PS4 is 2.4GHz only? Why is this info so hard to find?

[Anubis]

You still game on nasty looking ethernet cable even in this modern time instead of wireless?
That's like using landline phone instead of mobile phone.

Amazing, wireless technology have become quite matured, making the ethernet connection look obsolete.

no joke there are 20 wired devices in my house right now (consoles, comps, TVs, and so on)
the ONLY thing that uses wireless is my cellphone

 

[TeknoBug]

Actually, home wireless technology f**king sucks. 5ghz is amazing within about 30' and one wall at the most, then it goes to hell. 2.4 ghz has better range, but is still terrible, with crap throughput.

If you actually care about the connection on a PS4 you spend a bit of effort and wire it in. It's not the bandwidth; it's the stability. 2.4 ghz can claim over 100 mbps, but I'd take a 100 mbps wired connection for gaming any day of the week because you'll have reliable latency.

Poll some people who work in networking and I bet you'll find they all say that wired is still king, even in a home environment. It's obviously much less convenient, but it is by no means obsolete. If I were building a house today I would still run cat to each room, and definitely outside for cameras.

You might have a misunderstanding of the wifi situation here, no game needs 100mbps and even if you had 100mbps, your ping still matters more than the bandwidth. Most online game needs ~500KB/s, some exceeds 1MB (probably Mortal Kombat X). But if you go through 10 hops to the game server, you're going to have terrible ping regardless of connection strength.

Also with the best connection possible, the PS4 is still being held back by PSN servers, on a good connection I still can't get past 25mbps, but hey if I can download a game at ~3.5MB/s I'm happy with that, that's about an hour of 60GB.

 

[Ichinisan]

You might have a misunderstanding of the wifi situation here, no game needs 100mbps and even if you had 100mbps, your ping still matters more than the bandwidth. Most online game needs ~500KB/s, some exceeds 1MB (probably Mortal Kombat X). But if you go through 10 hops to the game server, you're going to have terrible ping regardless of connection strength.

Also with the best connection possible, the PS4 is still being held back by PSN servers, on a good connection I still can't get past 25mbps, but hey if I can download a game at ~3.5MB/s I'm happy with that, that's about an hour of 60GB.

Forget bandwidth. Gaming is latency sensitive. With wireless, all devices are sharing the same medium and they aren't switched. Neighbors are using the same frequencies. Even non-WiFi wireless devices are using the same frequencies. No matter what, there are more collisions and latency is more variable.

Why would you assume a fighting game has greater bandwidth requirements than an FPS? Both are just sending input events.

 

[TeknoBug]

Why would you assume a fighting game has greater bandwidth requirements than an FPS? Both are just sending input events.

MKX has terrible network code.

 

[CZroe]

MKX has terrible network code.

This.

 

[clok1966]

Nobody lists What they cant do on a box, they LIST WHAT THEY CAN DO. So if it Doesn't say 5GHz N it doesn't do it. SHOW me "ONE" box that doesn't list it that does it (new things, not old legacy items also not knock off products, they do all sorts of evil shit to sell), there are none, people don't forget to list stuff their product does on the box. Sorry, assume is what we all learned ASS out of U and ME. Not the products fault, it didn't have it, so it didn't list it, wanting a company to list what it doesn't do is a bit silly. PS4, wont play XBONE games, doesn't include a Video screen, wont make you a sandwich. Not to be used for a chair, cant be used as a flotation device. Bit silly.

5GHz N was ratified and included as a standard in Jan 2014, the PS4 came out months before that, and was designed most likely 2 years before that. SO having a Spec that wasn't standard 2 years ahead of time, Hell A company that could read the future wouldn't be in video games.

Sorry, not meant to be so harsh, just seems silly to me, but I am a tech head, Now if the NEW PS4 that is supposed to debut before Christmas has it, that might be a good question.

 

[CZroe]

Nobody lists What they cant do on a box, they LIST WHAT THEY CAN DO. So if it Doesn't say 5GHz N it doesn't do it. SHOW me "ONE" box that doesn't list it that does it (new things, not old legacy items also not knock off products, they do all sorts of evil shit to sell), there are none, people don't forget to list stuff their product does on the box. Sorry, assume is what we all learned ASS out of U and ME. Not the products fault, it didn't have it, so it didn't list it, wanting a company to list what it doesn't do is a bit silly. PS4, wont play XBONE games, doesn't include a Video screen, wont make you a sandwich. Not to be used for a chair, cant be used as a flotation device. Bit silly.

