Network concepts
Ping, Jitter and Packet Loss: What They Are and How They Affect Your Connection
Discover the meaning of the three most important real-time internet metrics, explained without indecipherable jargon and with reference values for your use.
Core metrics
Ideal values for latency, jitter and loss.
Meet the three quantities that determine the real quality of real-time internet traffic.
| Metric | Ideal value | Acceptable | Critical | Impact on use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ping (RTT latency) Milissegundos (ms) | < 20 ms | 20 to 50 ms | > 100 ms | The connection’s reflex time. It affects how snappy browsing and clicking feel. |
| Jitter (variation) Milissegundos (ms) | < 3 ms | 3 to 8 ms | > 15 ms | How regularly packets arrive. Sharp variations cause robotic, choppy audio. |
| Packet loss Porcentagem (%) | 0.0% | < 0.5% | > 1.0% | Packets dropped along the way. Causes freezing in meetings and teleporting in games. |
Tolerance by profile
What each activity demands from your network.
Not every task needs the same precision. While streaming has a smart buffer, games and voice need immediate delivery:
Part 1 of 4
What is Ping (Latency)?
Ping (measured in milliseconds - ms) is the time a signal takes to leave your iPhone, reach the destination server and return with confirmation.
Think of ping as your connection’s reflex. The lower the ping, the quicker the internet responds to your commands.
- Under 20 ms: Excellent. Instant connection, imperceptible for competitive games and calls.
- Between 20 ms and 50 ms: Very good. Standard for urban fiber connections.
- Between 50 ms and 100 ms: Acceptable for browsing and streaming, but with noticeable delay in fast games.
- Over 100 ms: Slow for real-time tasks, causing a stuttering, laggy feel.
Part 2 of 4
What is Jitter (Latency Variation)?
If ping is the speed of the reflex, jitter is how regular that reflex is.
Imagine you send three data packets. The first takes 20 ms to arrive, the second takes 22 ms and the third takes 90 ms. That abrupt swing is jitter.
For loading a static web page, jitter hardly matters. But for WhatsApp audio calls or Teams meetings, high jitter makes the voice sound robotic or choppy, because packets arrive out of order.
Practical tip
Ideal jitter value
A healthy jitter on home fiber networks should stay below 5 ms.
Part 3 of 4
What is Packet Loss?
Everything you do on the internet is broken into small numbered data packets. Packet loss happens when some of those packets get lost along the way and never reach the destination.
In normal browsing, the TCP protocol quietly resends the lost packet, causing only a small delay. In live streams (UDP), however, the lost packet is discarded: your game "teleports" and the audio in your meeting simply goes silent.
Even 1% to 2% packet loss is enough to severely degrade the experience of calls and games.
Part 4 of 4
How Linka simplifies all this
Most speed test apps throw these numbers on your screen without explaining what to do with them.
Linka was built on the idea that you do not need a networking degree to know whether your internet is good. We measure response time and deliver understandable diagnoses:
Instead of making you read "RTT p95: 42.8 ms · jitter: 14.2 ms", Linka tells you: "Great for FaceTime meetings" or "Connection with fluctuation for games".
Response time diagnosis
Measure latency and stability in real time.
Check how responsive your internet is before important calls or competitive matches.
Response time measurement (RTT)
The test sends ultra-light packets to measure the physical response speed of your fiber route.
Dispersion and throughput evaluation
During the continuous flow, we analyze whether packets keep constant intervals or suffer scattered delays.
What it means for your routine:
Excellent response time
Your connection reacts almost instantly to clicks. Web pages open immediately and there is no noticeable network delay.
Linka for iOS
More than speed. Clarity about your connection.
Browsers cannot analyze radio channels or the physical distance to your antenna. The native iPhone app was built to map network behavior in each room.
Point your iPhone camera hereRoom-by-room diagnosis
Label tests like "Living room" and "Office" to compare attenuation and signal loss between rooms.
Clear verdicts with Assist
Find out whether your connection supports video calls and games, in human language, without indecipherable jargon.
Absolute privacy on iPhone
No sign-up, no ads and no tracking of personal data. Your history stays on the device.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions.
Direct, technical answers to the most common questions about connection and Wi-Fi.
Yes! On a well-placed 5 GHz or Wi-Fi 6 network near the device, the latency added by the local radio is usually only 2 to 4 ms.