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Best practices to improve latency

Updated 

4 months ago

Your internet connection may show signs of high latency at any time. Latency refers to the delay between the start of an event and when you observe the result. If you click on an icon, for example, but the click appears to register seconds after the action was performed, this is usually latency.

When users encounter high latency on Shadow PC, they often report a noticeable decline in performance, including symptoms like a laggy mouse cursor, stuttering audio, or fewer frames from the Shadow PC stream.

In this article, we'll review the best practices to lower latency and what to do when high latency appears.

💡 Tip: Using Shadow PC for the first time? Read getting started with Shadow.

Update your local devices and Shadow PC

While updating your local devices won't directly alter your internet connection's speed, it can enhance your system's efficiency in processing and transmitting data, resulting in lower latency and a smoother overall experience.

The following articles can help you update your local software:

Check your internet connection

Even a fast internet connection can encounter problems like latency and packet loss at any given time. Learn how to troubleshoot your internet connection. This article will show you how to perform tests, see the minimum internet requirements, identify latency, and more.

Use an optimal network connection

Although Shadow officially recommends a wired Ethernet connection, you have the option of using a wired or wireless and tips for either network connection type below.

We recommend using a wired Ethernet connection over any wireless methods, whenever possible. Using an Ethernet connection ensures a stable and reliable network, minimizing lag and ensuring smooth gameplay, animation, and overall streaming performance.

When compared to a wireless connection, a wired Ethernet connection is:

  • More stable, with reduced latency and packet loss

  • Faster and more secure for high bandwidth and low latency activities

  • Less prone to interference, ensuring consistent and dependable network connection

Note: Use a Cat6 or a Cat5 cable to connect your device to your modem.

Although advantageous, a wireless Wi-Fi connection increases the likelihood that your connection will be unstable at some point in time. There are steps you can take to avoid or resolve issues that may arise.

Move closer to the access point

Maintain a reasonable distance between your device and the Wi-Fi or wireless access point to decrease the odds of experiencing interference. Although preferred, a 5GHz Wi-Fi frequency has a short range.

Change the frequency

Use the 5GHz frequency of your Wi-Fi network. This makes data exchanges faster and more reliable. Some Wi-Fi 6 capable equipment also supports 6GHz.

Use Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 5

If Wi-Fi is your required or preferred connection method, opt for a router with Wi-Fi 6 for the best performance.

Wi-Fi 6 is the latest generation and standard for wireless networking that uses the 802.11ax protocol and replaces 802.11ac, or Wi-Fi 5.

This technology greatly improves the latency and reliability of the Wi-Fi network the Shadow PC experience.

Contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to know if your equipment is already configured for Wi-Fi 6.

Use a 5G network

If you're using a mobile network or hotspot, it may cycle through older network generations such as 3G or 4G without your consent or knowledge. On your mobile device, disable any settings that allow your network to automatically choose a 3G or 4G network, which can have significant disadvantages.

Adjust your Shadow PC's settings

You may find that some settings work better with your internet connection than others. Below is a list of changes you can make to your settings that complement your internet quality.

Note: The settings below can be configured from the Shadow PC launcher or the Quick Menu. To access these settings in the launcher, click the Settings icons8-settings-24.png icon.

To open the Quick Menu, start Shadow PC and click the Shadow PC icon at the top of the screen.

If you can't see the icon, the Quick Menu is disabled or incompatible with this device. Try using keyboard shortcuts to use Quick Menu commands.

Learn more about the Quick Menu.

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The maximum bit rate is the highest amount of bandwidth Shadow PC can use on your connection. If the bit rate is higher than the bandwidth currently available, this will cause technical issues. Always set the maximum bit rate to a value that is less than your available bandwidth.

Go to Network, then cycle through Auto detect or Custom.

Note: Your bandwidth is determined by your download speed. Run the Speedtest to find your available bandwidth or use the auto detect feature to have Shadow PC set the maximum bit rate for you.

  • Auto detect (launcher only) lets Shadow PC choose your bit rate. Click Restart auto-detection to reset Shadow PC's maximum bit rate.

  • Custom lets you use the slider to set Shadow PC's bit rate. Choose an integer that is lower than your available bandwidth, or download speed, recorded in the speed test.

Note: You can also set the slider to 5Mb/s, then progressively increase this number until you find a balance between stability and video quality.

Shadow PC can use either a TCP or UDP connection protocol. While TCP is more reliable, it transfers data more slowly. UDP is less reliable but works more quickly.

Click Network, go to Advanced Settings, then click cycle through Prefer speed (UDP) and Prefer reliability (TCP) to change which protocol Shadow PC should use. This can reduce symptoms of stuttering and lagging.

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​Note: Users often report a better experience when pairing the "Prefer reliability (TCP)" setting with a lower resolution or frame rate.

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If your download speed less than 25 Mbps, change the video compression standard to High Efficiency Video Coding, or H.265.
Go to Video & Display → Advanced Settings → toggle High Efficiency Video Coding (H.265) to the on position.

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Note: If your local device was made before 2014, it may not support H.265. Turn H.265 off if symptoms appear or worsen.

Adjusting the resolution and frame rate of your Shadow PC can improve performance. Lowering these settings reduces the amount of data transmitted, which can help alleviate strain on your internet connection and improve video clarity, especially in environments with limited bandwidth or unstable connections.

Lower the resolution (Quick Menu)

Shadow PC will attempt to match the resolution and frame rate of your local device at startup. You can also force Shadow PC to match the local display or change the resolution settings in the video section of the Quick Menu.

Lower the frame rate (Launcher)

Click the Settings icons8-settings-24.png icon, then go to Advanced → Limited frame rate. In the drop-down menu, choose from the following options of Frames Per Second (FPS):

  • Unlimited

  • 60

  • 50

Choose either 60 or 50 FPS. This will limit the number of frames Shadow PC will attempt to stream from the data center server where your Shadow PC is hosted.

Still have questions after reading this article?

Check out our other articles or contact Shadow Support.

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