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Why is the PS4s wifi so bad?

Madness that they went with 2.4GHz, I recently got a 5GHz router and my tablet now gets twice the speed and never needs to be reset, whereas I was constantly restarting the channel on 2.4GHz.
 
krang said:
Not targeting this at you, specifically, but this 'answer' really irks me. It's a good idea in theory, but it's generally not as convenient as "just plug a wire in". It shouldn't be an excuse for shitty wifi hardware.

Powerline is the best option, though. Still - spending the cash shouldn't be necessary.
Click to expand...

Of course not but someone isn't going to sell their entire system for WiFi if getting online is the priority. We can demand Sony to distribute a new round of PS4 with the new WiFi piece but if you already have the system, chances are you probably aren't going to just buy the new one, so it's best to work with what you have. And if online pings and download speeds are of importance, definitely go wired. I look at it like - we can complain about a cheap solution but action just works better.
 
Im madd that their new redesign doesn't include an updated Wifi...can't even take advantage of my google fiber connection...
 
AyaisMUsikWhore said:
Of course not but someone isn't going to sell their entire system for WiFi if getting online is the priority. We can demand Sony to distribute a new round of PS4 with the new WiFi piece but if you already have the system, chances are you probably aren't going to just buy the new one, so it's best to work with what you have. And if online pings and download speeds are of importance, definitely go wired. I look at it like - we can complain about a cheap solution but action just works better.
Click to expand...

I couldn't go wired if I wanted to. My PS4 is in the living room, my computer and router are on the second floor on the opposite side of the house.

Even so, it's crazy hearing all of these horror stories with PSN speeds and the wifi, I have have had zero issues with either. It's much faster (for me) on wifi than the PS3 was hardwired.
 
I switched to wired and the connection to PSN is still garbage. I notice no difference in download speeds. What was once terrible is still terrible. I don't drop connection via wireless or wired though.
 
Nerfgun said:
man, people will never learn this.

5Ghz is not better than 2.4Ghz. it's just a higher frequency for busy areas to mitigate congestion. the range of 5Ghz vs 2.4 is extremely limited. it also cannot penetrate walls nearly as well.

5ghz is nice to have as an option in a busy condo but it is not inherently better at all, and given the choice you'd always want 2.4.
Click to expand...

I dont know the tech top notch, but I will call BS on some of this. I just tested my new 250mb/s comcast internet modem wifi. It supports both 5 and 2.4. The modem is in the basement. I was upstairs in the living room with my Samsung Galaxy Note (also supports both 2.5 & 5). I have to pass through the floor and 2 walls.

Results:

5ghz:
down: 92mb/s up:23mb/s ping:42ms

2.4 Ghz:
down: 44mb/s up:20mb/s ping:42ms
 
krang said:
To be fair, the XB1's wifi isn't all that great either. Sure, it's 5GHz which means it can be super fast, but it automatically switches to 2.4 if a router is sending both in sync, meaning you have to desychronise them on the router and explicitly select the 5.0 one, which is an unnecessary pain.
Click to expand...


So you're saying that when configured correctly it works great? How can this be on same level? (fair)
 
Lime said:
Vita's wifi is beyond terrible.
Click to expand...
There are a couple of non-obvious config settings that may help your Vita's wifi connection -
hesido said:
Here are two most important settings you have to change:

  • Turn OFF Power save settings ---> "use Wi-fi in Power Save Mode" Importance level: Over 9000.
  • In your wi-fi routers settings, change your security setting to "WPA2 / AES". Absolutely no TKIP, force AES and AES only. Importance level: Very.
Edit: Be sure to checkout the official Remote Play topic if you still have problems.
Click to expand...

Back on topic - I've always used an ethernet connection for my consoles when they have the capability - it can be a pain, but it's been worth it. Particularly with streaming etc.
 
I was topping out around 11-13mbps on wifi and after finally wiring my PS4 in last night I'm getting 48-50mbps really consistently. Sucks that I have a LAN cable running across the floor but when I'm more than quadrupling my speed, I kind of need it.
 
My PS4 used to drop to 0 for download speeds when it feels like it, especially when downloading games for a few minutes. It seems to have gotten better for me recently, though.
I don't think I even had an issue with my Wii U relating to Wifi.
 
AyaisMUsikWhore said:
I agree with everyone here. Go wired. My PS4 literally sits next to my modem and the shit still moves slow using WiFi. I don't know if it's Comcast crappy modem or what but I have it wired now.
Click to expand...

just switched from comcast to verizon and i downloaded a 5GB demo in 30min. my router's in the basement and my ps4's on the top floor. it's beautiful.

edit: and remote play is flawless now over the net. also on the second floor with the ps4 in the same room.
 
i never trust wifi. always going wired for gaming. if i notice you're using wireless in online fighting games (very noticable), i won't play you.

but yea, you'll want the highest quality wifi options for consoles.
 
Having both is better but some of you guys need to stop regurgitating misinformation. There are situations where 2.4 would be better suited than 5 and vice versa.

Anyhow hopefully they eventually include it in an updated model. It might help out those who live in more population dense areas where you have neighbors who don't know any better or even worse purposely have their router configured to use up two channels on 2.4. Ugh...
 
krang said:
Not targeting this at you, specifically, but this 'answer' really irks me. It's a good idea in theory, but it's generally not as convenient as "just plug a wire in". It shouldn't be an excuse for shitty wifi hardware.

Powerline is the best option, though. Still - spending the cash shouldn't be necessary.
Click to expand...

I use powerline for my ps4. Better than wifi but still not got great dl speeds. I get about 10 mbps max compared to wifi where I would get about 4 or 5. All on a 55 mbps connection btw.
 
Lime said:
It's old and crummy 2,4ghz instead of the much better 5ghz that most wifi dongles have these days
Click to expand...

They're just frequency ranges. 5 Ghz is better at closer distances. When the console is farther away from an access point/the router 2.4 Ghz is better. Trade off is that 2.4 Ghz freq range is likely to be congested because so many devices are using it.

My suggestion is to use a wifi scanning tool to find a channel in the 2.4 range with the least congestion and interference, set your 2.4 network to that, and hope for the best. That's what I do. I just about get peak speeds, though interference can still be a problem when the neighbors get home and turn on all of their devices.
 
funkypie said:
It's not just the wifi, it's the psn network on ps4, it is just shit. I get full speed on my PS3 via wifi but on ps4 wifi or Ethernet it rarely gets full speed.
Click to expand...

Yeah this, same situation here that regardless of connection type my PS3 outpaces the PS4 every time, it seems to purely be down to PSN speeds and potentially some kind of really broken or missing geolocation sending me to servers 6000 miles away.
 
Good WiFi will not sell consoles, a low price point will. Smart decision by Sony to cheap out on the non essential stuff this generation (compare with the insane launch price of the PS3).

Then again I wouldn't mind to have AC WiFi and pay extra for it. But then again what I, and some enthusiasts on NeoGaf, want does not equal a smart business choice.

Just go wired as most people already mentioned.
 
I totally had it with the terrible wifi on my PS4 and bought two Devolo Homeplug's.

Best 60 euro's I have spend. Ever. My speed went up from 4mbit/s to 43mbit/s on the PS4. Unbelievable.
 
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