Recurring latency issues with Quest 2 on Link

[drodo1984]

Quest 2 with attempts to link via VR desktop, airlink, and steam link. At random times it will have solid latency without issue. Other times it has rhythmic spikes in latency which makes gaming impossible. The issue is random and will sometimes go away with repeated attempts to reconnect to the router/access point at 5Ghz. Interestingly enough I have noticed signal is always consistent at the odd time a reconnection resets signal to the 2.4Ghz frequency (Spectrum router does this sporadically. Here is the setup: default router (Wifi 6E version that uses a QR code) and modem (Motorola) from Spectrum with 500mbs limit and speed testing reveals consistent speeds about 10-100mbs above that. Modem is Ethernet linked to the desktop with 1gbs limit per the modem side and 10gbs on desktop side. Also have a RTX 3080, 32GB DDR5, AMD 7800X3D, all SSD with lowest speed at 6000. Also have an ASUS RT-AX5400 that I have tried as the sole router, bridged through spectrum router, additional router and access point with no change in the issue. Issue also persisted on Windows 10 and after changing to Windows 11. Staying in the computer room or going to play room on the other side of the apartment has no impact.

Thoughts?

[MetaQuestSupport]

Hi there, We're sorry to hear that! We understand that it can be frustrating. However we are here to help. 

We recommend : 

• Have the PC connected to Router/Access Point via Ethernet cable and not Wi-Fi
• Headset should be connected to Wi-Fi via 5GHz band (AC or AX)
• Router in the same room as the headset or in line-of-sight, and at least 1m (3.3ft) off the ground
• Non-mesh network configuration

We suggest checking out our troubleshooting steps for Air Link Connection, if you haven't already.

Should these steps not work to get your gameplay back on track,please contact our fabulous support team who will be able to assist you further.

Thanks!

[drodo1984]

While I appreciate the the attempt to reach out, please note I have tried all of those things and they did not have an impact on the issue. The only addition I can provide here is that I had this same issue today and tried repeatedly connecting and disconnecting to my Spectrum router after resetting the modem and router (only router connected at this time) on the 5Ghz frequency. Out of 20 attempts, one yielded a random connection to the 2.4Ghz frequency, and one yielded a solid connection. The other 18 yielded a connection with a latency of 18-20 at the low and 140+ when spiking. The spikes were, again, regularly spaced with each of those 18 failures. 

[MetaQuestSupport]

Thanks for getting back to us! We'd like to ask a questions to get a better understanding of what the problem might be.

• Is dual band enabled on your router? (Disabling dual band will ensure that the headset and the router stay within the same channel)
• Are you using any type of WiFi extenders? (Extenders can sometimes cause interference and can potentially cause stuttering)
• Has air link ever worked properly for long periods of time? (Like multiple days, weeks and/or months) or have you always had this issues since purchasing the headset? 
• If this issue is recent, has there been any changes within your network?
• Is your headset and application updated to the latest firm?

We appreciate you taking the time to get this information over to us, we're looking forward to your response!

[drodo1984]

Some clarifications:

*My non-spectrum router is a TP-link Archer AXE95 (sorry had it wrong above). It can turn on and off 2.4Ghz, 5Ghz, and 6Ghz bands. 

*I do not use any extenders. I turned off the mesh network options though, just in case.

*Air Link has been buggy since the dawn of forever. No joking here. Its always had a variety of issues and has never been stable for me. BUT, this particular problem has been going on for at least a year, maybe a year and a half.

*The issue existed prior to this change but SEEMED to get worse after our apartment complex upgraded everyone's Spectrum. We were all given individual accounts with 500mbs speed, and new modems and routers. That was about 9 months ago.

*ALL of my firmware and software are as up-to-date as they can be. Even my Bios. I am religious about that. If there are issues of any kind, this one of the first things I check. Of note though, new updates for Meta and Windows were available over the evening and were installed today (8/10/24).

*It has been a few updates since I tested other possible barriers so I rechecked Windows Defender and Bit Defender.  I tried sequentially turning off each setting for both. I completely turned off my firewall and uninstalled Bit Defender temporarily. These options did not yield any different results. 

*I am utilizing Quest Pro controllers instead of the standard Quest 2 controls. Occasionally there are issues with tracking and positioning, but they are always solved by turning off and on the controls. 