5GHz N was ratified and included as a standard in Jan 2014, the PS4 came out months before that, and was designed most likely 2 years before that. SO having a Spec that wasn't standard 2 years ahead of time, Hell A company that could read the future wouldn't be in video games.

Sorry, not meant to be so harsh, just seems silly to me, but I am a tech head, Now if the NEW PS4 that is supposed to debut before Christmas has it, that might be a good question.

You are WAY off.

The example statement he wrote is an example of what you should be able to find in support documentation. He's not saying that the unit needs to list what it isn't capable of on the box. In that respect, he's saying that it doesn't specify the bands that it officially supports, which is frustrating when you are trying to communicate that to someone who needs an official source.

I can look up the specs of any flagship smartphone and very quickly see if it supports 5GHz band or not. It doesn't have to say "does not support 5GHz" for me to know that it does't. I can know by process of exclusion with a properly formatted specification list. He's saying that the PS4 does not have an official spec list saying anything like "Supports [whatever]-stream 2.4GHz 802.11n at [whatever]mbps." He's right: It should, somewhere. I expect it for consoles even more than for flagship smartphones.

Also, 802.11ac was ratified in January 2014 and it is 5GHz-only. 802.11n was finalized in 2009 and the draft specifications were available even earlier. My notebook from 2009 supported dual-band 802.11n (configure to order option). Like I said: WAY off. Saying that it supports 802.11n is not enough information. That kind of confusion is a big reason why 802.11ac was made so soon (guarantee of 5GHz).

 

[Ichinisan]

You are WAY off.

The example statement he wrote is an example of what you should be able to find in support documentation. He's not saying that the unit needs to list what it isn't capable of on the box. In that respect, he's saying that it doesn't specify the bands that it officially supports, which is frustrating when you are trying to communicate that to someone who needs an official source.

I can look up the specs of any flagship smartphone and very quickly see if it supports 5GHz band or not. It doesn't have to say "does not support 5GHz" for me to know that it does't. I can know by process of exclusion with a properly formatted specification list. He's saying that the PS4 does not have an official spec list saying anything like "Supports [whatever]-stream 2.4GHz 802.11n at [whatever]mbps." He's right: It should, somewhere. I expect it for consoles even more than for flagship smartphones.

Also, 802.11ac was ratified in January 2014 and it is 5GHz-only. 802.11n was finalized in 2009 and the draft specifications were available even earlier. My notebook from 2009 supported dual-band 802.11n (configure to order option). Like I said: WAY off. Saying that it supports 802.11n is not enough information. That kind of confusion is a big reason why 802.11ac was made so soon (guarantee of 5GHz).

...and our mother's "early 2009" iMac supports 5GHz wireless-N.

The XBOX 360 was released in 2005 and both versions of the XBOX 360 wireless adapter supported 5GHz. The first version was just 802.11a (that would be pretty slow), but the second version with 2 antennas supported N 5GHz.

So now the PS4 has revised hardware and I'm having the same problem. Still no information online to confirm if it has 5GHz capability...so I can only assume it's 2.4GHz-only. Now it was pretty mind-blowing to find that the original PS4 hardware didn't have 5GHz capability, but excluding it from the late-2015 revised hardware is just unbelievable. What is Sony thinking? Maybe it's: "We're winning the console war this generation, so we don't need to improve anything."

 

[cmdrdredd]

They probably figure 2.4Ghz is good enough. I don't know.

 

[exdeath]

who games on wireless?

Apparently lots of people do.

Had no problems playing FF XIV for a year and The Division beta on wireless.

If you seriously think you, a human, are better than <= 1ms then LMAO.

I'm a collector that prefers physical media so it's not been an issue in the past since I don't download, but when I had to download a 35 GB The Division Beta I used a cable real quick to bump my bandwidth from 3 MB/s to 10 MB/s (the latter being PSN capped) because my signal is long known to me to be very weak where my PS4 is burried.

However it has no impact on games. I can ping the default gateway @ < 1ms, which is under the total round trip time to the game servers and certainly faster than my screen > eye -> bain -> arm -> thumb -> controller -> game latency.

