Network Jitter: What It Is and How to Test and Fix it

Network jitter is common, and in small amounts it usually goes unnoticed. But when network congestion spikes, it can cause choppy video and robotic audio.  

Luckily, there are things you can do to reduce the chances of jitter disrupting your gaming, streaming, and browsing sessions. In this article, you’ll learn all about network jitter, including what it measures, how it affects internet speeds, and what you can do to fix it.

Network Jitter Meaning: What It Is and Isn’t

Jitter is when data from the internet reaches your device in a bumpy, irregular way instead of smooth and steady.

To understand jitter, let’s first look at how data travels across the internet. When you do anything online, like visit a site or stream a movie, your device splits the data you’re sending into small packets. It then sends these packets to the destination (i.e., the site you’re visiting). In the same manner, the destination device (be it a PC or a server) responds.

But packets don’t travel together in a single line; instead, each packet may take a different path through multiple network devices and servers to reach the other side as quickly as possible.

In ideal conditions, these packets arrive evenly spaced and in the correct order, both to the destination and back to your device. However, sometimes the packets arrive at irregular intervals. This fluctuation is jitter, and it’s measured in milliseconds (ms).

Jitter has three major forms:

• Constant jitter: Regular, predictable fluctuations, easy for devices to compensate for.
• Transient jitter: Unpredictable, short-term fluctuations (e.g., connectivity issues).
• Short-term: Sudden, short-lived network fluctuation, less than a few milliseconds.

Are Latency (Ping) and Jitter the Same Thing?

Not exactly. Network latency is the time it takes for a data packet to travel from the source to its destination (e.g., from your device to a game server). You can think of it as the delay in sending data across the network. It’s measured in ms, and if you want to measure it yourself, you can use a ping test; it checks latency by sending a small packet to a server and timing how long it takes to return.

Jitter is the variation in that timing. This can happen in two ways:

• Different travel times: If one packet takes 20 ms to arrive and the next takes 30 ms, the jitter is 10 ms. 
• Uneven spacing: Packets that are normally spaced apart may sometimes arrive bunched together or with unexpected gaps.

Another important distinction is that jitter doesn’t mean packet loss, which is when data fails to reach its destination. However, if some packets are delayed for too long, they can no longer be used (for example, in a live video call). These get discarded, and this can feel like packet loss.

What Are the Effects of High Network Jitter?

Jitter can affect just about everything and everyone connected to the network, and even the network itself. Here’s how it presents in different contexts:

• Audio communications: Choppy, garbled, echoing, or unsynchronized delivery of audio.
• Video communications: Missing frames, freezing, skipping, or low-quality video. 
• Online gaming: Lag, slow network response time, rubberbanding, or giving your opponent an advantage.
• File and data transfers: Slower uploads or downloads and interrupted transfers requiring retries.
• Web and app experience: Pages loading unevenly, glitches in interactive apps, or delays in cloud-based tools.
• Business networks: Reduced quality of service for cloud apps, remote tools, live chat, and other productivity services.
• Overall network performance: Increased congestion and latency that slows down data flow for all users.

What Is an Acceptable Level of Jitter?

Cisco recommends keeping one-way network delay under 30 ms for good call quality. Gaming and some other activities may benefit from even lower tolerances.

In the table below, you can see acceptable jitter levels for various activities. Ideally, you want the lowest possible jitter for each task, but this will give you an idea of how high it can be before you notice any effects.

Acceptable Jitter Levels by Activity
VoIP/Video Chat	1–20 ms
Streaming	20–50 ms
Browsing/Email	50–100 ms
Online gaming	1–30 ms

How to Measure Network Jitter

Whether you need a simple free tool or a more expensive paid option probably depends on how detailed and accurate you need the results to be. Most tests involve one or two endpoints, which are the devices or servers at each end of the connection being measured. 

These are the main ways to measure jitter:

• Single-endpoint testing: Checks jitter from one device out to the network, giving a quick read on congestion or instability.
• Double-endpoint testing: Uses two devices (like your computer and a test server) to measure jitter more precisely, which is especially useful for real-time services like VoIP or video calls.
• Bandwidth testing: Shows whether jitter stems from limited capacity or overloaded connections.
• ITU Y.1731 monitoring: Tracks jitter, delay, and packet loss with high precision in enterprise networks that need constant performance checks.

Here’s how those methods and their tools compare:

Jitter Testing Options at a Glance
Method	When to Use It	Tools
Single-endpoint testing	Quick checks for congestion or network issues.	Ping (see how much the round-trip times vary) Traceroute (shows the path packets take and where delays occur) Network monitoring tools like Nagios, and Paessler PRTG Free
Double-endpoint testing	Precise testing for real-time apps like VoIP or video conferencing.	Advanced NPM tools like PRG and Obkio Basic jitter diagnostics in apps like Zoom or Teams
Bandwidth testing	Identifying jitter related to network capacity issues.	Online speed test tools like Speedtest by Ookla and Fast.com Router diagnostics (built-in tests on Netgear, Cisco, or Ubiquiti gear)
ITU Y.1731	High-precision monitoring for enterprise networks.	Carrier-grade switches and probes with Y.1731 support like Cisco Catalyst, Juniper MX Series, and Viavi Observer

Single Endpoint Jitter Testing

Single endpoint jitter testing measures round-trip time (RTT): the time it takes for the signal to travel from source to destination and back. Variations in RTT reveal jitter levels.

It’s great for quick, basic checks for congestion or network issues. You can perform single endpoint jitter testing using a network monitoring tool, pinging an IP, or performing a traceroute command.

