What is latency, and why does it matter?

Latency is the time it takes for data to travel from your device to another computer and back. It is measured in milliseconds (ms). Bandwidth is how much data can move at once; latency is how long each trip takes.

A connection can have high bandwidth and still feel slow if latency is high. Video calls, online games and remote desktop sessions suffer most, because they need quick responses rather than big downloads.

What counts as good latency?

• Under 30 ms: excellent, nearly instant
• 30 to 80 ms: good for almost everything
• 80 to 150 ms: noticeable in games and calls
• Over 150 ms: frustrating for real-time use

How to measure it

Open a command prompt and run ping 1.1.1.1. The “time” value on each line is your latency to that server. Run it for a minute and look at how much the numbers jump around; that variation is called jitter.

Common causes of high latency

• Weak Wi-Fi signal or interference
• Other devices using the connection heavily
• Distance to the server
• Congestion at your internet provider

Try a wired connection first. If latency drops, the problem is your Wi-Fi.