Ping, latency and jitter

Updated May 7, 2026 · Written by Ipzy

Speed alone is not enough to describe the quality of a connection. Two fibre lines can show 500 Mbps and offer very different experiences if latency or jitter are poor. For online gaming, video conferencing or remote work, responsiveness matters as much as raw speed.

What is ping?

Ping is a simple measurement: your device sends a small packet to a server, then measures the time needed to receive a response. This time is expressed in milliseconds. A ping of 20 ms means the full round trip took about two hundredths of a second.

In test tools, the word ping is often used as a synonym for latency. Technically, ping is the measurement method, while latency is the observed delay. For the user, the main idea remains the same: the lower the value, the faster the connection responds.

Why latency matters

For downloading a large file, download speed is the determining factor. For an interactive action, latency becomes the priority. In an online game, high latency delays your actions. In a video conference, it creates gaps and interruptions. In a remote desktop session, it gives the impression that the mouse or keyboard responds with a delay.

Good latency depends on several factors: distance to the server, Wi-Fi quality, router congestion, operator routing, active VPN, local network load and the performance of the contacted server. The server chosen for the test matters a lot: you can get 15 ms to a nearby server and 180 ms to a server on another continent.

Understanding jitter

Jitter measures the variation in latency. A connection with a stable 30 ms is often more comfortable than one that oscillates between 15 ms and 200 ms. These variations cause audio cuts, frozen images or irregular movements in games.

Jitter often appears when the network is congested. A large download, a cloud backup, a streaming TV or several connected devices can fill the router's queue. Wi-Fi can also cause jitter if the signal is weak, if the channel is saturated or if the device constantly changes link quality.

What values to aim for

For standard browsing, latency below 100 ms is generally acceptable. For competitive gaming, it is better to aim for less than 40 ms to the servers used. For video conferencing, stability matters a lot: a moderate but regular latency will often be more pleasant than a low but unstable one.

Jitter should ideally remain below 20 ms for audio and video calls. Beyond that, applications compensate with buffers, but this can add delay or reduce quality. If you see regular spikes, test on Ethernet to separate a Wi-Fi problem from an operator problem.

How to improve ping and jitter

Start by closing background downloads, cloud synchronisations and updates. Then test on an Ethernet cable. If the cable strongly improves results, work on the Wi-Fi: get closer to the router, avoid thick walls, use a 5 GHz or 6 GHz band if available and limit poorly placed repeaters.

If the problem persists on Ethernet, restart the router, test at different times of day and compare several servers. A VPN can improve or degrade latency depending on its routing; test with and without VPN. For heavily used households, enabling quality of service on the router can reduce spikes when multiple devices use the Internet.

Conclusion

Ping, latency and jitter reveal the interactive part of your connection. They explain why a high speed does not always guarantee a smooth experience. To correctly diagnose a problem, measure speed but also look at the regularity of response time.