4G Network and "Competitive" Gaming?

[Cedrock88]

Alright so, In short; My 4G connection just feels unoptimized for gaming at all (Even tho I've read many places on the internet that it's ideal). I tested a public WIFI at non-peak times and it performed better than my 21mbps 4G connection even tho my average ping was higher on the WIFI. And I can't seem to figure out why...

More Detail: I have a phone with a SIM Card in it that receives 4G service. I tether the phone to the computer via USB. The game in question is Counter-Strike:Global Offensive. I am ranked very high in that game and Network perfection is crucial because every millisecond is important. Packet loss/Choke is non existent on both networks. On the 4G Network, gameplay feels slow, and 80% of my shots feel like they are not registering at all despite being directly on someone's player model. On my WIFI, everything felt snappy, really fast, and I hardly felt like any of my bullets "didn't register". And it might just be a placebo, but movement felt smoother and more responsive (not too far fetched since the movement in CS:GO is very server-sided).

I'd also like to mention that my average ping on the 4G connection is 55ms, whilst my WIFI has 65ms.

What could be causing this poor performance? Is it just that 4G is not good at all for gaming? Or might there be some limitation/setting that is blocking my internet and delaying it somehow?

Thanks in advance.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

I have not found wireless of any kind to be suitable in a production environment (engineering office networking) let alone "competitive gaming".

 

[Cedrock88]

You are right. I've been expecting to upgrade to a fiber optics line soon. But until then I was hoping I could maybe optimize my 4G to perform atleast as good as the Public WIFI, Is that possible?

 

[jeff-j]

I would agree with Jack about not using wireless. But you can't compare the wifi to the 4G. Since you were using the wifi during non-peak times, then there was less people on the wifi which means less network congestion. The 4G issue could be the strength of your cell signal, or the transition going on in your cell phone from 4G to USB. I would see if your phone has the ability to be a hot spot and try connecting to the phone via wifi and not USB.

 

[Cedrock88]

My phone is sort of cheap. To be honest the only gimmick with this phone is the fact that "It's cheap but it receives 4G signal". Your first theory is very plausible. However it does have WIFI hotspot. I will try that immediately.

 

[bill001g]

If you get a strong signal on a 4g service using LTE it works ok some times. The problem is the cell provider will shift you from tower to tower even when you sit at home to try to get good balance for all people. The problem is people driving by will jump on and off the tower you are using and this causes random variations in your ping time. Mobile broadband sacrifices a lot for the "mobile" part.

 

[Cedrock88]

I just did some testing on the WIFI hotspot and it seems I was getting the same result. I guess you guys are right. It's just unplayable on 4G.

Time for me to stay up all night so I can play on the public WIFI until I get a fiber optics line. Thanks for the answers!