Can someone explain to me how internet works...
Can someone explain to me how internet works...
I recently moved into a student dorm and got a private Wi-Fi. Someone wants to understand why in games like Genshin Impact you see around 130 ping, even when you're on Discord with the Rotterdam server (you're in Lebanon). You mentioned the channel loads automatically, so Rotterdam should be close enough. But for League or Overwatch you get 58-60 ping. I have limited internet—8Mbps—but it shouldn’t cause lag on Discord, right? Also, you can hear your friends clearly but can’t use music bots; they seem slow too. I know different games use different servers and that distance affects lag. Still, the main reason is Discord, which should have nearby servers and only voice chat, not laggy music or other features. How do you think this works?
Your information travels via fiber connections to different sites. These cables are managed by various firms, each leasing bandwidth to multiple ISPs. Some providers charge higher rates for premium services, such as "3-5$ per 1 mbps with a minimum of 1000 mbps," while others offer lower prices like "1$ per 1 mbps, guaranteed at least 600 mbps always, up to 1000 mbps." This flexibility lets a cheaper carrier support at least 600 mbps for 50 companies (30,000 Mbps total), which can be routed through a single fiber line capable of up to 40 Gbps. Your ISP might push 1000 Mbps over the line, but the carrier could reduce speed to around 600 Mbps or lower to accommodate other users on the same cable. As a result, your connection may experience higher latency—like a 130 ms ping in certain areas—because traffic passes through multiple servers and congested fiber links, especially during heavy usage.
Yes, the focus is on Pier networks. Regional ISPs need to pay for connections to bigger carriers that link to larger networks. Imagine a highway linking communities. Any blockage there reduces flow. Game studios usually lease space in regional data centers to run their servers in virtual machines. Most of the time they’re unrelated to latency issues and don’t manage physical hardware.
It relies on the length and intricacy of the network path between you and the servers.