New testing scenario setup:

*I left all of my wireless and blue tooth devices on and connected because their potential interference has existed prior to these problems. 

*I reset my modem and both routers. 

*The Spectrum Modem would not give me internet unless I had the Spectrum Router directly connected to it. My current setup has the Archer Router daisy chained the Spectrum Router and my Ethernet is directly connected to the Archer Router. I double and triple checked the connections and statuses of both routers using their respective applications to ensure connections were clear and open. They were visible by multiple devices and could be connected to with ease and without any speed issues.

*I turned off the 6Ghz and 2.4Ghz bands on the Archer Router. I CANNOT do this on the Spectrum Router, there are literally no options because...well...Spectrum. I also could NOT a bridge the Spectrum Router anymore as the option no longer exists.

*I confirmed that the Spectrum Router's Wifi signal could NOT be used to connect the Quest 2 to my desktop. The computer and software consider these to be different networks. This is something new. I could not correct it under the this setup.

*I confirmed that using the Archer Router's Wifi signal reliably allowed me to connect to Air Link and VR desktop on the 5Ghz band. I DID NOT test Steam's VR Link software for this run. 

*For each test run, I sequentially turned off each system option on the Quest 2, including the developer options, to see if results or solutions varied. 

Testing and result/solutions:

1. Hand tracking options WITHOUT controllers active:

VR desktop consistently yielded connections that had regularly spiking latency. This was solved by leaving the controllers alone until they could not be detected. The Quest 2 screen was then put to sleep either by button press on the side of the device while on my head, or by time-out (15 seconds) while placed on my desk. The screen was turned back on either by putting the Quest 2 back on my head or by pressing the button again while it was on my head. This reliably corrected the latency and gave me a solid 18-20ms. Latency could only be registered when cursors were ON the VR screen presentation of my desktop. I verified findings by moving my head and body, waving the controls around, then trying out Beat Saber. Latency remained consistent even in Steam VR mode. 

2. Hand tracking OFF:

Same steps as above BUT ONLY the screen had to be put to sleep and turned back on. Controllers could be completely active during that time. It also did not matter if the screen was put to sleep while I wore it or took it off. The results were identical to scenario 1.

3. Developer option for virtual space turned off:

The problem could not be corrected by the above solutions or any other attempts to disconnect, reconnect, or restart all of the devices or software. Turning off all the developer options with the top toggle afterwards yielded results as in scenario 1 and 2. The same was true when the option was toggled back on.  

4. Air Link:

* Possible Solution OR Red Herring*: For a time there SEEMED to be a reproduceable situation where the solution for scenario 1 worked if bitrate was left at a fixed rate of 200, then switched to variable, that threshold lowered and then pushed back to max, and finally switched back to fixed. Changing the bitrate afterwards or switching between variable and fixed did not give different results. Trying this solution with the bitrate initially set at variable did not work. It had to be initially at fixed when the program was started. This became less reliable progressively as more options were toggled off until it eventually stopped working. At that point the lag became heavy and difficulty to tolerate. That issue persisted even after turning everything back on.

* Reliable Solution: I started the program, closed it, toggled off OR on the hand and body tracking, and then turned it back on. This one is harder to verify without latency tracking, but absence of artifacts, slow response, or other nausea producing issues provided some evidence this was effective. I will leave further testing to those with stronger stomachs or constitutions. 

Takeaway:

For now I am using the VR desktop application because it is significantly more stable when working, and less nausea inducing when not. I've reliably been able to keep hand/body tracking on. I can quickly get a stable connection by stilling my hands at the edges of the visor and tapping on and off the screen. In 5 seconds or less the problem is solved each time. Closing and reopening VR desktop maintains solid connection across the apartment. This is lost if i disconnect and reconnect to the Archer Router's WiFi signal. Turning back on the 6Ghz channel and having it utilized by other devices does not effect the result. My Spectrum Router is handling all of the other 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz devices in the house which include a Smart LG OLED 4K screen, a laptop, 2 smart phones, and my wife's desktop. There are also 2 mice, 2 keyboards, and 2 pairs of headphones connecting through blue tooth to these devices. 

