Are you an active gamer? You have faced issues like slow internet connections or insufficient mobile data packages. These little issues cause a great amount of inconvenience and prevent you from having a thorough gaming experience. That’s why people are now using Wi-Fi hotspots to enjoy an uninterrupted gaming session. If you too are thinking of using a Wi-Fi hotspot, but are doubtful whether to use it or not, this post is for you.
Do you need Wi-Fi hotspots while gaming?
Currently, gaming has emerged to be one of the highest entertainment industries globally. Gamers certainly require high-speed internet, with a stable connection. This is important to enjoy a lag-free gaming experience for several hours continuously. Having a slow internet connection highly affects the quality of gaming. That’s why ensuring a continuous supply of high-speed stable connections is extremely important. This can only be offered by Wi-Fi hotspots.
Secondly, nowadays, gamers rely on gaming consoles like Xbox, PlayStation, windows, etc., to enjoy online gaming sessions. Now, these consoles don’t require a large amount of bandwidth. What they require is a low ping time so that they can enjoy the game without experiencing lags. This again can be easily achieved with the help of Wi-Fi hotspots. Not only does a Wi-Fi hotspot offer an uninterrupted internet connection but also a low ping time. That’s what gamers want.
Also, you must have noticed that the usual cellular data plans aren’t enough. They get exhausted soon, thus not allowing gamers to enjoy unlimited gaming sessions. This issue can again be solved by connecting your device to a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Thus the solution to every problem is a Wi-Fi hotspot. There are several ways in which one can take advantage of Wi-Fi hotspots. If you are willing to use a mobile Hotspot for gaming, contact your internet service provider for the best options. There are some public Wi-Fi hotspots that allow people to connect instantly. While some are private, offering more secured internet connections. The more secured ones require a password to connect. Also, they are faster than the public ones.
Are Wi-Fi hotspots good for gaming?
This is a common question that almost every gamer wants to know. Yes, Wi-Fi hotspots are useful when it comes to gaming but they aren’t quite reliable in terms of their coverage, latency, and speed. The usefulness of the hotspot also depends on the game’s size and speed required. Sometimes using a hotspot becomes expensive if you don’t have an unlimited data allowance.
Read on to know more about the Wi-Fi hotspot and how they function. We hope going through this post would help you understand whether or not are Wi-Fi hotspots useful.
How Do Wi-Fi Hotspots Work?
You probably know what public Wi-Fi hotspots are. Well, they are sources of internet connections that enable the public to connect to a Wi-Fi network using any device, be it phone or laptop, or desktop.
How do they work? They function by connecting to a phone network, that’s usually 4G. Next, they help to cast a Wi-Fi signal to which users can connect their devices.
There are particular hotspot devices available in today’s market, for the instance USB dongle. But the most convenient way to connect your device to a hotspot point is to use your smartphone.
By combining your phone’s software, hardware, and network data services, one can edit one’s phone’s data allowance and provide Wi-Fi connections where it might haven’t been possible otherwise.
If there’s no public Wi-Fi hotspot available to connect your laptop, but your phone has a cellular data package, you can easily connect your laptop with your phone and access internet facilities on your laptop. This time, your phone works as the hotspot.
Now, when at home, you might expect to get stable, consistent internet speed. But, in reality, when you are using the Wi-Fi hotspot the speed will vary depending on your location. Some locations might have a brilliant network offering exceptional internet speed. But don’t expect the same to experience at another spot. The speed of the internet is likely to change from place to place.
That’s why Wi-Fi hotspot connections aren’t reliable while gaming. It’s kind of a hit or miss. Ultimately, the experience entirely depends on the quality of the connection and its stability.
How Much Data Does a Wi-Fi Hotspot Use for Gaming?
What’s surprising for gamers is that gaming doesn’t require a lot of data, even when the game is being played on online multiplayer mode.
Usually, the latest games that are being launched consume something around 400 MB or 250 MB of data per hour. The figure is moderate. However, the data consumption would increase in your enhance the graphics of the game.
Though gaming is a kind of data consumption, there are a few things you ought to remember while gaming on Wi-Fi hotspots. They are:
Don’t think of downloading games. They consume a lot of data than streaming games online does. For instance, Call of Duty consumes about 100 GB of data which is huge. If your Wi-Fi hotspot isn’t on an unlimited data plan, downloading a game is a disastrous thing to do.
People who do this are most likely to exhaust their daily allowance. Next, even if they think of continuing the downloading process, they have to pay extra charges for overusing data.
Yes, there’s more to this. It’s not that only downloading the game file is all. You also have to update the games from time to time. Updating and installing the updates also consume a sufficient amount of data.
Now the data consumption depends on the size of the update. If you are out of date for a long time, updating the game to the latest version takes time and requires more data. The size of the download would then depend on the type of game and the console on which you are streaming it.
If you are playing a game on portable consoles like PC, PlayStation, Xbox, you can expect games to consume around 10 GB of data. Data consumption can also be more if it’s a large mainstream title.
That’s why it’s recommended to download, install and update the game to the latest version before you use the Wi-Fi hotspot for streaming it.
Tips for Boost Mobile Hotspots for Gaming
Another question that gamers ask is how to increase the connectivity and efficiency of Wi-Fi hotspots while gaming. Follow the following tips for that:
- Restrict the Use of Multimedia
If you are willing to reduce bandwidth consumption, you must limit the use of multimedia content. Sending emails, streaming music, viewing pictures, etc., increase the consumption of the data. Prevent this if you are to stream a game of large size.
- Beware of Background Apps
While gaming, close all background applications. They too consume data and your phone’s battery. Therefore, while you are gaming using your handset, you must close all background applications. You can also change the settings to modify their system settings and manage which applications are allowed to run in the background. Whatever applications are truly required, you must only allow them to run.
- Watch Data Levels
Monitor data levels while gaining. Even if you have a dedicated Wi-Fi hotspot connection to provide you with a constant flow of data, you still need to know the data allowance and limits. Keep in mind that overusing data can be expensive.
- Know the Coverage
Yes, if you are traveling you must know what kind of network the area experiences. Research about that place. Some places don’t have LTE cellular coverage. The connection you experience at one place is likely to be different at another place. We have already discussed this point earlier in this post.
- Optimize Wi-Fi Settings
Every user must configure and change the Wi-Fi settings for low power, shorter Wi-Fi connection. Keep your device close to the internet connection source.
Mobile hotspot for Gaming Buying Tips
While you are buying a Wi-Fi hotspot for gaming purposes, you must keep in mind the following things:
- Plan offerings
Gaming requires different levels of bandwidth. Therefore, make sure to find an internet plan that offers sufficient data so that you can enjoy a thorough gaming experience without any interruption.
- Network reliability
Consider the network reliability in your region. Is the network coverage stable? Do other users experience latency often? What is the coverage speed? Consider the following questions and then choose.
- Security tools
Does the Wi-Fi hotspot device offer WPA3 or VPN protection? Prefer to buy devices that offer such protection.
Conclusion
Choosing to enjoy games on Wi-Fi hotspots is a good decision for all those who reside in areas where there isn’t any proper internet stability. If you don’t have fast internet connectivity, the internet options are limited. Keep this mind that to enjoy an uninterrupted gaming experience, finding the best and stable source of internet is important. We hope this guide is useful and informative. We have listed a few important tips to remember.
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