All this talk about how wireless sucks for gaming is people who clearly have no networking knowledge and are probably the same people who think a 240 hz monitor helps them "pwn n00bs" better.

"But I lag and rubber band sometimes" Show me the ping <default gateway> latency and a Ping Plotter log to your game server. I bet you real money it's not your wireless. Run ping -t to your gateway on the same wireless as your PS4/XBox in the same location. If it continues to say < 1ms while you are lagging, it's not because of wireless.

Bet you guys dogging wireless play on 2.4 GHz wireless controllers and never complained about "input latency".

Do you guys play on a dedicated box with VX Works or some other real time operating system? You know on most consumer operating systems that input interrupt handing is deferred and not processed real time too right?

I guess someone has to be a sucker enough to buy "Killer NIC"s. *snicker*

I recognize people's installations and location and needs may differ. Congestion and such in their location or building structure and radio design may very well be a real issue. But show me the proof and proper troubleshooting. Don't just bandwagon "oh wireless sucks and I can tell the difference between 1 ms and .1 ms" because no you can't.

 

[exdeath]

Please please please somebody go oh crap and go get a 'wired' controller for your PS4/XBox and come back here about how much better it is so I can share a little secret with you... please oh please.

 

[Ichinisan]

Please please please somebody go oh crap and go get a 'wired' controller for your PS4/XBox and come back here about how much better it is so I can share a little secret with you... please oh please.

Well, the shift register in an NES/SNES controller means it technically takes longer to poll compared to the Atari and Sega Genesis controller (trade-off is that it requires fewer wires than it would otherwise require for that many buttons). As long as the console can read the state of each button in 1/60sec, I guess it's fast enough.

 

[exdeath]

Well, the shift register in an NES/SNES controller means it technically takes longer to poll compared to the Atari and Sega Genesis controller (trade-off is that it requires fewer wires than it would otherwise require for that many buttons). As long as the console can read the state of each button in 1/60sec, I guess it's fast enough.

LOL yeah...

So that's why I suck at Battle Toads It was input latency all along!

I don't have one of my NES source files handy, but it took several CPU cycles to read the controller state. You had to write-read-write or something to strobe the shift register to reset it, then read it 8 times and ASL the bits in with 8 consecutive reads... $4016 I think?

The original IBM PC keyboard was the same thing but it inserted a 9th start bit that was pushed out of an 8 bit shift register into a single 7400 series latch who's output was tied to INT 1 on the PIC that would trigger when the scan code was ready to read. So simple and so genius at the same time.

 

[ikomrad]

I have the same problem with consoles that only support 2.4GHz wifi, which are my PS3 and ps4. Even my Xbox 360 has a 5GHz USB adapter specifically made for it. 2.4GHz is crippled in my apartment complex by the sheer number of networks in close vicinity to each other with transmit power at 100%.

Latency might matter for online shooters, but I almost only play single player campaign , and for MP I play rpg's co-op where latency is not noticeable .

Netoworking Technology is steadily moving to wireless, especially for residential one. Just like the migration from distribution of games from physical copies to digital , the writing is on the wall.

I'm going to look at using home plug for devices that only support 2.4GHz , it's a lot less messy than running Ethernet cables down the hallway in between rooms in my apartment!

 

[futurefields]

Had no problems playing FF XIV for a year and The Division beta on wireless.

If you seriously think you, a human, are better than <= 1ms then LMAO.

I'm a collector that prefers physical media so it's not been an issue in the past since I don't download, but when I had to download a 35 GB The Division Beta I used a cable real quick to bump my bandwidth from 3 MB/s to 10 MB/s (the latter being PSN capped) because my signal is long known to me to be very weak where my PS4 is burried.

However it has no impact on games. I can ping the default gateway @ < 1ms, which is under the total round trip time to the game servers and certainly faster than my screen > eye -> bain -> arm -> thumb -> controller -> game latency.

All this talk about how wireless sucks for gaming is people who clearly have no networking knowledge and are probably the same people who think a 240 hz monitor helps them "pwn n00bs" better.

"But I lag and rubber band sometimes" Show me the ping <default gateway> latency and a Ping Plotter log to your game server. I bet you real money it's not your wireless. Run ping -t to your gateway on the same wireless as your PS4/XBox in the same location. If it continues to say < 1ms while you are lagging, it's not because of wireless.

