Dictionary · Networking Fundamentals
Jitter
Performance · Intermediate
Variation in delay between packets. Voice and video notice it because uneven arrival times sound or look unstable even when the average delay is acceptable.
If some packets arrive in 20 ms and others in 180 ms, a call can break up. Receivers use small buffers, but a buffer cannot hide unlimited variation.
Example: A voice test shows delay swinging from 15 ms to 160 ms during a large file copy on the same link.
Common misconception
- High variation is not the same thing as low bandwidth. A wide link can still have an unstable queue.