What latency (ping) is, and what a good number looks like

You can have a fast connection and still have a laggy video call. Speed tells you how much data moves per second. Latency tells you how long the first bit takes to arrive. This guide defines the terms, shows what the FCC has measured for each kind of internet, and says plainly what High Desert has and has not published.

What is latency, and what is ping?

Latency is the delay between sending a request and starting to get the answer. Ping is the tool, and also the common name for the number, that measures it: your device sends a tiny message to a server, the server replies, and the clock reports how long the round trip took. Most speed tests show a ping or latency number along with download and upload.

Two related words come up. Jitter is how much latency changes from one moment to the next, and a steady 40 ms often feels better than one that jumps between 20 and 120. Packet loss is data that never arrives and has to be sent again. The glossary has short entries on latency, ping, jitter and packet loss.

What does the FCC measure for each kind of internet?

The FCC's Measuring Broadband America program tests real connections. In its Thirteenth report (data from September and October 2022) idle latency was lowest for fiber at 7 to 14 ms, then cable at 12 to 24 ms and DSL at 23 to 34 ms. In its Eighth report, the 2018 edition, median latency for geostationary satellite service was 594 to 612 ms, against 12 to 37 ms for the ground-based services tested that year.

The FCC's program does not test small tower-based wireless providers, so it has no measured figure for them, and this site prints none of its own.

What has High Desert published?

One sentence, in the company's own FAQ: that its wireless system is typically under 50 ms. That is High Desert's statement about its system, not an independent measurement, and it is not a promise for any address. Your own results will depend on the path to the tower, the time of day and the server you test against.

Net NV and Avant Wireless also publish latency claims on their own sites, and they are their words as well. If you want a number for your home, the way to get it is the test in this guide, run once the service is in.

What is a good ping for gaming or video calls?

There is no single line. Ground-based service in the FCC's tests sat in the tens of milliseconds, and the FCC noted that the hundreds of milliseconds seen on geostationary satellite may impair highly interactive applications. Viasat's own FAQ says satellite can show limits with fast-paced multiplayer games that need very low latency, and HughesNet says satellite plans are not recommended for time-sensitive applications (both read 10/15/26). Calls and online games feel the delay first.

A useful rule is that anything in the tens of milliseconds is in the range ground-based service normally runs, and a number in the hundreds will be noticeable. Steadiness matters as much as the average.

Why do satellite links have higher latency?

Distance. A geostationary satellite orbits at about 36,000 kilometers (NASA Earth Observatory), and the FCC counts approximately 44,500 miles for the round trip from earth station to satellite and back. Low-earth-orbit satellites fly far closer, so each trip is shorter; this site prints no figure for them, and Ookla and Starlink publish their own measured numbers. For more, see fixed wireless versus satellite and the latency comparison.

How do I test my own latency?

Use a wired computer, close other apps, and run a speed test that shows ping, at a quiet hour and again in the evening. Write down the results. If you only test on Wi-Fi, the number includes your Wi-Fi, which can add delay of its own. The speed test guide has the steps, and the speed test page is on this site.

If a wired result looks far off what the company describes, call 775-575-9593 with your numbers. A person looks at the connection with you. Before any of that, send your street address through the form and the person who calls you back will check the path from the nearest tower to your roof.