Jitter
The variation in delay on a connection, which makes calls break up and games stutter.What Is Jitter?
Jitter is inconsistency in your connection’s delay. Data travels in small packets, and ideally each one arrives at an even pace. When some packets arrive quickly and others lag behind, the gap between them varies. That variation, measured in milliseconds, is jitter.
A connection with low latency can still feel broken if jitter is high, because calls, games and live video need packets to arrive in a steady rhythm.
What Jitter Feels Like
- Robotic or cutting-out voices on Zoom, Teams and phone calls
- Frozen video that catches up in a burst
- Rubber-banding in online games
- Dropped frames on live streams
What Is an Acceptable Jitter?
| Jitter | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Under 10 ms | Excellent. Calls and games run smoothly. |
| 10 to 30 ms | Acceptable for calls and most gaming |
| Over 30 ms | Calls break up and games stutter |
Jitter vs Latency
Latency is how long data takes to arrive. Jitter is how much that time changes from one packet to the next. A steady 40 ms connection feels better on a call than one bouncing between 10 and 90 ms.
What Causes Jitter?
- Network congestion from too many users or devices at once
- Wi-Fi interference from walls, distance and neighboring networks
- Big uploads and downloads running during calls or games
- Old or overloaded routers
- Shared connections. Cable networks share capacity among neighbors, which makes delay less predictable at busy times.
How to Fix Jitter
- Switch to a wired Ethernet connection.
- Turn on quality of service (QoS) in your router settings to put calls and games first.
- Pause large downloads, uploads and cloud backups during calls.
- Replace an old router.
- If jitter stays high on a wired connection, contact your internet provider.
Most speed tests report jitter alongside ping. Run the ALLO speed test to check yours.
Jitter and Business Phone Calls
Jitter is the most common cause of bad VoIP calls. A connection with matching upload and download speeds, plus a router that gives voice traffic priority, keeps calls clear when the office gets busy. ALLO Business Voice includes a managed router, so call quality isn’t left to whatever router came with the office.
Tired of choppy calls?
FAQs
What does jitter mean on a speed test?
It's how much your ping varied during the test. Lower is better, and under 30 ms is fine for calls and gaming.
What is an acceptable jitter value?
Jitter under 30 ms is generally acceptable for VoIP and video calls. Lower is better, especially for gaming or real-time meetings.
How does jitter affect Zoom or Teams calls?
Audio cuts in and out, voices sound robotic, and video freezes then speeds up to catch up.
Is jitter worse than latency?
For real-time apps, often yes. A steady delay is easy to adjust to. A delay that keeps changing breaks up audio and video.
Can Wi-Fi cause jitter?
Yes. Interference, distance from the router and crowded channels all make Wi-Fi less consistent than a wired connection.
Will a faster internet plan fix jitter?
Not always. If jitter comes from Wi-Fi or an old router, a faster plan won't help. If your connection is maxed out by uploads or lots of users, more capacity, especially upload capacity, can.
