Topic: Abysmal wifi connection, anyone?

Yes that is true. If you have concrete/stone walls in your house/apartment, then 5 GHz WiFi will have terrible range beyond the primary room.

But this can be easily fixed using range extenders in other rooms to boost the signal. A worthwhile investment if you care for a more stable and more speedy WiFi connection at home.

Luckily our new house we live in now is mostly wood, so I have a good 5 GHz WiFi connection on both floors.
Only exception is our workroom/guestroom, since it's behind the kitchen (interference of fridge, etc), so I had to place a range extender there to fix it.

@Andrzej777 Yeah, there's a definite change of tone in Skyrim where it went from normal high fantasy to this odd world of soldiers and medieval conditions. BUT it maybe doesn't stay that way, I didn't give it a fair chance last time. Maybe it just starts out that way? Plus the environment. I hate winter and snow, so it's kind of grueling to look at

I don't really hate Ubi. Their games might often end up poor in delivery, but I don't dislike their intent. They're a lot like Bethesda really. Over-ambitious in intent and they end up under-delivering and delivering tons of bugs as a result, rather than focusing on a fleshed out product even if it's less ambitious. At least they go out on a limb and make new games and try things. EA does nothing of the sort. They barely even release anything non-sports these days. And Activision has been reduced to mostly big online multiplayer games and not much creative design. Squeenix still has flashes of brilliance.

The thing with Ubi is they tend to have an indie-like approach which is a good thing, but they also tend to have an indie-like quality level which is NOT a good thing EA/Activision are just pure corporate. It's not really broken, but there's little there to break to begin with.

@Jeronan @Andrzej777 5GHz/2.4GHz is hit or miss. 2G, if congested, ends up with very low transfer rates and high interference. 5G has a lot more bandwidth to spare, BUT 5G does not penetrate walls nearly as well as 2G, so while it has more bandwidth and less interfering signals, the range is awful and interference cuts it out much earlier. Getting through more than one or two walls can be a challenge.

Then there's WirelessAC, a standard that jointly uses 2.4GHz and 5Ghz to maximize almost gigabit bandwidth over wifi under ideal conditions. This is great, but also prone to the problems of BOTH frequency ranges combined. Switch is the first console support it (maybe PS4Pro does as well, not sure, otherwise Switch is the first.) It might pay to check the how that SSID is set up on the router to see if a different frequency range might work better. 2.4 is still most reliable for distance/penetration. 5Ghz is more reliable than 2.4 in congested radio areas, but devices lose a lot of range/penetration.

I forget about this with Switch myself....I can't recall what that particular router is set for. I have a few competing radios around, my AC one is more distant and also higher elevation, but is behind a double NAT so it can't be used for games. I haven't tried Switch on there yet.

I noticed it, as many others have. When I first got my SWITCH, the WiFi was fine. However, after the update that gave us the eshop, Wifi reception in portable mode dropped drastically.

I use the BT HUB6, and have Infity 2, 200Mb download, up to 60Mb upload. When docked, my SWITCH maxes aroun 25/15. In portable mode, at best I get 2 bars, but even with 1 bar, those speeds go to around 45/20. I am connectd with both 2.4 and 5ghz enabled, and it auto switches for best signal.

Lastly, if I put my SWITCH into SLEEP mode, when I remove it from the dock, it auto connects, as it should. However, if totally shut down, when powered on, in portable mode, it does not auto connect. If this happens ( I now normally just put it in SLEEP mode), it can take me up to an hour to connect. It has no problem connecting to my router, just connecting to the actual server(s).

@NEStalgia

Its actually hard for me to talk about ubisoft since I havent played a single game from them in about a decade. Even zombi remained sealed and was sold in sealed condition this week.
I might say I have a biased opinion about them which I think will be hard to change, and has been further reinforced by looking at some vids of their newer games.

So whats my point about Ubi?

They are more about style than substance. Their games tend to have top notch high graphics but aside from that are not really interesting. If a game sells well it will most likely geta sequel within a year, or every year or maybe twice a year, correct me if I am wrong but I think there had been two assassina game in a year, I think once. Never played a single creed game.
Their games are not memorable to me. I remember play san andreas to this day, liked it very.much. the first halo was awesome to me. Probably wouldnt play either of them today because my likings have changed but still. Ubi games? Well...

In the last couple of years I had a couple of discussions with a guy at work who was hyped about certain ubi games, especially watch dogs. I explained to him why I felt this game will not be great. I hit the jackpot. The only thing I didnt see coming was the graphical downgrade. Ubi softs tends to create a lot of hype, people get hyped and preorder the game and then get disappointed.

I am not saying they are really that bad. I dont even really hate them. I just dont buy their games and dont care about what they do. They simply dont have anything to offer for me.

There will be this mario rabbids game, hmm.... not saying I wont give it a try.

Like I said before, I got older and have less time to play games - maybe not so much less but I am lacking the energy. Sometimes I didnt even play for a month ir so. Games cost money and time, so I have to choose carefully. Besides I got other hobbies as well...

Bethesda on the other hands creates more memorable experiences imo. Buggy but still. Who knows maybe I will buy skyrim as well, definitely not at full price though. Come on, how old is this game?

Overall I have come to appreciate japanese games in general in the last couple of years. Its funny, a couple of years back I wouldnt have touched a game like etrian odyssey, I mean who wants to draw their own maps. Glad I gave the demo a try - bought all three 3ds games after that...

@akaDv8R

25/15? Sounds good to me! How far away from the router is that?

@Andrzej777 Yeah, the short version of a response is I agree and can relate to almost all of that!

