Menu

Background downloads and your ping

Every device in your home shares one internet line. A game update or a video stream on another device can fill that line, and your game packets then wait in line behind it.

Updated

Run the ping test

Why a download moves your ping

A game sends small packets many times a second. A download or a stream sends large amounts of data as fast as the line allows. When the two share a full line, the game packets queue behind the large ones at the router, and the wait changes from one second to the next as the download speeds up and slows down.

Riot's troubleshooting guide lists the programs it sees add packet buffering to a League of Legends connection: Discord, Spotify, Hamachi, HD video streams such as YouTube and Twitch, torrent programs and active Steam downloads. It also warns that when other Windows 10 computers download updates from yours while you play, connection quality can drop.

How it shows in the test

  • The spread climbs over 20 ms, or 2 or more of 10 requests get lost, on every region at once. A queue at home delays every request the same way, whichever region it goes to.
  • The median can rise as well while the download runs, and drops back when it stops.
  • A second run with everything paused comes back steady. That pair of runs is the proof: same device, same spot, one variable changed.
Without QoS: the game packet waitsWith QoS: the game packet goes firstGame packetDownload or videoRouter, then out to the internet
A game packet behind downloads at the home router. Pausing the downloads empties the queue; QoS moves the game packet to the front.

Where background traffic hides

Common sources of background traffic and the setting that pauses or limits each
SourceWhat to changeSource
Steam updatesSteam, then Settings, then Downloads: set a bandwidth limit, or let games auto-update only between hours you pick. Each game also has a setting that allows or blocks other downloads while you play.Steam Support
Windows update sharingWindows 11: Settings, Windows Update, Advanced options, Delivery Optimization, then turn off Allow downloads from other devices. Windows 10: Settings, Update and Security, Delivery Optimization.Microsoft Support
Apps on the phone you play onClose the apps running in the background before you start the game. Garena gives this advice for Free Fire.Garena
Streams and calls on other devicesPause HD video, music streams and large uploads in the house while you play.Riot Games

A routine before a match

  1. Pause or schedule updates on the gaming device and on the other computers and consoles in the house.
  2. Close torrent programs, cloud backups and video tabs you are not watching.
  3. Run the test and check the spread on the region you play on. Steady now and unsteady before means background traffic was the cause.

When other people in the house need the line during your match, router QoS can send your game traffic first instead of asking everyone to stop.

When downloads are not the cause

If the spread stays high with everything paused, look at the link between your device and the router: a cable or the 5 GHz band. If the median is high but steady, the time goes into distance, which no setting at home changes.

Questions about background downloads

Do downloads on another device affect ping?
They can. Every device in the home shares the same internet line, so a download on a laptop fills the same queue your console or phone uses. Run the test with the download running and again with it paused to see the effect on your line.
Does Discord raise ping?
Riot lists Discord among the programs that can add packet buffering on a League of Legends connection. Run the test with it open and closed. A spread that stays at 20 ms or less either way means it does not matter on your line.
Is it worth limiting Steam downloads?
When updates have to run while someone plays, yes. Steam lets you set a bandwidth limit and a window of hours for automatic updates under Steam, Settings, Downloads.

Sources