If your using ADSL you should ping well on most UK servers with a sub 50 ping with 10 plus players on the server.
Hardware
Before installing ADSL think about the hardware you require. The number of computers sharing your ADSL connection. If your connecting more than one computer a router will be required if your using a single computer an internal PCI ADSL modem will do. Free USB ADSL modems are given away by some ISPs or sold cheaply.
Best Hardware For Lowest Ping
If you`ve gone for free line activation and free ADSL modem bet your using a frog shaped USB ADSL external modem. USB ADSL external modems are not the best for achieving the lowest ping routers or internal PCI ADSL modems will give you the best ping. The differences between USB ADSL external modem routers PCI ADSL modems in ping is minimal 5ms - 10ms. Bandwidth is the thing with proper ADSL 512kbs down 256kbs up you have enough available bandwidth to connect to the server at max speed up/down. The Tiscali 150k service is not broadband.
Lowering Ping
If Your a serious on-line games player use the provider of the games server or servers you play on ADSL service if they provide one. EG If you play on Jolts servers get jolts ADSL service or use Nildram who supples Jolts network.
Ask other players what ISP they are using and hardware they use.
Setup your modem/router using the correct settings for your ISP.
Play on servers you ping the best on I love wireplays dm6 only server but it lags like a bad plumber on every ISP I have used.
If your using Windows 98 upgrade to Windows XP This will drop your ping by 10ms well it did with my connection.
Don`t up/download anything while playing on-line games you need a steady constant connection.
My Set Up for Gaming
I use an internal PCI modem I only have one computer connected to the net so it seemed like
the best solution.
I looked at the reviews on the adslguide.org.uk and bought MRI PCI modem IDSL01 which worked well but the pings were a little disappointing no lower than ISDN.
Closer inspection of the modem revealed I had been sent an IDSL02 which has a Globespan chip set and not a Conexant chipset like the MRI PCI modem IDSL01.
Again I thought nothing of it untill my brother ordered ADSL and asked me what hardware I was using and he ordered MRI PCI modem IDSL01.
He was lucky and received MRI PCI modem IDSL01 with the Conexant chipset and his pings were half mine where as I was pinging at 50 he was pinging on the same server both using Nildram in the low 20s.
He lives 2 miles from his exchange I live 100 meters by road from mine obviously something was not right. Was it my drivers or my line had I set the modem up right.
After I had eliminated everything I could the only thing was to replace the modem luckily there was an MRI PCI modem IDSL01 for sale on ebay which I bid for and won.
I gave the IDSL02 to my dad and installed the MRI PCI modem IDSL01 held my breath and YES I now had an ADSL ping to be proud of in the low 20s.
If you want a low ADSL ping use MRI PCI modem IDSL01 internal modem don`t just order one. Phone the retailer and ask them make sure its an MRI PCI modem IDSL01 and not MRI PCI modem IDSL02 because it has the Globespan chipset and they suck.
ADSL Tweaking Sites Yes I am a Chicken.
I am not going to start on about ADSL connection tweaking so much depends on your ISP, hardware and the sites below do it so much better than I could.
Visit the sites linked to below which cover ADSL ping/connection tweaking in great depth but remember your only ever going to adjust your ping by a few ms at the most. If you can`t cut it on ADSL connection take up knitting (I did).
The sites above are a good place to start tweaking if your looking for a good UK based speed test try
adslguide.org.uk Its one of the best broadband sites in the UK.
I am not going to start on about ADSL connection tweaking so much depends on your ISP, hardware and the sites below do it so much better than I could.
