Jitter vs Latency Explained: Causes, Effects & How to Fix Them

Latency generally refers to the delay or the amount of time it takes for something to happen after a triggering event. In other words, latency is the time it takes for something to happen after you ask for it. It’s usually measured in milliseconds. Lower latency indicates that data reaches its destination more quickly.

Overall, latency calculates how long a data packet takes to move from the sender to the receiver. For instance, in a voice call, latency is the time it takes for the speaker's voice to reach the listener.

Generally, latency under 150 milliseconds is acceptable for most real-time applications.

• Physical Distance: The longer the distance data must travel, the more time it takes to arrive.
• Routing Through Devices (Processing Delays): Routers and switches add slight delays to process and forward data to the next destination.
• Network Congestion: High traffic causes packets to wait before being sent.
• Slow Hardware: Old or slow devices can take more time to process information.
• Routing: Sometimes data takes a longer or complicated path to reach its destination.
• Interference: Wireless signals can get interrupted by walls, weather, or other electronic devices.

• Poor Call Quality: High latency causes lag in your online call experience. It lowers audio quality, causing pauses, echoes, and delayed speech.
• Slower Applications and Services: It also slows down applications, making online services and data transfers sluggish.
• Frustrating User Experience: Users experience slow website loading, frequent buffering in videos, and unresponsive online interactions.
• Business Disruption: For businesses, high latency lowers productivity, frustrates customers, and leads to missed opportunities.

Jitter is the inconsistency or variation in the arrival times of data packets across a network. In simpler terms, imagine you’re sending a bunch of messages one after another, but they don’t all arrive evenly spaced. Some arrive a bit earlier or later than others. That irregular timing is called jitter.

This variation in packet timing disrupts the smooth flow of data and can affect real-time communication or services that rely on a steady data stream. It can cause low video and audio quality and interruptions during online gaming.

Generally, jitter below 30 ms is acceptable for VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls and most applications.

• Network Congestion: Heavy network traffic can cause delays, as data packets get queued up, leading to irregular arrival times.
• Unstable Connection: Inconsistent network connection or insufficient bandwidth disturbs the data flow, leading to congestion.
• Outdated Hardware: Old or faulty network equipment can struggle to manage data smoothly, leading to uneven packet flow.
• Packet Loss: If packets get lost during transmission, they need to be resent or filled in, which disrupts the flow and causes jitter.
• Route Changes: Sometimes, data packets take different paths across the Internet, which may vary in speed or traffic, resulting in differences in packet arrival times.

• Poor Call Quality: High jitter causes bad phone call quality with choppy audio, delays, and echoes.
• Disrupted Communication Flow: It impacts communication flow, especially during meaningful conversations.
• Business Reputation Risks: For businesses, it can damage customer relationships and the company's reputation.
• Inconsistent Online Services: Jitter also disrupts online services, causing inconsistent performance and interruptions in real-time apps.
• Frequent Video and Audio Issues: Frequent jitter causes frozen videos and delayed responses.

Latency represents the delay in data transmission, while jitter refers to the inconsistency in the arrival times of data packets. Latency generally causes a noticeable delay, and jitter results in uneven data flow, leading to disruptions like distorted audio or video.

Ping Test, Traceroute, Online Speed Test Tools like Okla, and network monitoring tools like Zabbix are the top tools for measuring Latency and Jitter. These tools check how fast data travels and how steady the connection is by sending test packets, tracking delays, and spotting any timing issues in your network.

1. Ping Test

The Ping test measures how long it takes for a packet to travel to a specific IP address or website. To run the test, open the Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (macOS/Linux) and type ping [IP/URL]. Look at the "time=" values to check latency. If the times are consistent, it shows low jitter; if they vary frequently, jitter is high.

2. Traceroute (or Tracert on Windows)

Traceroute helps you find where delays occur in your network. It shows the time it takes for data to travel through each step (or "hop") between devices before reaching its final destination. To use it, just type tracert [IP/URL] on Windows or traceroute [IP/URL] on macOS/Linux to see where the delays are coming from.

3. Online Speed Test Tools

Speed test tools like Speedtest by Ookla, Fast.com, and Google PageSpeed Insights give a quick look at your internet’s performance. They show both latency and download/upload speeds. In some cases, these tools can also measure jitter, offering an easy way to check network health.

4. Network Monitoring Software

Network monitoring software tracks your network’s performance, health, and security. Tools like Nagios, Zabbix, and Datadog help detect issues and improve performance. Additionally, they track latency and jitter.

To reduce jitter and latency, use a wired Ethernet connection, enable Quality of Service (QoS) on your router, reduce network congestion, and choose servers close to your location. Additionally, update your hardware and firmware, minimize wireless interference, and increase your bandwidth for a smoother and faster connection.

To reduce jitter, upgrade your bandwidth, use jitter buffers, and ensure stable network hardware. These methods help create a more consistent data flow, minimizing delays and interruptions.

1. Upgrade Bandwidth

Upgrading your bandwidth increases the capacity of your internet connection, allowing more data to travel at once. Contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to upgrade to a higher-speed plan. With more bandwidth, there’s less congestion, which helps maintain smooth and consistent communication.

2. Use Jitter Buffers

Jitter buffers temporarily store incoming data to smooth out any irregularities in arrival times. Many VoIP services allow you to adjust jitter buffer settings to match your network's needs. By doing so, it reduces interruptions in real-time communication, keeping audio and video steady. However, be mindful not to set the buffer too large, as this could introduce extra delay.

3. Upgrade Hardware

Older routers and modems can cause instability in your network. Upgrading to newer, more powerful hardware ensures your equipment can handle high-speed data more efficiently. Check with your ISP for the recommended device.

4. Prioritize Traffic

Traffic prioritization directs more bandwidth to critical data, like VoIP calls and video streaming, while limiting less important tasks. Set up VoIP QOS (Quality of Service) in your router settings to prioritize time-sensitive data. Managing network traffic ensures your calls and videos remain clear and uninterrupted.

To reduce latency, ensure to use the correct DNS server and focus on improving your connection speed, shortening the physical distance between devices, and disabling background apps. These changes lower the overall delay in data transmission.

1. Use Faster Connection

Using a faster internet connection can significantly reduce latency by speeding up the transfer of data between devices. Faster connections allow data to move more quickly, minimizing delays. Consider upgrading to a higher-speed plan, such as fiber-optic internet, which offers much lower latency than traditional Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or cable connections.

2. Shorten the Distance

Latency increases with distance because data has to travel farther to reach its destination. By shortening the distance between your device and the server or destination, you can reduce the delay significantly. This could involve using servers or data centers that are geographically closer to you or using Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to optimize data routing.

3. Disable Background Applications

Background applications that consume bandwidth, like file downloads, cloud backups, or streaming services, can increase latency. By closing or pausing these applications, you free up more bandwidth for your real-time activities. Check your device for any apps running in the background and disable unnecessary ones.

4. Choose the Right DNS Server

A DNS server can also impact latency. By switching to a public DNS server, like Google DNS or Cloudflare, you can improve the speed of DNS resolution, leading to faster access to websites. To change your DNS, go to your network settings and enter the DNS server addresses provided by the service.

Latency and jitter are two common network issues affecting real-time communication, such as VoIP calls, video conferences, and online gaming. Latency causes delays in data transmission, while jitter creates irregularities in the timing of data flow, leading to disruptions. Most of the time, these issues are caused by an unstable connection, outdated hardware, or software.