Quest 2 Air Link occasional stutters

[Flogger23m]

Recently got a Quest 2. It isn't the latest VR headset, but it is quite a bit cheaper than used higher end options. So far it works decently, though I have been using it with Air Link. My PC is hooked up to the router via Ethernet cable. Router is an AX11000. I get occasional stutters every now and then. Is this to be expected with using Air Link or something with my connection? I am playing DCS and Project Wing Man on my PC, and I only do PCVR. Using Steam VR for those games.

Would a USB link cable remove any latency issues? I realize it would still be compressed video, but wondering if that may offer a more smooth experience. Would something like this work? It seemingly allows charging while playing as well which is a bonus.

 

[MrC4]

I have always used the USB link cable with my Quest 2 for PC games. My wifi doesn't provide a consistent enough transfer rate for a smooth gaming experience.

 

[sharknice]

Yeah that should work. Assuming your stutters are caused by your wifi and not your PC or the game choking. You could also try out SteamLink and see if that works better than air link.

 

[Flogger23m]

Yeah that should work. Assuming your stutters are caused by your wifi and not your PC or the game choking. You could also try out SteamLink and see if that works better than air link.

I don't think it is the games/GPU performance. I recorded them with ShadowPlay, and the recordings themselves are very smooth. The stutters are not present at all in the recordings.

Going to order the cable link I posted in the OP unless there is something better for the price. Apparently it should allow playing and keep the charge at around 60%.

 

[sharknice]

I don't think it is the games/GPU performance. I recorded them with ShadowPlay, and the recordings themselves are very smooth. The stutters are not present at all in the recordings.

Going to order the cable link I posted in the OP unless there is something better for the price. Apparently it should allow playing and keep the charge at around 60%.

Yeah when the Q2 is plugged in it stays in a range around there, just make sure you plug both ends of that cable in or it won't get enough power to charge and slowly drain.

Also you should see if steam link works any better, you just download it from the quest store, it's free, then turn on steam link in the steam settings.

 

[criccio]

Back when I used my Q2 Airlink was always shit. Moved to Virtual Desktop for wireless play and it was immensely better. Obviously, you need to know your Wifi performance is top notch.

https://www.vrdesktop.net/

 

[sharknice]

Back when I used my Q2 Airlink was always shit. Moved to Virtual Desktop for wireless play and it was immensely better. Obviously, you need to know your Wifi performance is top notch.

https://www.vrdesktop.net/

That's also what I use. IMO it's easily the best. It isn't free though.

 

[Flogger23m]

That's also what I use. IMO it's easily the best. It isn't free though.

I've been hearing about this. I assume if you get it on Steam, you can use it on any brand of VR headset? They have it on the meta store and I do have credit there that I can put towards it.

 

[sharknice]

I've been hearing about this. I assume if you get it on Steam, you can use it on any brand of VR headset? They have it on the meta store and I do have credit there that I can put towards it.

It's only for wireless connection from your headset your PC (it doesn't even work wired), since it runs directly on the headset you have to buy it on the Quest store. If you had a Pico headset you would have to buy it on their store, etc. The one on Steam is different.

 

[reaper12]

Recently got a Quest 2. It isn't the latest VR headset, but it is quite a bit cheaper than used higher end options. So far it works decently, though I have been using it with Air Link. My PC is hooked up to the router via Ethernet cable. Router is an AX11000. I get occasional stutters every now and then. Is this to be expected with using Air Link or something with my connection? I am playing DCS and Project Wing Man on my PC, and I only do PCVR. Using Steam VR for those games.

Would a USB link cable remove any latency issues? I realize it would still be compressed video, but wondering if that may offer a more smooth experience. Would something like this work? It seemingly allows charging while playing as well which is a bonus.

Is your Ax11000 from TP-Link?

 

[Flogger23m]

It's only for wireless connection from your headset your PC (it doesn't even work wired), since it runs directly on the headset you have to buy it on the Quest store. If you had a Pico headset you would have to buy it on their store, etc. The one on Steam is different.

Thanks, didn't know that. Is the Steam one only compatible with headsets that require SteamVR? It claims it supports the Occulus Rift and I assume that is the last Meta headset it supported. Was hoping to get it in once place so I could use it with any brand of headset.

