Internet Health
Jitter Test: Measure Your Network Stability
Jitter measures the variation in packet arrival times on your network. High jitter causes choppy video calls, laggy gaming, and poor VoIP quality. Our free jitter test sends multiple ping samples and calculates the variation between them.
Launch in Mission ControlWhat It Measures
Jitter is the inconsistency in packet delivery times. When packets arrive at irregular intervals, real-time applications like video conferencing and online gaming suffer. It is measured in milliseconds (ms) and represents the average deviation from the mean latency.
How It Works
- Sends 40 sequential ping probes to our edge servers
- Records the round-trip time for each packet
- Calculates the mean absolute deviation between consecutive samples
- Reports average jitter, peak jitter, and a stability rating
Why It Matters
Even with fast download speeds, high jitter can make video calls freeze, cause voice to cut out on VoIP, and create rubber-banding in online games. Jitter is often the hidden culprit behind poor real-time communication quality.
Understanding Your Results
Excellent jitter is below 5ms. Good jitter is 5 to 15ms. Anything above 30ms will noticeably degrade video calls and gaming. For professional VoIP systems, jitter should stay under 10ms consistently.
Ready to test?
Run Jitter Test Now →Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good jitter speed?
A good jitter measurement is below 10ms. For gaming and video calls, under 5ms is ideal. Most fiber connections achieve 1 to 3ms jitter, while cable and DSL connections typically range from 5 to 20ms.
How does jitter affect gaming?
High jitter causes rubber-banding, hit registration problems, and unpredictable lag spikes in online games. Even with low ping, jitter above 15ms creates an inconsistent gaming experience. Competitive gamers aim for under 5ms jitter.
Can I fix high jitter?
Common fixes include using a wired Ethernet connection instead of WiFi, enabling QoS (Quality of Service) on your router, closing bandwidth-heavy applications, and contacting your ISP if jitter is consistently high.
What causes network jitter?
Jitter is caused by network congestion, WiFi interference, overloaded routers, ISP routing changes, and running multiple bandwidth-intensive applications simultaneously. It tends to be worse during peak usage hours.
Related Tools
59+ Network Tools in One Dashboard
Mission Control gives you a complete terminal-style network diagnostics suite. Free, instant, no installation required.
Open Mission Control →