Bet you guys dogging wireless play on 2.4 GHz wireless controllers and never complained about "input latency".

Do you guys play on a dedicated box with VX Works or some other real time operating system? You know on most consumer operating systems that input interrupt handing is deferred and not processed real time too right?

I guess someone has to be a sucker enough to buy "Killer NIC"s. *snicker*

I recognize people's installations and location and needs may differ. Congestion and such in their location or building structure and radio design may very well be a real issue. But show me the proof and proper troubleshooting. Don't just bandwagon "oh wireless sucks and I can tell the difference between 1 ms and .1 ms" because no you can't.

you sure are easily riled up. it's not about the speed, wireless is plenty fast enough sure. for me it's about eliminating variables should something awry come up.

 

[slag]

who games on wireless?

Works just fine on Xb1. I gamed on wireless for a month or two before I ran a hard line to the console and could barely tell the difference.

 

[Rhezuss]

who games on wireless?

I'm forced to game on wireless cause I don't want to destroy my hardwood floors just to pass a cable to the other end of the house. I should move the PS4 elsewhere but it's not really possible in my place and I just finished my mancave in the basement

I'm still trying to find a way...

 

[Lil Frier]

Tape the cable to the ceiling/wall. I hear it's a classy look.

Or run it through the ceiling/wall, if you've got the tools and know-how. That's what my dad did when I got XBL on the original Xbox.

 

[Rhezuss]

Tape the cable to the ceiling/wall. I hear it's a classy look.

Or run it through the ceiling/wall, if you've got the tools and know-how. That's what my dad did when I got XBL on the original Xbox.

Thing is, my router is just above the PS4...the problem is that the former owner decided that it was a good idea to do a fixed ceiling just in the living room...

The TV/router/modem is upstairs and backed on a bearing wall that is supported by a beam under it...not the best place to work around...

I'll manage something

 

[Bill Brasky]

Thing is, my router is just above the PS4...the problem is that the former owner decided that it was a good idea to do a fixed ceiling just in the living room...

The TV/router/modem is upstairs and backed on a bearing wall that is supported by a beam under it...not the best place to work around...

I'll manage something

You should investigate powerline Ethernet adapters. You can easily get a set for $60.

 

[Rhezuss]

You should investigate powerline Ethernet adapters. You can easily get a set for $60.

Managed to get it done yesterday...had to saw a piece of the ceiling to get the cable but patched it right up and painted over. It's definitely there but at least i'm cabled now.

 

[petitestefie]

"802.11b/g/n" <-- means
only 2.g GHZ network
playstation cannot
connect to 5ghz
if you want the best
connection cat5e or cat6
wire it!

 

[CZroe]

"802.11b/g/n" <-- means
only 2.g GHZ network
playstation cannot
connect to 5ghz
if you want the best
connection cat5e or cat6
wire it!

Old thread, but this is incorrect. The entire thread was made because 802.11n is also available in 5GHz and the OP away having difficulty confirming that the system was 2.4GHz only.

 

[petitestefie]

Old thread, but this is incorrect. The entire thread was made because 802.11n is also available in 5GHz and the OP away having difficulty confirming that the system was 2.4GHz only.

then 802.11ac would show/ 802.11n standardized support for multiple-input multiple-output / it needs to show 'ac' for the nic to detect 5ghz/ regardless of it being an old post it is still being searched on the web and in turn still a plausible read. Plus, playstaton 'slim' aka playstation 4 can detect the 5ghz network.

 

[CZroe]

then 802.11ac would show/ 802.11n standardized support for multiple-input multiple-output / it needs to show 'ac' for the nic to detect 5ghz/ regardless of it being an old post it is still being searched on the web and in turn still a plausible read. Plus, playstaton 'slim' aka playstation 4 can detect the 5ghz network.

This is not correct. Part of the reason 802.11ac exists is because 5GHz was optional for 802.11n and so 5GHz was not getting the proliferation it needed. 802.11ac made it mandatory. Before that, people were just getting the cheapest 802.11n routers while 2.4GHz was just getting more and more congested.

His complaint is appropriately time-stamped. He was marveling that the PS4 had been available for years and had even been revised without this being clarified in any official specs list. He wasn’t saying that no future PS4 would support 5GHz. He’s complaining while suggesting that’s manufacturers should be more transparent about the capabilities of their products.