Three 5G MTU is incorrect and not high enough for XBOX Live

[GarryM66]

Like many others I've taken the 5G broadband from Three believing it to be capable of gaming (for my partner's son) - I even asked in the shop and they said its like lightening and especially good for gaming.

I've read the other threads and there's a confusion (deliberate I believe) that the MTU is 1500 but somehow the Xbox is not getting it right.  I think this is rubbish - the router defaults to 1500 but it isn't actually this value and changing it to any other value has zero effect - it's effectively a dead setting in the interface not actually connected to any real life settings.

If I go to cmd prompt in windows and type:

ping yahoo.com -f -l 1500

I get told that the packets need to be fragmented, i.e. they cannot receive packets at 1500 even though the router says it is set to that.

If I type:

ping yahoo.com -f -l 1350

I get normal "Reply from IP address etc." messages.

Any size over 1350 causes the error, IRRESPECTIVE of what the router says.  So the true MTU is 1350 plus 28 header bites - so 1378 and not high enough to be usedwith Xbox.

Three needs to own up to this and actually set the MTU to 1500 rather than a fake setting on the routers allowing it to be set to this but not actually transmit at this.

I don't think any of the other solutions that mods or others keep stating actually work and the employees are just covering up the bullsh*t of this and the corporate lie that Three offers "super fast gaming" - when in fact it's not offering gaming AT ALL.

I want to know when they will make the change, not a waffly statement and links to other circular discussions about this - the problem is clear.

[NobodyUK]

Yea still an issue and has been all along. Ofcom should really be pulling them up on this as a small MTU size isn't only an issue for gaming. They have miss-sold it for gaming use though as for some things (like xbox) it just doesn't work.

[Darren5688]

It’s absolutely joke, when you speak to people at three they don’t even know what mtu is. How incompetent of a company. I’ve not been able to play online for around 6 months. Think it’s time to cancel my direct debit. Three are a bunch of scammers.

[nhawan]

The MTU is 1352 +28 = 1380 for my ZTE MC888. Not great when the primary usage for me is PS5 and PC online gaming. The latency on Overwatch 2 is around 50ms while the old Virginmedia connection gave 38ms.

Is there any way to improve this?

[PeteG]

Hello.

There isn't a way to change the MTU setting that will have an impact on the connection, sadly.

Pete. 

[GarryM66]

Does this mean that the "lightening fast gaming" we were promised is actually no gaming at all?  We need Three to change this or I think a LOT of people have been defrauded by the company.  My partner was with me when the store worker told us it would be perfect for XBOX Live and that the experience would be lightening quick.  I think someone needs to talk to the ombudsman about this.

[Darren5688]

Exactly that it’s a complete scam. I’m just going to cancel my direct debit with them. Had enough.