One method averages the deviation of latency samples and compares them to the average latency value across all samples to evaluate its impact. Jitter, which is measured in milliseconds, is calculated a few different ways. The idea is fairly straightforward: When packets arrive at rapidly alternating speeds (fast, slow, fast, slow), the gaps between them create an inconsistent flow that negatively impacts real-time services, such as voice or video calls. The variance of latencies experienced over a given period of time is known as packet delay variation or jitter. While consistently-high latency is a clear indicator of a problem, a wildly-fluctuating latency can also result in network quality issues. Check out this knowledge base entry about packet loss to learn more. While one hop may experience 100% packet loss, it’s not always indicative of your overall connection quality. When evaluating packet loss, it’s important to remember some routers and firewalls are calibrated to ignore the type of packet used in many network tests. If you’re consistently experiencing packet loss of 5% or higher within a 10-minute timeframe, there is likely a problem. However, a good connection shouldn’t see packet loss at all. On average, we consider a packet loss percentage of 2% or lower over a 10-minute timeframe to be an acceptable level. If a connection is suffering high packet loss, you’re likely to experience unresponsive services, frequent disconnects, and recurring errors. The percentage of packet loss you experience over a given timeframe is another primary indicator of your network performance. If too many of these packets fail to reach their destination, you’re going to notice a problem.
Instead, they are broken into easy-to-send chunks called packets. Packet Lossįiles aren’t transferred across your network fully formed. In general, we’ve found consistent latency above 200ms produces the laggy experience you’re hoping to avoid. to be roughly 110ms (2,451 miles/60 miles per ms + 70ms for DSL).
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While we have a longer discussion on the topic, the short answer is you should expect to see 1ms of latency for every 60 miles between you and your endpoint, plus a base latency added by the type of connection you have:įor example, on the average DSL connection, we would expect the round-trip time from New York to L.A. Latency is generally dictated by your physical distance and connection type. Knowing what makes a “good” latency is a bit more involved than just looking at a number. High latency can often result in laggy gameplay in online games (where what you’re seeing onscreen doesn’t seem to line up with what’s happening in-game), constant stream buffering, and long page load times. Most people desire a faster, more responsive experience, and latency is a major contributor. Latency is one of the primary indicators of network performance quality. To be specific, latency (or ping) is the measure of how long it takes (in milliseconds) for one data packet to travel from your device to a destination and back. It takes time to get data to and from locations, especially when they’re separated by hundreds or thousands of miles. LatencyĪs much as we wish it was, data transmission isn’t instant. If you’re looking to go from so-so to stellar, you may need to dig a little deeper.
Each tells a slightly different story about what problems might exist and how they contribute to the lackluster experience you’re having. The best network tools test a number of metrics you can use to evaluate the quality of a connection. To find a problem or get someone else to take action (like an ISP), you need hard data. While you may feel like things aren’t quite right, feelings aren’t a great way to measure network quality. It would be nice if network connections were so simple.
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Latency? Packet loss? You might know the numbers, but what are they showing you? Here’s how to tell if your internet connection’s ok.