Optimal Broadband Provider & Package for Gaming

[Cammsy]

Hello,

I am a competitive console gamer. I compete in online tournaments with money prizes involved. Broadband quality is of paramount importance when competing online in this game. I already attend LAN tournaments, but wish to increase earnings by competing successfully online from home. Years ago I looked into considering a leased line, before I realised how ridiculously expensive they are. I am currently sharing broadband with a flat mate, but now have the funds to purchase my own broadband, of my choice. The broadband is purely for gaming, and so do not care if it would perform worse when using an internet browser, in comparison to my current broadband.

I would like help with finding the best broadband provider, I need the following requirements to be met: -

1. Lowest ping's and lowest jitter available in my area
2. Lowest ping's and lowest jitter available in my area
3. Unlimited broadband-only package
Bonus: High upload speed due to potential for streaming in the future

I do not care too much for the bandwidth as I understand this is very minor to gaming, and ping is of much more importance. I have been using Virgin Media FTTC 50meg download, 3meg upload for the past 3 years. I always achieve close to these speeds in tests, yet never get below a ping of 26 with an ethernet cable. I want the lowest ping's and jitter I can get in my area, please help if you can.

Postcode: SA2 7PR

Thanks

Toby

[Cammsy]

Please? Anyone?

[Cammsy]

A staggering 119 views yet not a single reply??

[MovedGoalPosts]

You have a specialised requirement. The lack of reply probably indicates that nobody really knows.

You know what you might get from Virgin Media, if you've been using that service to date. But that can change as other users are connected (or leave) in your area.

Anything else at a domestic level (ruling out the leased line, etc) will use the BT phone line systems, whether that be the outdated ADSL, or now FTTC - Fibre to Cabinet - aka BT Infinity). Some areas may have the extortionately priced FTTP (Fibre to Premises) It seems irrelevant whether you get BT, Sky, Talk Talk or another provider. Both ADSL and FTTC But whatever is on offer can depend on the condition of that last copper wire between the cabinet and your home, and there can be some effect on distances.

Another variable is contention. i.e. all domestic services will share connectivity at the exchange, cabinet or whatever. This applies just as much to BT or Cable type services. For most people that isn't a problem since few of us saturate our connections simultaneously. And the ISPs also have some Quality of Service measures to prioritise some traffic types. The effects of contention will vary from area to area, and even time of day.

And then of course there will be the effects of your own internal connectivity, presumably ethernet cable, and whether you use the ISP supplied router, or your own.

[Cammsy]

Ok thanks for your reply.

[qasdfdsaq]

Problem is the answer is a lot clear cut then it used to be. A few years ago it would be a simple "Avoid VM". But with VM's latency improving a lot, and FTTC getting worse (and more widespread use of interleaving) there's no simple answe.r