Latency

performanceessential
delayresponse timegamingreal-time

The time it takes for data to travel from its source to its destination, measured in milliseconds (ms). Lower latency means more responsive connections, which is crucial for gaming and real-time applications.

Examples

Online gaming

In a first-person shooter, 50ms latency means a 50-millisecond delay between clicking and your character shooting

Video conferencing

High latency causes awkward pauses and people talking over each other

Typical Values

Excellent (gaming/trading)<20ms
Good (general use)20-50ms
Acceptable50-100ms
Poor>100ms

Common Misconceptions

  • Low latency doesn't guarantee high bandwidth - you can have fast response but slow downloads
  • Latency is not the same as download speed

Optimization Tips

Use wired Ethernet instead of Wi-Fi

high impact

Choose servers geographically closer to you

high impact

Close bandwidth-heavy applications

medium impact

Update network drivers and firmware

low impact

User Impact

Gaming

High latency causes lag, rubber-banding, and poor hit registration

Video calls

Creates delays making natural conversation difficult

Live streaming

Increases delay between broadcaster and viewers

Troubleshooting

Issue: High latency on Wi-Fi

Solution: Switch to Ethernet or move closer to router

Issue: Consistent high latency

Solution: Contact ISP or check for network congestion

Technical Details

Specification: Measured using ICMP echo requests (ping)
Formula: Round Trip Time (RTT) = 2 × Latency

Related Terms