The internet can be hard to figure out sometimes, especially when you hear technical terms such as jitter, ping, buffering, and so on. But that shouldn’t stop you from understanding the internet better and exploring what these terms actually mean and whether they are important. Some people might be aware that the terms jitter and ping are often mentioned in association with bandwidth testing. However, very few know the difference between the two. If you are looking for greater clarity regarding the two terms, read on.
What Is Jitter?
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Before we discuss the differences, it is essential to know what each term means. Jitter is the inconsistency in latency (or time delay) between packets of data moving over a network. Congestion on your ISP connection or slowdowns further along the network can cause jitter. If you experience lag while playing games online, jitter could be why.
What Is Ping?
Ping refers to the response time taken by your data packs as they travel between a specific destination and your computer. It is a term used for testing network speed and reliability. Ping is often used interchangeably with ‘latency,’ but the two are not exactly the same thing.
What are the uses of Jitter and Ping?
A jitter is usually used in network monitoring to determine the consistency of a connection. If you experience jitter in your network, it is an indicator that the data packets are arriving at your end inconsistently and not the way they are meant to. Network jitter can lead to latency problems or slowdowns, which can be a huge problem, especially for online gamers and other users.
Essentially, ping is one of several tools used for testing bandwidth speed or to find out if there are any problems with the network connection. It is often used along with other tools, such as traceroute, which can show the route a packet takes to get from one point to another as well as how long it takes each step of the way.
How are Jitter and Ping different?
The difference between jitter and ping is that while jitter measures inconsistency, ping measures latency. Jitter signals that packets arrive at different times for various reasons, such as congestion on the network or issues with the ISP’s connection. Ping informs you how long it takes for a packet of data to get from one point to other along the network’s route.
Some people might think that both jitter and ping are nothing more than obstructions that affect the quality of your network connection. However, both are important to know because they help measure the bandwidth speed or test a connection’s reliability. Furthermore, although it seems like both are interchangeable terms, they are not the same and hence not interchangeable. As mentioned before, although you measure latency with these tests, both have slightly different applications in assessing your network performance.
For more information on jitter, ping, and connection speed or Enterprise UC, click here.
