Spike lag in zbattle / kaillera.

[Alkaiser2500]

ZBattle / Kaillera Spike Lag Issue

Hello. First off here's my connection info:

Routed PPPoE DSL 1.5 Mbps / 480 kbps
Moden-Router: Netopia Cayman 3346
Default MTU and MRU: Both maxed at 1492
Ping in Kaillera: 62 most of the time

I'm currently trying to tweak my internet connection and improve online play as much as I can because I want to play these games online.

I get the normal lag every now and then (jerks, choppy frames) but this repeating spike lag is annoying.

I've got a big issue with abnormal spike lag and I've been trying to figure out what's causing it for about 2 months now XD.

The game freezes up and stutters for about 3-5 seconds and repeats itself every now and then. It's driving me up the wall.

I've tried just about everything but I refuse to give up because I know I can fix this somehow.

This only happnes in ZBattle and Kaillera, oddly.

Now, on to the questions:

1) Could somebody please explain to me (in English lol) what MTU (Maximum transmission units) and MRU (Maximum recieve units) are and how do they affect online play?

2) And would increasing or decreasing them possibly lower ping or lag in online games?

3) I live 12 miles from my ISP. Is that ok or is it bad? I also know a guy who lives 25 miles from the same ISP with a lower connection but he doesn't experience this kind of lag.

4) I'm also going to try different ethernet cables. Know any good brands? And what's Cat5?

5) Can I use anything other than a regular phone line which connects from the wall jack to my router-modem?

6) Some people tell me I don't have enough bandwidth. How can that be? Nobody else uses this connection but me.

7) Should I upgrade to a 3Mbps connection?

Everything I tried over the past 2 months and a half:

- Tested online games on a Pentium 4, 1 GB Ram, 3.06 Ghz, etc.
- Shut off all programs except PC game.
- Ran all sorts of anti-virus and registry cleaners.
- Tried all 3 wall jacks in my house (with different phone numbers).
- Had the phone cable in the ground replaced.
- Updated to the latest version of Internet Explorer.
- Forwarded all required ports.
- Set router to open all ports and allow all traffic.
- Put DSL filters on all wall jacks in my house.
- Called ISP and talked to a tech and asked if they were firewalling my connection. Nope.
- Reinstalled Windows XP Home SP1.
- Reformatted and installed Windows XP Home SP2 and Windows XP Professional SP2+
- Tested three different network cards.
- Played with network card settings.

I'm willing to try any suggestions.