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What is Jitter in Networking: Causes, Effects, and Mitigation

7 min read

December 11, 2023

Jitter is an important networking concept. It refers to changes in the time for data packets to reach their destination. Jitter can negatively impact network performance. It can cause choppy calls, lost packets, and slowdowns. This article explores what jitter is and what causes it. It examines how jitter affects networks. It also discusses ways to reduce jitter. Doing so improves the overall performance and quality of network service.

Table of Contents

What is jitter in networking?
What causes network jitter?
Impact of jitter on real-time applications
What is a good jitter?
Mitigating network jitter
Experience smooth video conferencing with Digital Samba's SDK/API
Conclusion

What is jitter in networking?

Jitter means small, random changes in the time between data packets arriving across a network. It measures how inconsistent the delay is between packets.

For example, say you are on a video call between two offices. To have good call quality, the packets carrying audio data need to reach at regular intervals. But network congestion can delay some packets longer than others. This makes the timing between packet arrivals uneven.

The receiving end sees these uneven delays between packets as jitter. Packets come faster or slower than the average arrival rate. This makes the timing erratic. It can lead to choppy audio or video during real-time streaming.

Jitter refers to the slight difference in the time it takes for packets to arrive from one end to the other. It becomes a major issue in latency-sensitive apps like video conferencing, gaming and voice calls. These require steady network timing. By monitoring jitter, network managers can find points of congestion. They can troubleshoot connection problems affecting time-sensitive traffic.

What causes network jitter?

Several factors lead to jitter or uneven delays between packets reaching their destination. Here are some of the major causes of jitter in networking:

Network congestion

Too much traffic on a network can cause congestion. Imagine it like a busy road where cars are stuck. To avoid the traffic, the network uses dynamic routing protocols. These protocols change the path data takes to avoid crowded areas. But, this can make the data travel in a bumpy way, creating a jitter.

Packet loss

Sometimes, things go wrong in the network, like a broken router or cable. This can cause packets to be lost or delayed. This is just like when you're talking on the phone and suddenly parts of the conversation are missing. This disruption in data flow is another cause of jitter.

Different packet arrival times

Data travels in an organised way, like an orchestra playing a piece of music. But sometimes, the network intentionally delays less important data to make room for urgent messages. This delay messes up the rhythm of data transmission, creating jitter.

Network interference

Imagine you're sending a message to your friend using a walkie-talkie. If there's static or interference in the signal, your friend might not hear your message clearly or might receive it out of order. This is similar to what happens when network interference disrupts the smooth flow of data packets in your computer network. These disruptions, often caused by electromagnetic or radio frequency interference (EMI or RFI), can cause packets to arrive at uneven intervals, leading to a phenomenon known as network jitter.

Inadequate bandwidth

Think of bandwidth as the capacity of the network to handle data. If there's not enough capacity, like a narrow road, the data gets stuck, causing jitter. It's like too many cars trying to squeeze through a small street at the same time.

Routing issues

The network, like a GPS, finds the best path for data to travel. But sometimes, it changes the path to avoid traffic. This change in the route can make the data travel at different speeds, creating a jitter.

Network equipment issues

The tools the network uses, like routers and switches, need to work well. If they're old or broken, they can cause problems in sending data smoothly, leading to jitter.

Improper queuing

Imagine waiting in line at a store. If the line isn't managed well, it can be slow and messy. Similarly, in a network, if the waiting line for data isn't handled properly, it can create delays and contribute to jitter.

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Regular tests for network jitter can help figure out these causes. Once we know, we can make things smoother. We can manage the traffic, stop network interference, and make sure our network tools are in good shape. In the next sections, we'll dive into these solutions better.

Impact of jitter on real-time applications

Jitter severely impacts real-time apps like video calling, live streaming, online gaming and VoIP calls. These apps need timely delivery of packets for good performance.

High jitter disrupts the smooth flow of packets. This creates lag, choppy audio/video and even connection drops. Here is how jitter affects key real-time apps:

Video conferencing

During video calls, a jitter can make the video freeze and look pixelated. Words spoken may get clipped or muted as audio packets get delayed or lost. This interrupts the conversation flow. Calls may drop if the jitter persists.

VoIP calls

Jitter during Internet calls cuts off words and creates gaps during conversations. Echoes may be heard. Severe jitter can make the audio sound robotic. Call drops due to high jitter reduce business productivity.

Live video streaming

Jitter during streaming makes playback choppy and interrupted. This ruins the viewing experience, especially for sports fans wanting to catch real-time action. Buffering circles often pop up as uneven packet arrival makes continuous playback difficult.

