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What is the fundamental limit on game streaming?
(beehaw.org)
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this post was submitted on 02 Oct 2023
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Asklemmy
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Sorry, what I wrote here was unclear, I wrote it needs less boosting in another comment, but re-reading this one, it does sound like I’m claiming it needs no boosting over any distance - that’s not what I meant though! I just meant that you can run an equivalent link without any boosting further than you could with copper.
Interference isn’t actually that big of a deal for Ethernet over copper, unless the installer does something silly like run UTP alongside high power electrical lines, or next to a diesel generator, or something. Between shielding, the use of balanced signals, and the design of twisted pair, most interference is eliminated.
This should be true, but in practice ... there are a lot more environmental factors that can and do impact a copper cables (which can result in some really wacky situations to diagnose, "this only happens on hot days when XYZ part of the line to your house expands"), and more installation errors (e.g., not grounding the wire). That doesn't matter much for TCP applications/protocols but for UDP applications/protocols that can all add up to be something that's observable in the real world.
You get a lot closer to "all" interference being removed with fiber ... and for most gamers at least, that's probably the most noticeable improvement on fiber vs "cable" service (other than perhaps a download/upload speed bump). Pings are in my experience roughly the same, though the fiber networks tend to fair a bit better (probably just from newer hardware backing the network).
It's becoming more of an issue too (in Ohio at least) because more and more ISPs are locking folks out of their modem's diagnostics, so they can't actually see that the modem is detecting signal quality issues coming into the house... I almost always recommend folks just go with fiber all the way into their house if they have the option, unless they just use the web and watch videos (in which case who cares, TCP will make it so you don't care unless it's really bad, and the really bad cases are typically fixed the first time the tech is out).
It's one of those things where there's not much of a benefit for consumers on paper (theoretically -- as you say -- you could have copper service that's just as good and fast as fiber) ... but in practice, fiber just saves a lot of headaches for all parties because of its resistance to interference and simpler installation.