Gaming on a Lightwire Rural Connection

Gaming on Lightwire is absolutely possible, but there are a few things to keep in mind, especially if you're an avid gamer. Here's what you need to know:

How Lightwire Connections Work:

Lightwire Rural connections operate on a Point-to-Point network. This means your internet comes to you from our towers, which communicate with the Lightwire dish installed on your roof. From there, the signal is connected to your router, providing you with Wi-Fi or cabled internet access.

This setup is a bit different from the fiber connections common in big cities, but our speeds are more than enough for most gaming needs. In fact, we even offer guaranteed speeds—if you're experiencing speed issues, please reach out to us here.

Connection Latency:

For online and multiplayer gaming, fast speeds aren’t the only factor for a smooth experience. What matters more is latency (or "ping"), which is the time it takes for your gaming device to communicate with the server and receive a response.

If your latency is high or inconsistent, you might experience lag, delays, or glitches in your game.

Improving Latency on Your Device:

To improve your gaming experience, we recommend using an Ethernet cable to connect your gaming device directly to your router. Wi-Fi can introduce additional latency, especially the farther you are from the router or if there are walls or obstacles in the way. An Ethernet connection eliminates these issues.

Device-Specific Latency:

Sometimes, the device itself may be the cause of latency issues, particularly if it’s an older model. If you notice consistent lag on one device, try comparing it with a newer device to see if there’s a difference. If the newer device performs better, it might be time for an upgrade.

Gaming Servers:

If you're playing on servers located in other countries, like the US or Europe, your latency can increase significantly. For the best performance, we recommend connecting to servers in New Zealand or Australia whenever possible.

Latency Expectations:

Because our network is powered by towers, our latency may be slightly higher than what you’d find on a fiber connection. While our latency is generally suitable for most gaming needs, it might not meet the demands of competitive or latency-sensitive gaming. If low latency is crucial to your gaming, please keep this in mind.