Posted on November 18, 2023
Understanding Jitter in Your Internet Connection
Ever wondered why your video calls stutter despite good speeds? The culprit might be jitter. Learn what it is and why it matters.
You've run a speed test and your download speed is fantastic, but your video calls are still choppy and your online games feel laggy. The hidden culprit might be "jitter." While less famous than ping or download speed, jitter is a critical measure of your internet connection's stability.
Jitter is the variation in ping over time. In simple terms, it measures the inconsistency in the time it takes for data packets to travel from your device to a server and back. A low jitter means the packet delivery time is consistent, while high jitter means it's erratic.
For activities that require a real-time data stream, consistency is key. High jitter can lead to dropped video frames, distorted audio, and delayed actions in games, even if your overall speed is high. The server receives data packets out of order or with unpredictable delays, causing a poor experience.
High jitter is the primary cause of robotic-sounding voices and frozen video during online meetings.
In gaming, high jitter translates to inconsistent lag, where your character might freeze and then suddenly jump forward.
Jitter is often caused by network congestion, either in your own home (too many devices using Wi-Fi) or on your provider's network. Outdated hardware and poor Wi-Fi signals can also contribute to the problem. Generally, anything that can affect ping can also affect jitter.
A good jitter value is typically anything below 30ms. If you're experiencing issues, try using a wired connection and reducing other network activity to see if your connection's stability improves.