As for Ubi, that's a pretty correct assessment of style over substance. And, well, they're French It's a stereotype, but it's not a far off one in terms of French artists and designers, there's a mindset of style there that's almost predictable. But I at least appreciate that the Guilemot(sp?) Brothers don't operate it like EA as a bottom-line driven company but a little more like Nintendo that it's about the "art" of the craft. I do agree though they get too caught up in the "art" and a little too little in the engineering and design, maybe they'd be better film makers

@NEStalgia

I think graphics become less important nowadays. A huge open world can become boring if you are just in it for the architecture and have to work yourself through tons of pointless missions.
Botw is a good example of a game done right. Even though the graphics are not the best they get the jpb done.

I do worry that the wifi seams weak on my Switch. I can play my 3DS online upstairs and get a great signal in my living room sat near my router.

But with my Switch I get no online signal upstairs and only 2 bars near my router. I'm concerned that when Mario Kart comes out I'll have issues, I really hope not. Especially as I was ready for Nintendo to take my money when online becomes chargeable, it's a missed opportunity if people are struggling with their connections. Videos do buffer and stutter a bit, not a good sign.

Somehow i could play Splatoon 2 testfire just fine, phew! That's in our living room, but my brother couldn't play Splatoon 2 in his room, it kept disconnecting.

My router is downstairs in the middle of the house, and I'm upstairs at the end of the house.

I get 2 out of 3 bars on 2.4Ghz, and 1 out of 3 bars on 5Ghz (I use a dual band router to split devices between frequencies to avoid congestion). It's a known fact that 5Ghz is less congested but the signal isn't as good. So I keep mine on 2.4Ghz and haven't had any problems. eShop videos play fast, online works great. It's definitely a tad weaker signal than Wii U had, but still good enough.

I would suggest switching over to 2.4Ghz if you're using 5Ghz, and that should be good enough for anywhere in a 2 story house like me (unless router is on one end and Switch is on another). Could also boost the signal with another router closer to your setup.

The other solution is to use your phone as a mobile hotspot. Full 3 bars of signal anywhere you go, buttery smooth online play with no lag, and a pittance of data usage. And, it has the benefit of you not needing to Switch wifi networks if you leave the house with your Switch.

@Andrzej777 That's probably the mentality most Nintendo fans have, but it seems the PC/Xbox/PS crowd is still into graphics. But I think what's considered "hardcore gaming" these days is actually "casual gaming", it's mostly pretty graphics designed to be eye candy, with loose gameplay designed around it. There seems to be a mostly direct correlation that the more complex the gameplay systems, the less eye candy the game has. Most of the "AAA" games captivate audiences of "gamers" who like to feel superior for having the prettiest version that runs the best on hardware, but only a portion of the players seem to really care about gameplay in those games. Tellingly those tend to be the same players that say things like "graphics aren't that important"

@JaxonH People make fun of the aquarium thing, but Nintendo's not all wrong there. Too many people miss the issues that interference can cause. My headphone thing, I get almost nil internet performance and my audio cuts out ever .7 seconds if they're both on. Had no choice but to go wired. Knowing that issue existed for the past year could have saved me some PS4 stress too WiiU somehow cut through the problem.

Mobile? Online gaming would tear through the average mobile data plan in no time. It's not bandwidth intensive like HD video, but it's sustained bandwidth over long periods. Also some carriers (AT&T) have really nasty NAT that games can't connect through at all.

At least dedicated mobile hotspots tend to have better sized bit buckets vs. phones.

@NEStalgia
the thing is, it actually doesn't tear through. I played an hour of Splatoon 2 and it only used 0.11gb, and another user here confirms the same. So even if you played 50 hours online a month, that's still only going to be 5gb data. And 5gb isn't much- a person could always upgrade if they're gonna play that much online.

Maybe some people would have issues, but it is what it is. People have issues even with normal wifi so, it's to be expected. But as long as a person's phone is capable, it should be a viable option. Just turn off the hotspot when you're done playing online

@JaxonH Hmm, that's interesting because it seems considerably lower than what I measured for Splatoon 1. Not that Splatoon 1 was a data hog, but the many hours add up majorly. 110mb an hour? I think I was at around 170-200mb/hr recorded with Splatoon.

I'm not sure I can hit my indoor wifi reliably from outside, especially with Switch's wifi..., but if that's true it might be time to reactivate my hotspot and play splatoon outdoors in the summer Switch gets better and better....

@NEStalgia
Ya someone was telling me the first Splatoon used twice as much data as Splatoon 2. I imagine half the time I'll play at home anyways- the mobile is only for those times not at home. So I cant imagine needing too much data.

I got one bar most of the time yet not one disconnect from the test fire. I'll worry more when Splatoon comes out and it happens more frequently.

@JaxonH Really interesting if true. I'd be VERY curious what changed if it's using that much less data (and if it will apply to the release product.) It also makes me think they DID massively fix the (massively broken) netcode from the first 1 but it plays the same due to the Switch Wifi issues...

@Spoony_Tech I do hate relying on "bars" because it depends how the software evaluates the bars. If it's just RSSI and no SNR, it only shows you the relative broadcast power hitting the antenna (but doesn't tell you if your signal can reach the AP from the console), but it doesn't account for interference at all. I.E. when my headphones are interfering, I still show 3 bars because the carrier signal is strong a few feet from the router, but I get throughput under 1mb/s because the interference is causing infinite RX err/retrans loops. So someone with 1 bar and no interference would have far better throughput than someone with 3 bars and severe interference.