Best ISPs for gamers
Nathan Taylor looks at which ISPs are best for gamers, including Internode's spanking new Games On Net. Is there a standout ISP for gamers?
Earlier this week Internode launched a major revamp of its gaming service, with new servers, an online news site and a brand spanking new name (it’s now Internode Games On Net rather than Internode Games Network).
Internode, of course, is one of a number of ISPs that run their own gaming services for customers. For gamers, these are actually pretty useful: they typically provide fast response times, they save you from having to set up your own server, and perhaps most importantly they’re nearly always in the ISP’s unmetered “free zone” which means gaming on your PC for hours on end won’t blow your monthly download quota.
Truth be told, however, these services are very much for first-person shooter (FPS) fans. MMORPGs (massively multiplayer online role playing games) like World of Warcraft as well as services like Xbox Live are typically hosted by the game’s developers and won’t fall into anybody’s free zone. For those, you’re still best off with an ISP that has a very generous download quota.
Still, given the new Games On Net service, I though I might have a look at how it stacks up against the major competition.
Internode - respectable userbase size, lots of games, good plans
Internode’s Games On Net service is a set of quota-free servers with a very respectable userbase, with nearly 3000 users online at peak.
It supports a lot of games and plenty of maps in various first-person shooters. If you want to see who’s playing what, you can click here.
It also has very good broadband plans, an excellent reputation for gaming, a number of free radio stations and a healthy array of ADSL 2+ DSLAMs.
If you were going to pick an ISP for gaming, this would definitely be our choice.
iiNet - quote free content, good plans, not huge crowds on the servers
iiNet has a relatively modest array of game servers in operation, and when I checked (admittedly in the middle of the day on Wednesday) only 45 people were online, most of those in Battlefield 1942.
According to the historical stats the userbase tends to peak at just over 100 users. You can see the full list of servers and stats here.
But iiNet does have generous broadband plans, a good reputation for response times and a set of other quota free services (including the ABC’s iView television download service).
Netspace - not so many users, but cheap plans
Netspace runs Gamespace in its unmetered zone. It actually has an impressive array of servers, but its userbase isn’t huge.
According to the stats and servers page, the most it has ever had online is 901 players across all of it servers.
Netspace, however, does have very cheap plans and a set of ADSL 2+ services, which may make it a fair option for MMORPG and Xbox Live players.
Bigpond - excellent gaming facilities, huge userbase, pricey plans
Bigpond is a tough call, because for gaming it’s actually an excellent option, but Telstra also has the very worst broadband plans on the market. You pay through the nose for BigPond broadband, and as an added kick in the teeth your uploads will also be metered.
But there’s no doubt that BigPond’s GameArena has among the largest userbase on its gaming servers (checking on the stats here reveals that during peak times roughly two and half thousand people can be online at once).
It also has a very large range of games supported. GameArena doesn’t count towards a BigPond user’s quota, so if your Internet connection is primarily for gaming it may not be a bad option.
Do you have a better pick? Let us know about your experiences in comments.
Other Blog Entries written by Nathan Taylor:
Thoughts on this article? Add a comment below.
Be the first to comment on this article.