FSX Online Internet Speeds

[arnobg 0]

Hey everyone,

 

I'm in the middle of considering switching interenet/cable providers and my biggest factor involved in the decision is Flight Simming. 

 

I do a lot of flying on VATSIM and downloading scenery/add-ons. I haven't had anything other than 60 mb/s cable internet since I've been simming and the other option I am looking at only offers 25 mb/s fiber optic DSL internet. They claim this fiber DSL will be faster than comcasts 60 mb/s cable but I don't have experience with this.

 

Can anyone comment on their internet speeds and how they've been with FSX online?

[Pease_W 6]

 

 

They claim this fiber DSL will be faster than comcasts 60 mb/s cable but I don't have experience with this.

 

Ask if they offer a 100% money-back guarantee to back up their claims?

 

FWIW, I switched ISPs and called to cancel the existing company, because "somehow" it couldn't be done online. I knew what to expect, but the assertions made by the rep were almost comical. Like my 15MB line had secretly been upgraded to a 30MB line, at no additional charge! Funny that, as I saw no speed differences in the three years of service. Or the claim that the DSL would be too slow for Netflix and so on and so on.

 

Bottomline is I get 90% of the speed at 40% of the cost. These phone reps are not your friends!

 

Go do a speed test, grab a screenie of the results and ask the DSL provider to guarantee you will see similar or you get all your money back.

 

Reference reading:

 

http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/10mbps-fiber-optic-dsl-or-20mbps-cable.128629/

[N60JBravo 27]

I don't think it really matters.

 

The amount of actual data that gets up/downloaded for multiplayer is pretty small.

 

I used to fly online, using FS9 and dial-up, with a bunch of guys flying FSX on DSL and cable. They never noticed any difference between me and anybody else and my performance was better than using a bunch of AI.

 

regards,

Joe

[tttocs 301]

Question is - do you consistently get 60 from your cable provider, as some providers are notorious for oversubscribing such that you're not actually getting good speed during prime hours.  A few speed tests during your major hours of usage should tell all.  If you're not getting what's advertised, then yes you may be happier with the 25M DSL, where you pretty much always will get what you're paying for.  On the other hand, if your cable provider isn't playing games, you should be getting a real world 60.  I've never speed-tested my cable to any nearby server and not gotten greater than my price tier.

 

But perhaps 25 is all you really need, in which case the savings may be the driving factor for you.  As others have noted, multiplayer isn't particularly bandwidth intensive so you probably won't notice a difference either way.  However, there is one other thing you need to pay attention to - especially for online gaming activities - and that's latency.  My first-hop latency with DSL was horrible, while almost not existent with my current cable.

 

Scott

[arnobg 0]

Thanks for the replies, and that's where most of my question lies is, what is actually sufficient speed for downloading stuff for FSX, flying on VATSIM, and watching occasional NETFLIX movies? 

 

I did a speed test and I'm getting around 57 mb/s, but is it overkill for what I am using it for?

[tttocs 301]

25 should be more than sufficient for multiplayer and should also work fine for netflix streaming, especially if you're the only bandwidth consumer in your home.

 

As for DL'ing stuff for FSX, I guess it depends on which "stuff".  I've got a lot of photo scenery, and I sure appreciate being able to grab it at 50.  But there are also others in my house, and they appreciate being able to still stream music, catch up on facebook and all of that while I'm doing that DLing.  If those things are less important to you, then perhaps 25 is fine for you.

 

Scott

[jetsmell 45]

This may be a little off subject , but  I have Advance System Care 8 and use Turbo Boost.

[DaveCT2003 1,820]

I've flown shared cockpit, on VATSIM, with guys in England who had straight DSL (780kbps upload, about 1.8mbps download) with neither of us having any problems.

 

The bandwidth necessary for either shared cockpit or VATSIM is very small, however LATENCY is the real issue. go above 160ms (should never be that high) and you'll likely suffer problems.

[arnobg 0]

Thanks for sharing your experiences guys, I'll look into the latency issue. Is this something a provider would know off hand like the speed, or is it going to differ house to house depending on factors out of their control?

[DaveCT2003 1,820]

 

 

'll look into the latency issue. Is this something a provider would know off hand like the speed, or is it going to differ house to house depending on factors out of their control?

 

For the most part, Latency is going to be affected by the wiring (all wiring) between your modem and "the plant".  For DSL, another consideration is how many users are on the same "switch" as you will be on.

 

Frankly, the only way to REALLY test it is to get the service and see what you're getting.  I know, that's terrible, but it's the truth.

 

You can decrease your latency by having the provider check and/or run new wiring and terminals in your residence.  Old wiring and terminals can really affect latency. 

 

Hope this has been of help!