How does a VPN help reduce ping?

Posted by: bankofshadow

Posted on: 08/03/2024

How does a VPN help reduce ping?

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First off, what is Ping?

Ping is a program and tool related to computer network systems. It's used to test whether a connection to an IP system is established or not. It's a test of connectivity to a system. If we send a Ping and receive a response, it means our connection is complete. Most people look at the Time, which is the duration of sending and receiving data from the source to the destination, measured in milliseconds (ms). The lower the time, the faster the data transmission.

Now, how does Ping affect gaming?

Often when we play online games that involve PvP combat, where skills or items are relatively similar between players, we might still end up losing simply because our Ping is higher than the opponent's. This is especially noticeable in games like FPS Shooting, Battle Royale, MMORPGs, and MOBAs. Almost any game that requires a stable connection can be affected, as even a Ping of 200 can mean a significant disadvantage, making it almost impossible to endure.

So, how does using a VPN help reduce Ping?

Normally, in online games, data is exchanged between players and the game server using the internet as a medium. The player's game data is sent over the internet to the Internet Service Provider (ISP), who decides which server to send the game data to. ISPs are usually located far away from game servers.

When connecting through a VPN, however, the player's game data is sent directly to the VPN server over the internet, bypassing the ISP node. The VPN then forwards the data directly to the game server, resulting in faster data transmission because it doesn't need to pass through multiple other devices. This helps reduce Ping while you're gaming.

In simple terms:

Normal connection: user >> ISP >> Connection point 1 >> Connection point 2 ... >> Game server

VPN connection: user >> ISP >> VPN >> Game server

As you can see, there are fewer steps involved in data transmission when using a VPN, which reduces Ping significantly when connected to a VPN for gaming.

Moreover, you can also spoof your IP to play games in other regions that are blocked by IP.

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