I checked the forums and saw this topic hasn't been created specifically for the Switch yet. I have several questions about the LAN adapter.
I found myself on the verge of buying one due to the extreme frustration the bad WIFI lag has caused me when playing Smash Bros online. I'm a competetive soul, so I really like playing these kinds of games. But due to the rediculous lag I end up closing the online game after 1-2 games.
I would love to hear your experiences, even if you can't answer all the questions!
Does anyone have experience with the LAN adapter?
Does it really take away most (if not all) of the lag?
What speed does the LAN adapter have to facilitate?
Do I have to purchase USB 3.0 or 2.0?
Thanks in advance guys!
(p.s. my WIFI is really good, so I know that can't be the issue. I mostly play in handheld, I am aware that I'll have to play via the docking station. I tried all the WIFI fixes I found on the internet (e.g. setting the wifi setting to 5000 instead of 4000)
My switch can't get online for nothing while docked. It flat refuses to connect 90% of the time and my room is just down a short hallway from the router. I thought about getting one of those range extenders or something. On rare occasions that i can get a signal it's still never more than two bars. It's infuriating!
"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings" Optimus Prime
@Silly_G Thanks a lot! I don't want to buy the official one since it's vastly overpriced. Do you have any experience with how well it works with e.g. Smash Bros online? And does USB 2.0 or 3.0 matter?
A proud Switch owner that's always working on the impossible mission of clearing his backlog.
@Zeldafan79 Oof, that sounds rough. The wifi connection is indeed not the strongest on the Switch. Does it work normally on your phone/laptop? I have used range extenders in the past, and for me they didn't work at all. For a friend of mine they worked very well however.
In my experience, if you're interested in this I can recommend laying a long LAN cable or placing the router somewhere else.
Hope this will help!
A proud Switch owner that's always working on the impossible mission of clearing his backlog.
@Cissero : Like I just said, the USB speed (2.0/3.0) is irrelevant as it is only used to power the LAN Adapter. The speed of the connection itself will depend on your modem/router and internet connection. Considering the relatively small amount of data that is required for online play, you won't need anything more than USB 2.0 anyway.
You would need an absurdly fast internet connection and transfer large amounts of data for USB 3.0 to yield any discernible benefit over 2.0.
@chardir Thanks! That's very true. I will use the 3.0 port mostly however, so I do think I'll still be going for that one. I read good reviews about one I found on amazon.
PS. I'm still looking for someone that has used it with smash bros and can confirm that it makes a significant difference. I read a lot about it on the internet, but if possible I would still love an unbiased opinion from our community haha
@Cissero
Yeah i get get a signal fine on every other device but not the switch unless i have it out of the dock. It's like the dock is blocking me. My router is probably not in the best location. It's especially annoying with games like MK 11 which has to be connected at all times.
Those always online games might as well be useless until i fix the problem.
@Zeldafan79 yeah I can imagine. Quite frankly also a bit odd that it works less when out of the dock. Can't imagine that the dock blocks that much. You can always look into one of those wifi-extenders that works via the electricity net. They work better than simple range extenders.
A proud Switch owner that's always working on the impossible mission of clearing his backlog.
My switch can't get online for nothing while docked. It flat refuses to connect 90% of the time and my room is just down a short hallway from the router. I thought about getting one of those range extenders or something. On rare occasions that i can get a signal it's still never more than two bars. It's infuriating!
That's sounds more like a poor quality Router then a Switch issue. I have a NetGear NightHawk 7500v2 and have no connection issue. I stay away from Range Extender unless you can really find a WiFi issue first. Also Lan adapter for the Switch the NIN version-I would've love if that was a actual RJ-45 port which I hope the Next Gen Switch has instead. USB Lan are and will always be slow they don't have the bandwidth for intensive gaming. Unless your using the USB-C newer version if that every happens then that might be different. But for WiFi my setups work just fine no drops or connections issue besides the ISP problems which is a given.
@Cissero I've said it before and I will repeat myself again here. The lag is not a problem with NSO or the Switch itself. If it were, then everyone with a Switch who plays online would be having the same problems. They are not.
If you personally are having issues, a lan adapter could help. But if your ISP is crap, then it doesn't matter how you connect in the first place. Or if your router is old or in bad condition, again, the lan adapter wont help.
@SwitchForce
Sounds like i may just have to go with a lan connection. For some reason the WiFi in my house is really bad. Unless I'm in the same room as my router while using my switch it just drops out. My router was recently replaced but it is one of the cheaper models. I assume most gamers who spend alot of time online would likely only use WiFi as a last resort unless their connection is super reliable.
@Heavyarms55 i fully agree, however after googling for a bit almost everyone does have this issue. There is a reason why everyone on youtube says: want to play smash bros online? get an adapter.
It's a well known and common issue unfortunately.
The router + internet speed is still the most essential element. There is no doubting that!
I was hoping that I could get someones LAN experience here, because I love to hear unbiased user opinions. And I know I can get those on NintendoLife. Soon I'll be able to post it as well
@Zeldafan79 true that, lan is always better! I would also look into getting a good router tho. And check if your internet subscription is good enough if you want to start playing online more
A proud Switch owner that's always working on the impossible mission of clearing his backlog.
@Cissero No one goes online to say they don't have (lag) issues. If you google it you're only going to find people who do.
Personally, hazarding a guess, many people have older routers and/or old ISP plans that just aren't up to par and don't realize it. And depending on where you live, you might just be stuck with a crappy ISP because some areas don't have the option to choose. Then you have kids and teens who don't choose their own and Boomer parents who just choose the cheapest option because all that matters to them is e-mail and Yahoo news.
I have great internet, I live in Japan, my friend in the Michigan, in America has great internet, and we can play Switch together without any issues whatsoever. Adding to that, I've tested it, playing games like Splatoon 2 and Smash, with several different people in America. The only one who had lag, was the guy with the crappy obsolete satellite internet that can barely hold a discord call. None of us use LAN adapters. At one point, I was in a group on Splatoon 2, me in Japan, one friend in Texas, one in Michigan, one in New Mexico and none of us had any issues. If the problem were with Nintendo, all of us should have had issues, regardless of router and ISP quality.
On one last note, Nintendo is one of those things online that's popular to bash and blame. There's a lot of people online who enjoy bashing it. Rarely, it's a legitimate issue, like the faulty joycons, backed up by hard, documented evidence. But usually it's just made up stuff with, at best, coincidental evidence.
HOWEVER in general a physical connection is in most circumstances going to be more reliable than wireless, that's not a Switch thing, it's just a general internet thing. It's not even limited to internet, wired controllers and landline phones even. So long as all the physical connections are modern and in good condition.
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Topic: Lan adapter for Switch to get rid of the online frustration?
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