Would a hardwired LAN make much of a difference

[JustinThomason]

I've used MapTool in the past as a battlemat replacement, and it went over quite well with my players. The last time we used it, I hosted from my MacBook Pro, and the players all shared my friend's 17" Win 7 laptop using a wireless mouse that they passed around the table. It worked OK, but I realized that most, if not all, of my players actually have laptop computers, so it might be easier if everyone has their own interface.

Before, we had the two computers connecting over my friend's WiFi LAN. It worked OK, but we definitely had some connection hiccups from time to time.

I'm thinking about investing in an 8 port Ethernet switch or router, and have everyone hardwire into the LAN that way. Obviously I think it would help connection issues, but would it help with other aspects of performance (e.g., FoW and VBL stuff), or is that all going to rest solely on the computers involved?

[aliasmask]

Yes. There is more bandwidth available in a hardwired connection than WiFi. But sometimes it isn't always about bandwidth, but the server computer. Everything has to go to the server and then is resent to all the other clients. Just hooking your server to the LAN of the modem/router may be all you need. Most equipment from the cable companies are including at least a 4-port router. If you have that, I would try that first before buying new equipment. But, in general having everyone hardwired would be the best but probably isn't necessary.

One thing you should watch out for is to make sure your friends virus scanners are up to date. There are lots of free online scanning services like Trend Micro and Kaspersky to have your players run before hooking them altogether on the LAN. Sometimes they'll points out cookies as threats, but just ignore those. Worry about any .dll or .exe files or any other executable files.