Online gaming

Fast online games require very low latency and steady packet delivery for smooth gameplay. But jitter randomly delays game data packets. This causes a lag between player actions and outcomes on-screen. Some players get an unfair advantage if they have less jitter.

Jitter hampers the performance of real-time applications by disrupting timely packet delivery. Managing network health to minimise jitter is crucial for ensuring quality user experiences on latency-sensitive apps and services.

What is a good jitter?

Good jitter refers to the acceptable jitter level for a given real-time application. Each application has a jitter threshold where communication quality starts to suffer. Exceeding this threshold results in lagging, choppy audio, video freezing, or other degradation of real-time performance.

For voice calls over the internet, jitter should stay under 150 milliseconds to prevent choppiness. Video chatting requires lower, more consistent jitter - around 30 milliseconds or less is ideal. Up to 200 milliseconds of jitter may be tolerable before video quality drops noticeably.

Gaming and virtual reality have the strictest jitter requirements as they rely on extremely responsive data transmission. For smooth gaming, aim for 30-50 milliseconds or less. This range ensures the quick reaction times gamers expect.

Some variability in jitter is normal on any network; small, transient spikes are unavoidable. However, excessive jitter can degrade real-time applications. When delay fluctuates wildly, video freezes, games lag, and call quality suffers.

By optimising jitter thresholds for each application's needs, networks remain reliable. Calls stay clear, gaming reactive, and video fluid. Monitoring jitter facilitates catching spikes before they impact users. If the delay remains steady overall, real-time services can function smoothly. Setting jitter limits based on quality requirements prevents network variability from disrupting performance. For the best user experience, "good" jitter stays within dependable bounds.

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Mitigating network jitter

Excessive jitter can really mess up real-time apps like video calls, games, and voice calls. But no worries! Here are some simple ways to smooth things out:

Upgrade bandwidth

Think of bandwidth as the capacity of your network. If it's too small, traffic gets clogged. Upgrading bandwidth makes it bigger, so data can flow better even during busy times. Check where the jams happen often and upgrade those spots.

Optimise packet buffers

Packets are like small parcels of data. Buffers are temporary storage spaces that hold these parcels during transit. Bigger buffers help handle delays better. When traffic spikes, packets wait in buffers instead of getting lost. Set the buffer size just right based on how your network behaves. Larger buffers reduce jitter but can add a bit of lag.

Traffic shaping

Imagine traffic lights for data flows. Traffic shaping manages them, making high-priority data go first while holding back less urgent stuff. But bad settings can cause jitter. Tweak these traffic lights so the delay stays steady. Give real-time traffic the green light before file transfers.

Dynamic routing

Dynamic routing is like a GPS for your data. It finds the fastest way around congestion. Check past traffic patterns and program smart routing logic. This way, your data takes the quickest routes, avoiding bumpy lanes.

Queue management

Queues are like waiting lines, holding data before processing. AQM algorithms manage queues well, preventing excessive growth. This reduces variable waiting and delays.

Fault tolerance

Make your network robust. Add backup links and balance the traffic load. If something fails, these extras kick in, and data reroutes smoothly. Keep spare routers and switches ready in case of hardware failures.

Monitoring

Keep an eye on jitter. Real-time tracking helps catch issues immediately. Historical data helps plan ahead. It's like predicting when roads might get jammed and finding a new route.

By following these simple tips, you can keep real-time apps running super smooth, ensuring a hassle-free experience for users!

Experience smooth video conferencing with Digital Samba's SDK/API

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Digital Samba's SDK/API helps mitigate jitter and improve video conferencing quality by optimising data transmission rates based on real-time network conditions. While we cannot control clients' network environments completely, our technology dynamically adapts to bandwidth constraints to provide the smoothest video experience possible under the circumstances.

By fine-tuning video resolution, frame rates and other parameters, we maximise quality and continuity given the available connectivity. That means reducing jitter, lag and pixelation issues as much as current network limitations allow. The result is a more resilient conferencing solution that degrades gracefully in suboptimal conditions, rather than failing outright

Conclusion

Jitter is an issue in modern networks that can hurt performance. By knowing what causes it, like congestion and timing problems, we can take steps to reduce jitter. Effective queue management, traffic shaping, and buffering can minimise jitter. With careful setup and planning, jitter can be reduced to give reliable connectivity and service quality across networks.

Elevate your video conferencing game with Digital Samba's SDK/API. Enjoy a smoother, more enjoyable virtual collaboration experience that leaves a lasting impression on your team and clients. It's time to make every video call count. Sign up to get started!

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