Your Internet connection

To ascertain your internet quality/speed please do the following

Pingtest.net (post your results) This is a measurement of your internet connection quality and matters more than speed.

Speedtest.net (take your Download speed number and divide by 8. You do not need to do this for your upload speed that is a raw 1:1 ratio. Then post results)
*example 30 Mb/s* 30/8 = 3.75 ( this is your approx DL speed in MEGABYTES)

XBL min requirements are 1megabits per-second DownLoad and 280k upload

For successful lag free online play you need atleast 8mbps or 1 MB/s (8/8 = 1) DL and 512k upload (preferrably 1MB upload)

*Slower people will need to join the RACE LOBBY first.* We may have issues if we try to bring the whole lobby from the pre race lobby to the race lobby.

--What you can do to improve your connection speed/quality--

Without going into a huge technical info dump, one of the best things you can do is change the DNS server your router and or your xbox uses. DNS servers are what resolve IP addresses to names. Example 74.125.225.223 resolves to google.com as a test you can type the number in your address bar and you will get to google.com. This is important because lots of people are using the same DNS servers you are. Your ISP rents them or has its own so the infrastructure sometimes isnt the best based on your geographic location. Changing the DNS server will speed up your web browsing and online traffic quite a bit.

Click the following link for a tool and instructions to measure your DNS speed.
www.grc.com/dns/benchmark.htm

*As requested by Sim.*

Please download the DNSBench program from the site above. Open the DNSBench program. When the program loads it will have a few tabs across the top click on "Nameservers". The program has default DNS servers in its database to test it should also detect the current DNS servers your computer/ router are using. You can verify this by logging into your router and finding it's status page for all of the IP/DNS address info. Now click on run tests and let it run for about a minute or two. This is going to test the Name servers in the programs database against the one you are using. Then click on stop test, and look for the server with the lowest number/ bars on the bar graph. That is your fastest server of the bunch tested. Write down that information. If your ISP's DNS is fastest then you don't need to do anything. If it is not you can change the DNS on your xbox while still using your router to auto obtain the rest of your connection. At this point log into your xbox and go to system settings>network> select wired or wireless> manually configure. Leave obtain IP info set to auto but change the DNS to the faster number.

Wifi channel number-

This applies to people in apartments or in school campuses where lots of wireless networks are near by. The link below will give you some info on how to maximize your wifi channel signal clarity.

www.dslreports.com/faq/14250

DMZ + UPnP-

DMZ will open all ports and is the least secure setup for a normal PC on your network. DMZ-ing your xbox is ok because 1) no one cares enough to hack your xbox and 2) it can't be used in a malicious attack on your network. This is the simplest and most easy way to have an open NAT for XBL.

How to DMZ - www.seasonedgamers.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=21472

UPnP = Universal Plug and Play-

This setting is usually enabled by default on most routers. It allows a device to request port traffic and the router uses UPnP to open any requested port. If this setting is off you may have issues with your port triggering and you can have an inconsistent NAT (fluctuating between open-moderate-closed).

How to enable upnp - www.panasonic.net/pcc/support/netwkcam/technic/rtr_setup/upnp.html

*This process varies from router to router. Just be sure to look for "gaming" or some access setting for upnp*

Shatter, thank you for posting this.

I had my test results written but my mouse is misbehaving and it back-clicked on its own before I posted or saved my work. I'll post again at a later time. Mental note: new mouse needed.

I executed two tests; one just down the state from me, the other all the way across the country.
Tests to Los Angeles, California
0% packet loss
23ms ping
2ms jitter
26ms ping
24.81MB/s ÷ 8 ≈ 3.10MB/s download speed
6.48MB/s upload speed.

Tests to Maine
0% packet loss
99ms ping
2ms jitter
102ms ping
10.37MB/s ÷ 8 ≈ 1.29MB/s download speed
4.36MB/s upload speed.

Okay, so I'm going through and checking my stuff again, and I am sorry, Shatter, but that DNS site was worthless. I am an engineer and I can't follow their writing - it is filled with far too many technical terms and jargon and jumps around terribly.

Furthermore, their test showed I was not using ISP provided DNS's, but when I go to my router, I am. Strike 2... Anyway...

Could you elaborate (with more specifics) in what it is we need to do to maximize our connections?

Simcik wrote:Okay, so I'm going through and checking my stuff again, and I am sorry, Shatter, but that DNS site was worthless. I am an engineer and I can't follow their writing - it is filled with far too many technical terms and jargon and jumps around terribly.

Furthermore, their test showed I was not using ISP provided DNS's, but when I go to my router, I am. Strike 2... Anyway...

Could you elaborate (with more specifics) in what it is we need to do to maximize our connections?

