Is Ziply Fiber Good for Gaming?
Ziply Fiber has everything I’d look for as an ISP as a gamer. It’s reliable, has low latency, includes unlimited data, and is very affordable across speed tiers. The only case I wouldn’t recommend Ziply is if they only have DSL service at your address, which can suffer from slower speeds and higher latency.
In this guide, I cover everything you should know to decide if Ziply is a good choice for you as a gamer. I list things you should look for in an ISP as a gamer, features of Ziply Internet that are valuable for most gamers, and plans you can choose from given that Ziply Fiber is available where you live. Let’s start with how to evaluate any ISP for gaming and related online activities.
How To Evaluate An ISP for Gaming
Low Latency
Latency is the single most essential factor for online gaming. Lower latency allows for less lag, making the gaming experience more responsive. While there’s no way to measure the latency of an ISP as it depends on the game server and current traffic on the network among other factors, fiber internet allows for lower latency than cable, which is in turn better than DSL and wireless internet.
Speed
Look for ISPs that offer high-speed internet connections. While latency is far more important for online gaming than speed, a faster internet plan will allow you to download large games quickly.
Reliability
Reliability is a measure of how rarely the ISP’s network is down. Frequent disconnections or downtime can be frustrating and negatively impact your gaming sessions.
Data Caps
Some ISPs put caps on the amount of data you can consume in a month. If you download large game files and stream your sessions regularly, you may want an internet plan with unlimited data.
Type of Connection
Different types of internet connections, such as fiber-optic, cable, DSL, and satellite, have varying speeds and reliability. Fiber connections are generally preferred by gamers for their lower latency, greater reliability, symmetrical bandwidth, and more consistent speeds.
Ziply Internet Features for Gaming
Ziply offers 100% fiber connections in many markets. However, it still only has DSL service in some areas. If you’re considering Ziply, make sure to ask Ziply customer service if they have fiber in your area.
With that in mind, let’s see how the different features of Ziply Fiber make it a good choice for gaming.
Multi-Gig Speeds
Ziply Fiber is among the fastest ISPs in the nation offering multi-gig speeds up to 10 Gbps through fiber. Even the starter plan features 100 Mbps symmetrical, which is fast enough for online gaming and live streaming at the same time.
Low Latency
Fiber optic cables have more bandwidth than other connection times, allowing Ziply Fiber Internet to keep queuing delay low even when multiple devices are connected. Because queuing delay is the primary cause of high latency, you can ultra-low latency with Ziply for fast-paced games.
Consistent Speeds
Internet speeds with cable and DSL typically suffer during peak usage hours. However, by definition, peak usage hours are when most people use the internet, and you probably game most often between 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. too. With fiber, Ziply delivers consistent speeds around the clock, so there are no sudden drops in speed or unexpected lag spikes to ruin your gaming experience.
Upload Speeds
If you live stream your gaming sessions, you need high upload speeds for better video quality. Ziply fiber is symmetrical—meaning it has the same speed upstream and downstream.
Reliability
Fiber-optic cables are more durable and less prone to environmental factors that can affect traditional cables. This translates to a more reliable connection with Ziply Fiber, ensuring you never punch a hole through your screen after your internet goes out during the final circle of PUGB (which happened to a friend).
Multiple Devices
Fiber has enough bandwidth to handle online tasks on multiple devices without significantly increasing queuing delay. So when others in your home are streaming, it won’t hurt your gaming performance.
Cloud Gaming
Cloud Gaming is soon to become the popular way to game now that companies like Nvidia and Microsoft are serious about it. Soon we won’t have to keep upgrading our PCs and consoles to be able to run the latest games locally, just like we no longer buy DVDs to watch movies. Fiber can solve the two biggest problems with cloud gaming, i.e. latency and bandwidth. With Zipy Fiber, you’re ready for cloud gaming whenever you decide it’s gotten good enough.
Virtual Reality (VR) Gaming
Metaverses and cloud-based VR gaming also rely heavily on a stable and high-speed internet connection with minimal latency. With speeds up to 10 Gbps already availabe with Ziply, you can experience the best these future technologies have to offer today.
Reduced Jitter and Packet Loss
Jitter is the sudden spike in latency caused by packet loss, where data packets fail to reach their destination and have to be recent. Ziply’s 100% fiber connections are better at keeping data packets intact, ensuring the latency stays low whether you’re just searching for loot or just about to execute a perfectly timed headshot.
Ziply Fiber Speed Tires
What Ziply Fiber speed is good for gaming? Well, even the 100 Mbps plan is better for online gaming than cable or DSL internet. However, faster speeds will download large games faster and may allow you to live stream in higher quality. Here are the fiber internet speed tiers available with Ziply.
100 Mbps Symmetrical
The “Ziply Fiber 100/100” plan offers a reliable entry point into high-speed internet featuring symmetrical speeds of up to 100 Mbps. At an enticing $10 per month for the first 3 months, you get everything you need to dominate the opponents with the power of fiber.
300 Mbps Symmetrical
Moving up the spectrum, the “Ziply Fiber 300/300” plan caters to users with higher bandwidth demands. Priced at $30 per month for the first 12 months, this plan should suffice for high-quality live streaming while other people in your home are also using the Internet.
1 Gbps Symmetrical
For those seeking gigabit speeds, the “Ziply Fiber GIG/GIG” plan delivers equal upload and download speeds of up to 1 Gbps. Priced at just $50 per month for the first 12 months, this is Ziply’s most popular fiber internet plan.
2 Gbps Symmetrical
Stepping into the realm of premium performance, the Ziply Fiber 2 GIG plan provides equally fast uploads and downloads, reaching 2 Gigabits. At a competitive $60 per month for the first 12 months, this plan is fast enough to handle cloud gaming, 8K streaming, and large file downloads at the same time.
Ziply also has speed tiers up to 10 Gbps available in some areas. One plan I didn’t talk about is the $50 per month DSL option, which I wouldn’t recommend for gaming unless you can’t get fiber or cable internet.
The Takeaway
Ziply Fiber provides 100% fiber connections with symmetrical speeds, high reliability, and ultra-low latency in its fiber markets. With prices lower than even many cable and DSL internet service providers, Ziply Fiber is as good as it gets for gamers.