The stuttering I get went from occasional micro stutters to being quite bad now. Been trying different settings and not much seems to help. Seems like Steam VR games are problematic. A non-Steam game I tried seems to work mostly fine still but will have to check more.

Is your Ax11000 from TP-Link?

Yeah that is it.

 

[criccio]

I had fantastic performance even with a Wifi 5 access point though I was playing in the same room as it. (using virtual desktop)

 

[Flogger23m]

I had fantastic performance even with a Wifi 5 access point though I was playing in the same room as it. (using virtual desktop)

For me it seems to be inconsistent. I was able to try it for 30 minutes now, and it worked almost perfect, just minor micro stutters again. Might be something on my end network/router wise. I'll see how a cable works, if that doesn't work I will have to try virtual desktop.

 

[reaper12]

Yeah that is it.

Yeah, that's your problem. The TP-Link AX routers cause random stutter when using AX mode. It's no use trying Virtual Desktop as you will have the same issue. It's a flaw with the TP-Link Routers that was never fixed. I think It was actually the developer of Virtual desktop, Guy Godin, who discovered that the TP-Link AX routers were causing the issues.

The Fix was to turn of AX mode and just use AC wifi on the router. That fix didn't work in all cases. The best thing you can do is get another router. If you want to buy TP-Link again, There are no stutter problem with either Wifi 5 or Wifi 6E TP-Link routers. If you want to stick with a Wifi 6 router, the Asus ones are well recommended.

 

[bobzdar]

Recently got a Quest 2. It isn't the latest VR headset, but it is quite a bit cheaper than used higher end options. So far it works decently, though I have been using it with Air Link. My PC is hooked up to the router via Ethernet cable. Router is an AX11000. I get occasional stutters every now and then. Is this to be expected with using Air Link or something with my connection? I am playing DCS and Project Wing Man on my PC, and I only do PCVR. Using Steam VR for those games.

Would a USB link cable remove any latency issues? I realize it would still be compressed video, but wondering if that may offer a more smooth experience. Would something like this work? It seemingly allows charging while playing as well which is a bonus.

If your computer has a wifi card, you can turn on hotspot mode and connect the Oculus to it directly and skip the router. This is what I do on my laptop, just make sure it connects on 5ghz and not 2.4ghz (you can toggle in the hotspot options in windows). It will also depend a bit on the wifi module of your PC, it's worth a test. Works great on my laptop to where I don't bother with the link or router.

 

[sharknice]

If your computer has a wifi card, you can turn on hotspot mode and connect the Oculus to it directly and skip the router. This is what I do on my laptop, just make sure it connects on 5ghz and not 2.4ghz (you can toggle in the hotspot options in windows). It will also depend a bit on the wifi module of your PC, it's worth a test. Works great on my laptop to where I don't bother with the link or router.

Does that actually work well? I heard it didn't because windows doesn't handle hotspots very well.

 

[criccio]

So I recall trying that way back when I got my Q2 (Windows 11, Wifi 6E capable card in my PC). Devices connected fine, phones, tablets, etc.. but My Quest 2 just performed worse. Probably just me, always worth a try.

 

[bobzdar]

So I recall trying that way back when I got my Q2 (Windows 11, Wifi 6E capable card in my PC). Devices connected fine, phones, tablets, etc.. but My Quest 2 just performed worse. Probably just me, always worth a try.

Yeah, it will depend on the actual card itself (Intel/Realtek etc.) and has to be configured properly. If the Quest connects at a lower speed it will not work well. I have only tried on two and both worked well, but both used the same Intel wifi module iirc.

 

[Flogger23m]

Yeah, that's your problem. The TP-Link AX routers cause random stutter when using AX mode. It's no use trying Virtual Desktop as you will have the same issue. It's a flaw with the TP-Link Routers that was never fixed. I think It was actually the developer of Virtual desktop, Guy Godin, who discovered that the TP-Link AX routers were causing the issues.

The Fix was to turn of AX mode and just use AC wifi on the router. That fix didn't work in all cases. The best thing you can do is get another router. If you want to buy TP-Link again, There are no stutter problem with either Wifi 5 or Wifi 6E TP-Link routers. If you want to stick with a Wifi 6 router, the Asus ones are well recommended.

