Network Optimization

Optimization Overview

Network optimization focuses on reducing latency (ping) rather than increasing bandwidth. These tweaks optimize how Windows handles network packets, prioritizes gaming traffic, and processes network data across multiple CPU cores.

What Gets Modified

Network optimization modifies TCP/IP stack settings and network adapter configurations through the Windows registry.

TCP/IP Stack Tweaks

Network Adapter Settings

These settings are applied to all active network adapters:

How to Apply

Follow these steps to apply network optimization to your system.

1. Test Current Latency

   Before applying, ping your game server or use an in-game latency meter to record your baseline ping. This allows you to measure improvement.

2. Navigate to Optimizations

   Open Frameshift and go to the Optimizations tab. Locate the "Network Optimization" section.

3. Review Changes

   Click "Details" to expand and review exactly what registry keys will be modified. Read through to understand the changes.

4. Apply Optimization

   Click "Apply" button. Frameshift will modify registry settings and reset your network adapter. This takes 5-10 seconds. Your internet connection will briefly disconnect and reconnect.

5. Test Improvement

   Ping your game server again or launch your game. Most users see 8-15ms latency reduction immediately. No restart required for network optimization.

Expected Results

Here's what you can expect after applying network optimization:

Latency Improvements by Connection Type

Real-World Gaming Impact

Troubleshooting

Most users experience no issues with network optimization, but here's how to resolve problems if they occur.

Internet Connection Drops After Applying

Symptom: Internet doesn't reconnect after adapter reset, or connection is unstable.

Solution:

1. Click "Revert" button in Network Optimization section
2. If revert doesn't work, manually restart your router
3. As a last resort, go to Device Manager → Network Adapters → right-click your adapter → "Uninstall device" → Restart PC

Slower Speed After Optimization

Symptom: Download/upload speeds are lower than before (measured via speedtest).

Solution: Revert network optimization. Some ISPs or routers don't work well with aggressive TCP/IP tuning. Your speed may be slightly lower, but this is rare (affects less than 1% of users).

Specific Application Connectivity Issues

Symptom: Certain applications (VPN, P2P apps) have connection problems after optimization.

Solution: These apps sometimes rely on specific TCP timeout behaviors. You can either:

• Revert network optimization while using those apps
• Configure those apps to use different port ranges
• Keep optimization applied (most apps work fine)

Measuring Latency Reduction

Use these methods to quantify your latency improvement:

Method 1: In-Game Ping

1. Launch your game and note your ping in the scoreboard or settings menu
2. Exit game and apply network optimization
3. Launch game again and compare ping to previous value

Method 2: Command Line Ping Test

1. Open Command Prompt
2. Ping a game server: ping -n 20 [game-server-ip]
3. Note the average ping time
4. Apply network optimization
5. Run the ping command again and compare average

Method 3: Traceroute Analysis

1. Before optimization, run: tracert [game-server-ip]
2. Note the total time and hops
3. Apply network optimization
4. Run tracert again - you should see reduced time especially on final hops

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters]
"TcpTimedWaitDelay"=dword:0000001e (30 seconds)
"MaxUserPort"=dword:0000fffe (65534)

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Multimedia\SystemProfile]
"NetworkThrottlingIndex"=dword:ffffffff (disabled)