same 2.4Ghz net work as older Wi-Fi technologies.Keep your controller away from such devices. - Keep your controller close to your console as possible. The PS4 bluetooth antenna is notoriously weak. - Battery level. Low battery on controllers will increase the chance of controller lag. XBOX owners can use their USB connection instead of bluetooth. This is always the preferred option. PS4 owners do not have this option but can buy dedicated USB controllers such as the Hori Pro pad. [b]Gaming [/b] - If game settings permit try to play other games from your continent. For example, European players playing US players will always be disadvantaged by a 150-250ms penalty. - The NetDuma router offers a feature to ensure you either a) only allows connections to other gamers within a set distance, this addresses Europeans playing Americans in Destiny or b) connect to other gamers with a ping time below a set threshold, this will stop you playing against laggy players. Note; There is a low risk such a device might violate Bungie T&C's so you might want to consider this before using such equipment. - Your party. If you party up with other players from different regions then someone is going to be at a disadvantage. That just going to be a fact of life. Not a lot you can do about this. Network packets can only travel so fast around the globe, we are restricted by how fast light can travel. - Check Bungie's comprehensive Network troubleshooting articles:- https://www.bungie.net/7_What-causes-lag-and-disconnects---Latency--Packet-/en/Help/Troubleshoot?oid=13603 https://www.bungie.net/7_WiFi-Convenience-vs-Stability/en/Help/Troubleshoot?oid=13604 https://www.bungie.net/7_Network-Troubleshooting-Guide/en/Help/Troubleshoot?oid=12915 [b]Caffeine[/b] - Caffeine may slows your brains perception of time down and will certainly increase reaction time (in the right doses, account for age and body weight) giving you more time to respond when playing the game. Sounds crazy but try it for a mini matrix bullet time effect. Every little edge helps. ;-) Read here for more information; http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=915