In modern gaming, a high-performance network connection is crucial. Gamers expect seamless, low-latency experiences, and even the slightest lag can ruin a competitive session. To help optimize Wi-Fi networks for gaming, Alethea’s WiCheck platform provides a detailed, real-device testing solution that simulates gaming environments under various network conditions. Below is a suggested playbook for evaluating access point (AP) performance during real-time gaming.

A Playbook for optimizing Gaming User Experience in congestion

For effective benchmarking of gaming performance, we recommend configuring your Wi-Fi network test with a similar setup to the following:

• Group Setup: Divide real devices into two groups. For example, Group 1 could have 32 devices connected to AP-A, while Group 2 could have 32 devices connected to AP-B.
• Simulating Network Load: To simulate a high-traffic network environment, integrate emulated devices (e.g., 100) connected to AP-B. These emulated devices will generate background traffic, while Group 1 will experience gaming under a lightly loaded network.
• Run the Gaming Traffic: After connecting the real and emulated clients to their respective APs, initiate gaming traffic. Group 1, connected to AP-A, will benchmark performance on a low-traffic network, while Group 2 will experience gaming in a loaded network environment with the emulated clients generating background traffic.

Analyzing Results

Once the test is complete, use WiCheck’s comprehensive report generation feature to analyze key performance indicators. In this example:

• The average Round-Trip Time (RTT) for gaming devices in Group 1 (connected to AP-A without load) was around 100 milliseconds.
• Devices in Group 2 (connected to AP-B under heavy traffic) experienced a significantly higher RTT of 600 milliseconds.

This setup allows you to clearly demonstrate how network congestion affects gaming performance, offering insights into the impact of load on user experience.

Key Takeaways for Benchmarking Gaming Performance

• Real Device Testing: Always test with real devices to capture accurate gaming experiences and ensure that benchmarks reflect actual user conditions.
• Understand Load Impact: Simulating background traffic provides crucial data on how well your AP performs under different load conditions, helping you understand how congestion affects latency and RTT.
• Optimization Insights: The collected data enables network administrators and OEMs to optimize their APs and network configurations for improved gaming performance, even in high-traffic environments.

Why Use WiCheck for Gaming User Experience Testing?

• Real-Device Testing: WiCheck allows for the use of real gaming devices ensuring testing conditions closely mirror actual gaming environments.
• Application-Specific Insights: The platform is tailored to gaming traffic delivering precise metrics that directly impact the user’s gaming experience.
• End-to-End Performance Evaluation: From the network’s access point to the game server, WiCheck measures how well the network supports gaming, identifying areas for performance improvement to ensure smoother gameplay.

WiCheck’s capability to test real devices under varying network loads provides critical insights for OEMs and network operators. The precise RTT and network performance data allow engineers to fine-tune devices for optimal gaming performance, even in challenging conditions.

Optimize your gaming network today with WiCheck. 

To learn more or schedule a demo, contact us at info@aletheatech.com