Sure, I will write a step by step on how to use the DNS utility complete with user friendly verb-age.

Thank you.

Edited my post above.

I ran DNSBenchmark and made it to the point of saving a custom list though I stepped away from my computer to decorate the Christmas tree. The list saved and did whatever it did before I got back and I don't quite know what happened. Will my router use this list henceforth? Where should I go from here?

I'm gonna have to do this after christmas when I've got a little more time...great writeup so far though

Lot of reading, did a quick test and had 94 ping, 16 jitter, and packet loss couldn't be measured, with L.A. California (1700 miles away) for a score of C*

Which doesn't surprise me because I have the step immediately above dial-up through my provider.

I got a couple questions, and I'm not sure if I can be helped without seeing what my routers gateway looks like.

I reset my router/modem. I can access the gateway now. Once it was back up and running, I tested my xbox live connection and it showed I was able to connect, but with moderate NAT. So I went into my gateway and followed the DMZ site as best I could with what options my gateway provides. I took the IP address that my xbox says its running on and put it into my DMZ Host tab. I can only enter one IP address there. I re-tested my xbox live connection and it is now open NAT.

The only issue I'm worried about is the site you posted said to assign a static IP for my xbox through the router. I can't find this sort of option within my gateway. There was one section that sounded as if I could configure this, but then it started to talk about having my own DHCP server to utilize the option and I don't really understand it.

Aside from the above, I was curious about UPnP enabling and how to use it. My router was defaulted with it off, I enabled it but I don't know how to utilize it. I'm assuming its used in conjunction with port opening/forwarding, but my gateway for those options is really confusing.

StalkerStang wrote:I got a couple questions, and I'm not sure if I can be helped without seeing what my routers gateway looks like.

I reset my router/modem. I can access the gateway now. Once it was back up and running, I tested my xbox live connection and it showed I was able to connect, but with moderate NAT. So I went into my gateway and followed the DMZ site as best I could with what options my gateway provides. I took the IP address that my xbox says its running on and put it into my DMZ Host tab. I can only enter one IP address there. I re-tested my xbox live connection and it is now open NAT.

The only issue I'm worried about is the site you posted said to assign a static IP for my xbox through the router. I can't find this sort of option within my gateway. There was one section that sounded as if I could configure this, but then it started to talk about having my own DHCP server to utilize the option and I don't really understand it.

Aside from the above, I was curious about UPnP enabling and how to use it. My router was defaulted with it off, I enabled it but I don't know how to utilize it. I'm assuming its used in conjunction with port opening/forwarding, but my gateway for those options is really confusing.

You are 90% done. You want to set the static IP from the xbox. If your router's IP is for example 192.168.1.1 you can make your xbox 192.168.1.X (to make an easy example replace X with 200) so that your xbox's IP is 192.168.1.200 This will make it not request a new IP from the router's DHCP table (the part that issues IP addresses) this is called a static IP because IP's work on a lease time. When an IP is requested the router gives the first available number within the range you specify (by default its 0-50) Instead of asking for an IP you have given it one permanently so it will never ask for one and does not have a lease time.

UPnP is a passive setting. It works like a light switch, its either on and working or off and not working. It allows a device to request any specific port to be opened. An example would be port 80 which is the default port for internet connectivity. Your xbox needs port 80 open to talk on the internet, so it makes the request to the router and the router opens the port allowing communication. This is an exaggerated example but with UPnP off there would be a higher chance that the port does not get opened for your xbox, some times it could be opened and the duration it is open for is variable. So to ensure there are the least amount of issues, you simply turn UPnP on.

I'm having an issue with assigning a static IP.

When I tell the xbox which one I want it to use, I get a DNS error when I try to connect. If I try to manually assign one to the xbox, do I have to change some sort of setting within my gateway as well?

here is mine

15.36mb/s/8=1.92

Shatterpoints wrote:

StalkerStang wrote:… I'm assuming its used in conjunction with port opening/forwarding, but my gateway for those options is really confusing.

…
UPnP is a passive setting. It works like a light switch, its either on and working or off and not working. It allows a device to request any specific port to be opened. An example would be port 80 which is the default port for internet connectivity. Your xbox needs port 80 open to talk on the internet, so it makes the request to the router and the router opens the port allowing communication. This is an exaggerated example but with UPnP off there would be a higher chance that the port does not get opened for your xbox, some times it could be opened and the duration it is open for is variable. So to ensure there are the least amount of issues, you simply turn UPnP on.

The Apple router I'm using doesn't have a uPnP option though I have opened four different TCP/UDP ports specific to my XBox's static IP. Hopefully that solves my end of any compatibility issues we might have.

NATs open. Ports 53, 80, 88, and 3074 are forwarded.