Case in point, this does not SEEM to be a issue related to device interference. Even the two routers are perched next to one another. The problem appears to stem from something within the Quest 2 itself that can be worsened or mitigated by body/hand tracking and made persistent by developer options that turn off virtual space options. I could never completely resolve the problem via any of the setting options on the Quest 2 (at least none that were visible to me on developer mode.) There could still be something on my computer but there is less evidence to support that. 

I am still willing to work with support on the issue if some new options are presented outside of the normal Q&A or if I can troubleshoot with someone in real time. I've traded enough slow responses that I'm a bit weary of the normal responses now. 

All and all it took a better part of my Saturday plus about a week of sporadic trial and error prior to this to even arrive at this result. For right now, consider me to be checked out. 

[MetaQuestSupport]

Hi again, thank you for your message.

 In order to get to the bottom of this we will try a couple of potential solutions. Firstly we would just like to confirm whether your headset works by itself? We would also just like to confirm if you have any VPNs, firewalls or Antivirus software active on your account. If so try disabling them to see if pairing works better.

Finally for now, two other things that can be attempted are resetting your access point and enabling UPnP.

Please be sure to let us know the result of this and we will be able to look further into it for you.

[drodo1984]

1. The headset has always worked by itself. Still does. I've tested the Quest native app for Beat Saber extensively as its the only Quest game I own on the headset itself. No issues ever with it, so kudos for that.

2. Please see the excerpt from above, "...I rechecked Windows Defender and Bitdefender.  I tried sequentially turning off each setting for both. I completely turned off my firewall and uninstalled Bitdefender temporarily. These options did not yield any different results." Bitdefender is the only Antivirus program I have. I made sure to disable and uninstall its VPN options previously and when I reinstalled it for this test run. That part of its program definitely caused me problems years ago as it tries to run even if toggled off. It seems the Archer Router does have VPN options but these are off by default when I checked today. 

3. Access point settings were disabled on the Archer Router and set back to the standard router settings to get the above results. I had the same latency issues with both settings. The only thing that seemed to change is that now the Air Link and VR desktop recognize my computer and Quest 2 as being on same network only if the Quest 2 connects to the Archer Router's Wifi signal. This makes sense to me since it is the end point of the router/modem setup and the ethernet is plugged from the Archer Router to the desktop. 

4. I'd not checked the UPnP settings before. They were not available on the router app but were accessible via the webpage for the  Archer Router. Looks like it was already on and has been detecting VR Desktop through the proper IP address and via 4x matching external and internal ports using TCP protocol (if you need info on these ports we can message off the forums). Another setting that've I've not tested and is only available through the same site is DMZ. I'll wait before messing with that though.

[MetaQuestSupport]

We appreciate you letting us know. @drodo1984! By the way, we definitely recommend taking breaks, drinking water, shorter play sessions, etc. to maintain a healthy and stable play time. It's also important to keep in mind that we don't recommend using a Mesh network, as these have been known to be incompatible with the Quest Link software. Moving forward, we did want to be sure, could you please confirm that your PC fully meets all the necessary requirements to support Air Link, as per this article? Is your headset's software updated in standalone mode per these steps? Also, have you been able to try using Quest Link with a cable instead? Keep us updated and we can continue from there! 

[MetaQuestSupport]

Hello, hello, @drodo1984! Get back to us if you still need assistance with that latency you had been reporting. We'll always be happy to hear from you! 

[drodo1984]

I'm starting to wonder if these are automated replies...

*Please read the following which has already been posted above: "have a RTX 3080, 32GB DDR5, AMD 7800X3D, all SSD with lowest speed at 6000...Issue also persisted on Windows 10 and after changing to Windows 11." This far surpasses your recommended specs. 

*Also: "ALL of my firmware and software are as up-to-date as they can be. Even my Bios. I am religious about that. If there are issues of any kind, this one of the first things I check. Of note though, new updates for Meta and Windows were available over the evening and were installed today (8/10/24)." 

*I do not own a USB C cord of sufficient enough quality to run the direct link reliably, nor do I wish to purchase one after purchasing a $300 router, and $100 D-link Airbridge (what a waste). 

I ask that any future discussion be done over phone if possible or an active chat. So far these responses have been very canned and show little evidence of either reading or caring about the information provided thus far.