Double Endpoint Jitter Testing

This method measures the packets sent from the sender and received by the receiver to detect exact inconsistencies in their arrival times. 

Measuring jitter using double endpoint testing is crucial for real-time application management. You can perform double endpoint jitter testing using specialized Network Performance Management (NPM) tools like PRG or Obkio. You can also use basic network diagnostics tools that can perform jitter measurement tasks.

Bandwidth Testing

Running bandwidth tests can reveal potential jitter issues by showing network congestion or limited capacity. Since results can vary throughout the day, you need multiple tests over 24 hours to get an accurate jitter average. You can perform this type of test with online speed test services or built-in router diagnostics.

Testing with Specialized Hardware

Hardware that supports the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Y.1731 standard can timestamp packets and precisely measure frame delays and jitter. These tools are typically used for enterprise-grade network monitoring.

Causes of Network Jitter

Network Congestion

When a network is overloaded with traffic, it may not process data packets efficiently. Some pass through the network normally, while others are delayed or dropped. This creates inconsistencies in delivery, such as simultaneous, slow, and otherwise unpredictable packet delivery.

Packet Loss

Generally, all packets should arrive at the destination in order, undamaged, and within a predictable timeframe. Packet loss happens when a data packet is dropped before reaching its final destination. The main causes usually fall into two categories:

• Network issues: Often the result of bandwidth congestion, where too much traffic overwhelms available capacity, or deliberate network attacks that flood or block traffic.
• Device issues: Such as faulty cables and routers, software bugs or malware that interfere with packet handling, and Wi-Fi incompatibilities that create unstable connections.

When any network issue results in packet loss, the receiving device sends a retransmission request to obtain the missing data. The request helps maintain data integrity, but it creates fluctuations in the flow of data packets.

Packet Delay Variation

Packet delay variation (PDV) happens when data packets take slightly different times to travel across a network. When this variation becomes large, packets arrive at irregular intervals, even if still in order, which causes jitter.

Buffering

Routers, switches, and other network devices use buffers for temporary data packet storage. The buffers are like a dam, maintaining the flow of data. If one of these buffers experiences issues or is managed improperly, it can create jitter. Much like a dam, buffers can overflow with traffic. This causes them to become overwhelmed with data, leading to high latency or lost packets.

Routing Inefficiencies

Networks rely on routing protocols to determine the most efficient path for the fast arrival of a data packet to its destination. If routers are overwhelmed, some packets may take a less efficient route, causing delays or lag in the application because their arrival times will vary.

Quality of Service

Quality of Service (QoS) prioritizes critical traffic over all else and sends it to a special queue. If prioritization is too aggressive, it can squeeze out services that depend on steady delivery, like voice calls, video chats, or online gaming. Even if those services aren’t causing problems, they’re just, well, not a priority. That means QoS could lead to delays if real-time traffic arrives, exacerbating jitter levels.

Hardware or Software Malfunctions

Faulty or misconfigured hardware and software can lead to network malfunctions and disrupt regular packet flow. Packets can arrive late, staggered, or out of order. Likewise, outdated software, including firmware, drivers, or applications, can create the same issues, contributing to high jitter levels.

Wireless Interference

Wireless and mobile networks are more vulnerable to signal interference than wired networks. Competing signals from Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth devices, and radio waves can disrupt the steady flow of data packets, causing delays or uneven packet arrival times.

Noise

Metal walls, soundproof rooms, weather conditions, and other environmental factors can create noise in wireless network signals. The noise can corrupt data packets and lead to a retransmission request, which essentially creates delivery delays that contribute to jitter.

How to Fix Network Jitter

There are several ways to reduce jitter, depending on the type of network you’re working with. Most of the fixes we mention here are for a home network, though we do list a few examples of more advanced fixes as well. Keep in mind that those fixes may require some network configuration and should be left to a professional.

Use a Wired Connection

Unlike Wi-Fi, wired connections offer a more stable and consistent signal that helps reduce network jitter. Using an Ethernet cable instead of Wi-Fi can help reduce interference from other devices and physical barriers like walls.

Upgrade Your Router

Older routers often struggle to keep up with traffic flow, as they weren’t designed for the fast-paced internet we have today. Since the internet is always evolving, if you want the best performance possible, it makes sense to upgrade your connection points like routers and modems. Look for hardware with fast broadband and support for Wi-Fi 6 and similar newer standards. Here are a few other upgrades that may help reduce jitter:

• Use physical cables (e.g., Ethernet) instead of Wi-Fi.
• Update router and modem software.
• Install app, security, and system updates on all connected devices.

Find the Right Place for Your Router

Routers shouldn’t be placed next to microwaves, cordless phones, baby monitors, or security cameras, as these devices can contribute to high jitter speeds. Additionally, you should try to limit the number of devices you connect to your network; more devices mean more jitter. If you’re gaming or streaming, disconnect other devices that aren’t in use to help reduce network jitter.

Try Some Bandwidth Tricks

Try to schedule high-bandwidth activities for off-peak hours. With fewer people using the network, jitter speeds should be at a minimum. You can also use the following bandwidth helpers:

• Check with your ISP to ensure you have the best package available so you have adequate bandwidth for your regular online activities.
• Use a VPN to prevent bandwidth throttling. Note this will only work if your ISP is throttling your speeds based on the type of activity (usually gaming and streaming).

Optimize Network Configurations

These options may require more advanced technical knowledge. You may want to ask an expert for assistance before making any network configurations:

• Set up jitter buffering
• Use QoS to prioritize certain forms of traffic

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