--- title: Jitter: When Delay Will Not Hold Steady url: https://hdiss.net/glossary/jitter/ business: High Desert Internet Services (HDISS) phone: 775-575-9593, 775-391-5660 email: info@hdiss.net mailing_address: Home base: 200 S Virginia St, Suite 760, Reno NV 89501 (dispatch office, not a walk-in store). Mail: Billing Dept., PO Box 11353, Reno NV 89510 hours: Office open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, seven days a week. Network watched around the clock. type: Fixed wireless internet service provider (homes and small businesses), web hosting, customer email, domain registration service_area: Northern Nevada - Washoe, Lyon, Storey, Churchill and Douglas counties and Carson City; availability is checked address by address (line of sight to a tower) plans: Bronze $50/mo up to 500 Mbps down, up to 200 Mbps up; Silver $75/mo up to 800 down, up to 200 up; Gold $99/mo up to 1 Gig down, up to 200 up; ask about the up to 1 Gig / 1 Gig ultra-low-latency service no_online_purchase: true (check your address or call; existing customers pay at https://www2.fernley.net/hdiss/onlinepay/paymentform.cfm) since: 2002 --- - [Home](https://hdiss.net/) - [Glossary](https://hdiss.net/glossary/) - Jitter # Jitter Jitter is unevenness in delay. Two connections can have the same average delay, but the one whose timing jumps around will sound choppy on a call. A radio tower at sunset. Stock photo: Adobe Stock. [Photo credits](https://hdiss.net/photo-credits/) ## What is jitter? Data travels in small packets. On a steady link each packet takes about the same time. On an uneven link some come quickly and some late. The IETF's RFC 3550, which defines the Real-time Transport Protocol used for voice and video, describes interarrival jitter as a statistical measure of this variance in packet spacing. Apps smooth it with a short buffer, and when jitter is bigger than the buffer, you hear gaps and robotic voices or see video freeze. Jitter is written in milliseconds, like [latency](https://hdiss.net/glossary/latency/), but they are different measures. Latency is how long. Jitter is how much that changes. ## Why does it matter on a wireless link? Radio paths share the air. Rain or snow, a swaying branch, a busy evening and noise from other radios can all make delivery less even. Inside the house, Wi-Fi is often the larger source: walls, a microwave oven, a crowded 2.4 GHz band and distance from the router all add variation before the signal ever reaches the antenna on your roof. Calls, video meetings, remote desktop and online games react to jitter first. Downloads and streaming video buffer ahead and mostly hide it. ## What should I do about it? Compare a wired test with a Wi-Fi test. If the wired line is steady and Wi-Fi is not, fix the Wi-Fi: move the router, use the 5 GHz band for the device (see [Wi-Fi bands](https://hdiss.net/glossary/wifi-bands/)), or run a cable to the device that matters. Our guide on [why video calls freeze](https://hdiss.net/guides/why-video-calls-freeze/) has the checklist. If a wired test also shows wide swings, note the time of day and call 775-575-9593. A technician can look at the radio path. Do not climb to the roof or touch the outdoor radio. You can also try a feature called QoS on your router, covered in [QoS](https://hdiss.net/glossary/qos/), which puts calls ahead of bulk traffic. ### Sources - [rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3550](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3550) (RFC 3550, RTP, section 6.4.1 interarrival jitter, IETF) - [hdiss.net/](https://hdiss.net/) (company facts, read 10/15/26) ### Talk to a person - Call [775-575-9593](tel:7755759593) [775-391-5660](tel:7753915660) Open 9-5 every day - Email [info@hdiss.net](mailto:info@hdiss.net) [Check my address](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/#check) ### Related terms - [Latency](https://hdiss.net/glossary/latency/) - [Packet loss](https://hdiss.net/glossary/packet-loss/) - [QoS (quality of service)](https://hdiss.net/glossary/qos/) - [Why video calls freeze and how to fix it](https://hdiss.net/guides/why-video-calls-freeze/) - [Wi-Fi bands (2.4, 5 and 6 GHz)](https://hdiss.net/glossary/wifi-bands/) Local since 2002 Fixed wireless from towers in Northern Nevada. Three plans, no contracts, local support, 4.8 on Google from 36 reviews. [About High Desert](https://hdiss.net/about/)