I will look into turning off AX mode then. Now today I just tried it for around 45 minutes, and had zero issues that I could see. Even the micro stutters were gone. I didn't yet change any settings with the router.

For a wifi card I don't have one. I've heard that it generally works poorly. What is the best wifi card to get? I know Intel seems to be popular, what particular model should I look into? Likewise for a new router. May look into upgrading if this model is problematic.

 

[reaper12]

I will look into turning off AX mode then. Now today I just tried it for around 45 minutes, and had zero issues that I could see. Even the micro stutters were gone. I didn't yet change any settings with the router.

For a wifi card I don't have one. I've heard that it generally works poorly. What is the best wifi card to get? I know Intel seems to be popular, what particular model should I look into? Likewise for a new router. May look into upgrading if this model is problematic.

It's a really tough one to pin down. The TP-LINK AX routers can work for a while then sometimes cause stutters out of nowhere. TP-LINK did acknowledge the problem but never found a fix. What made this issue harder to get to the bottom of was that one of the TP-Link AX routers(either the AX1800 or the AX3000) works perfectly.

I would recommend you get a router. But you might not need to. If the AC mode works on your current router and you are happy with the performance then there might not be any need of spending more money. Or can you return the AX11000?

 

[Flogger23m]

It's a really tough one to pin down. The TP-LINK AX routers can work for a while then sometimes cause stutters out of nowhere. TP-LINK did acknowledge the problem but never found a fix. What made this issue harder to get to the bottom of was that one of the TP-Link AX routers(either the AX1800 or the AX3000) works perfectly.

I would recommend you get a router. But you might not need to. If the AC mode works on your current router and you are happy with the performance then there might not be any need of spending more money. Or can you return the AX11000?

I've had it for a few years, so I can't return it. It works fine otherwise.

The part about it working for a while then causing stutters out of nowhere seems to be my experience. I used it quite a bit today, with around an hour of perfectly flawless gameplay. But before that I had a good bit of stuttering. Generally closing the Occulus software, Steam, restarting the headset and re-connecting to my PC may fix it.

Low frame rates may also result in more connection issues. If I am getting mid 30 frame rates, seemingly it has audio cutting in/out and some visual quality issues where as on my monitor everything is fine (except the low frame rates). Once the average gets up to 50-60 I find the connection to be much more stable. In particular I have been playing lot of Project Wingman, and I had two settings set to extreme that cut frame rates into the 30-40s. Turning those down to high boosted frame rates to around 55-80, and now connection issues are less prevalent on that game. But like I said, it still happens occasionally, and a reset may remedy it. Didn't really think low frame rates would cause additional issues, but that seems to be part of the problem on my end.

 

[kalston]

Yea those are not super optimized games, so I imagine you are combining some software performance issues with wireless performance issues. Those are seated games too though so to me it makes the most sense to use a cable and crank up the bitrate.

(absolutely loved Project WIngman in VR even if performance wasn't flawless, it's incredibly cinematic and one of my most memorable gaming experiences)

 

[Flogger23m]

Yea those are not super optimized games, so I imagine you are combining some software performance issues with wireless performance issues. Those are seated games too though so to me it makes the most sense to use a cable and crank up the bitrate.

(absolutely loved Project WIngman in VR even if performance wasn't flawless, it's incredibly cinematic and one of my most memorable gaming experiences)

For Project Wingman itself I am not getting performance issues, frame rate are around 60 at the higher resolution required for the Quest 2. But be sure to turn down clouds and the other option from Extreme to Ultra, the frame rate essentially doubled. I am running the beta build, which has new improved performance/graphics as of October 2023. A larger update with some new planes (free) and whatnot is expected for 2024 as it moves out of beta.

My only disappointment is there is a DLC that is exclusive to PSVR/PS5. But it is probably timed.

As of now I am getting much less issues with wireless. I think the sweet spot is 185 MB/S over fixed, that is set in the the headset itself in the Air Link settings. I will get a cable and new head strap soon.

 

[Dayaks]

I’ve had zero issues.

You need to crank the wireless bitrate to max and you need your PC connected to your router via ethernet. Your router also should be LOS to the headset.