Network connection configuration and optimisation

The quality of your Blacknut experience essentially depends on the quality of your internet connection.

To guarantee an optimal Blacknut experience, your internet connection should meet the following criteria:

1. Download speeds of at least 6Mb/s. If your download speed is less than 6Mb/s, your connection is unstable, or you are losing packets, it will have an adverse effect on your streaming.

2. Use a connection with a latency of less than 30ms. Latency (or ping speed) is the time it takes your internet connection to connect to a server and send a response to your device.

3. Check for signs of packet loss. Packet loss occurs when data doesn’t reach its destination. When testing the speed of your connection, you can see packet loss in any “holes” or “cuts” that appear. The data flow might get “choppy” and the connection may even drop.

4. Connect your device to the internet using an Ethernet cable or 5GHz WiFi connection. Ethernet cables and 5GHz WiFi connections are generally much faster than 2.4GHz WiFi and 4G LTE connections. Blacknut is compatible with 4G LTE connections, but connection quality depends on your location.

Tips to improve your connection (speed and latency)

1. Switching off your router and modem lets you reset and reconnect to your internet service provider (ISP). Turn off your computer and unplug your modem/router. Wait for 60s and then plug them back in, watching the lights on your modem/router. Once all the lights are on, start up your computer.

2. Keep your local devices up-to-date. Make sure that your modem/router are fully updated. This includes updates to the operating system and drivers (for the GPU and controllers).

3. Disconnect/switch off any devices you aren’t using. Some devices can use bandwidth when on standby. Games consoles, for example, can download and install updates. Switch these devices off to keep your bandwidth available for playing.
   4. Use an Ethernet cable. Using an Ethernet cable will make you connection more stable and remove any additional waiting time involved with wireless connections.

4. Change your WiFi configuration.. If you cannot use an Ethernet connection or your device requires a wireless connection:

   • Connect to a 5GHz network. Some routers provide both 2.4GHz and 5GHz connections at the same time.
     - Place your devices (computer or smartphone, for example) close to your router.