Our Network

Network

It do be fast

Our Network

Wired Ethernet:

We provide one (1) Wired connection per ticket ordered. Each Wired connection is provided at 1Gbps. If you need an extra connection for a game console or second computer at your seat, please contact the Help Desk after check-in. Extra network connections are provided on a limited basis.

If you need an Ethernet adapter for your device, a limited quantity of adapters are available for purchase at the Help Desk.

Wi-Fi:

We have two (2) Wireless networks to choose from.

MassiveLAN – This is our fast, 5Ghz Wi-Fi network. Join this one whenever possible.
MassiveLAN2.4 – This is our 2.4Ghz Wi-Fi network. Avoid joining this one unless it’s the only one appearing, as it will probably struggle.

The password for each Wi-Fi network is the same. The password is posted in your MassiveLAN welcome pamphlet and throughout the venue, or can be obtained from the Help Desk.

Our wireless network is engineered to provide coverage within the venue. Coverage outside (such as during mini-games) is unlikely to work well.

Internet Bandwidth

We shape (limit) the bandwidth to/from the Internet in order to keep the network running smoothly for others. Bandwidth is provided as fairly as possible to all attendees and applications, and is adjusted based on network usage. If you are experiencing lag / packet loss in online games, you may be hitting your bandwidth limit or we may just be at Internet capacity (or both!). We occasionally receive reports of online games lagging or experiencing packet loss while a game is utilizing on-demand asset streaming (Call of Duty is a popular game with such a feature). We recommend turning off these on-demand streaming features, if possible, to provide a smoother experience during the LAN. Otherwise, on-demand texture streaming can cause the Internet shaping to drop your packets while in a game.

Expected Bandwidth Limits:

Day (~10AM – 11PM): Up to 50Mbps.

Night (11PM – 10AM): Up to 100Mbps.

These bandwidth limits may be lowered without warning, based on Internet usage.

Game Downloads

We have dedicated bandwidth for Game Downloads and Windows Updates, and cache this content on our network to help deliver it to you as fast as possible. These downloads are not speed limited on the network at any time of the day, and should run as fast as possible, up to 1Gbps.

We currently cache the following services:

Steam
EA / Origin
Activation / Blizzard / BattleNet
Riot Games
Wargaming
Epic Games
Windows Updates
Windows Store / Xbox
PlayStation

If you find your download is running slower than expected, it might be because of the following:

We might not have the game files you’re downloading cached. As you and others download, the files will cache. Note that files can differ from PC to PC in some games (for example, between Windows, Mac, and Linux).
Your device may be busy trying to decompress/write the files to disk. Check your system resources if you notice pauses in the download.
The download might’ve dodged our cache for some reason. This happens sometimes. We notice this happens the most on Steam under Linux.
You have a VPN in use, or are using Private DNS (DNS over TLS, DNS over HTTPS). Disable these features and restart your computer.
You have custom DNS Servers set (like 8.8.8.8, 1.1.1.1, etc). Set your computer to use the DNS Server provided by the network (DHCP).

To save time at the event, we recommend ensuring the games you want to play (such as tournament games) are downloaded and updated before the event. We make every effort to get your game downloads to you quickly if this is not possible (for example, due to an update on the day of an event), but, like any event, unforeseen problems can occur.

Server Hosting / Discovery

MassiveLAN is a LAN at heart. You are free to run your own Minecraft / Factorio / Counter-Strike / etc game servers, and we encourage you to do so and invite other attendees to enjoy them.

Due to the architecture of MassiveLAN’s network, you may find that a server you want to join doesn’t appear in the “LAN” Server browser. This usually happens if you are on Wireless, or are in a different row from your friend. If this happens, simply obtain the LAN IP address of the server from the person hosting it, and connect via IP. For Steam games, you should also be able to join via the Steam Friends list.

If you are hosting a server (srcds, Minecraft, etc), make sure to configure your server to allow “Internet” players to join. Servers hosted on MassiveLAN’s network will not be accessible from outside of MassiveLAN, except for some Official servers we provide (to accommodate our Virtual attendees).

I Need Help!

Need Help? Contact the Help Desk.