LAGINSPECTOR
← Back to report

Why a wired connection matters — and how to run one yourself

Why this matters for sim racing

Wi-Fi doesn't just add latency — it adds inconsistency. A wired connection delivers roughly the same delay every single packet. Wi-Fi delay varies moment to moment depending on interference, distance from the router, and how many other devices are competing for airtime. That inconsistency is what you feel as sudden stutters or rubber-banding, even if your average ping looks fine on a speed test.

For competitive sim racing, consistency matters more than raw speed. A wired connection at 20ms flat beats a Wi-Fi connection that averages 15ms but spikes to 80ms under load.

Option 1: run a cable from your router to your PC

If your PC is reasonably close to your router (same room, or one room away), this is the simplest fix.

What you need: - An ethernet cable long enough for the run — Cat6 is the sensible standard for home use (cheap, handles far more bandwidth than you'll ever need for gaming) - A cable route that avoids sharp bends and doesn't run parallel to power cables for long stretches (can cause interference)

Steps: 1. Measure the actual route the cable will take — floor edges, along skirting boards, through doorways — not just the straight-line distance. Add a bit of slack. 2. Buy a pre-made cable of that length, or make your own (see below) if the run needs to go through a wall or under flooring where a pre-made cable's connector won't fit through the hole. 3. Plug one end into a free port on your router (not the "WAN" or "Internet" port — that's for your modem connection), and the other into your PC's ethernet port. 4. On Windows, go to Settings → Network & Internet — it should show "Ethernet" as connected. You can disable Wi-Fi entirely on that PC once confirmed working, to stop it accidentally switching back.

Option 2: making your own cable (for custom-length or in-wall runs)

Worth doing if you need a cable to run through a drilled wall hole, under a floor, or any length that doesn't come pre-made.

What you need: - Bulk Cat6 cable (sold by the metre or in boxes) - RJ45 connectors (buy a few spares — you will mess up your first one) - A crimping tool (RJ45 crimper) - A cable stripper (many crimping tools include one) - Optional but recommended: a cable tester (cheap, confirms all 8 wires are connected correctly before you trust the cable)

Steps: 1. Strip about 3cm of the outer jacket off the cable end, being careful not to nick the inner wires. 2. You'll see 8 colored wires twisted into 4 pairs. Untwist them and arrange them in order. The standard to use is T568B, left to right: white-orange, orange, white-green, blue, white-blue, green, white-brown, brown. 3. Trim the wires straight and even, leaving about 1.2–1.5cm exposed, then push them fully into an RJ45 connector in that order, making sure each wire reaches the very end of the connector. 4. Insert the connector into the crimping tool and squeeze firmly — this pushes the pins down through the wire insulation to make contact, and locks the strain relief. 5. Repeat on the other end using the same standard (T568B on both ends for a standard "straight-through" cable, which is what you want for router-to-PC). 6. Test with a cable tester if you have one — it'll flag any pin that isn't making contact before you rely on the cable.

If neither a full wired run nor Wi-Fi improvements help

Further resources