Understanding Latency: Why Low Ping Matters
If you play games online, or stream videos, you must have experienced some bugs, long buffering, video delays, or choppy video calls. And you have probably stumbled upon the term latency.
Latency is usually associated with another term – ping. These two are closely related but are different.
In this article, we will discover what ping and latency are, and the factors that affect them.
What Is Latency?
To put it briefly, latency is the time it takes for data to travel from your device to the server and back. Ping is used to measure that latency, and is expressed in milliseconds (ms). The lower the ping, the faster and more responsive your online experience is.
For example, when we play an online game, once we press a button to move a character should trigger an immediate response on our screen. But, if latency is high, that movement will be delayed. And what happens next? We feel frustrated.
Low latency gives us a smooth and enjoyable experience while playing various online games, live dealer games, and even crypto casinos without verification. As these eliminate the need for boring sign-up processes, players can enjoy a quick and private way to play. But, even in these kinds of games, we don’t want any delays, so it’s important to maintain low latency.
Is Low Ping Important in Gaming?
Ping measures latency, or how long it takes for data to go from your device to a server and back. For competitive and multiplayer games, low ping is a must. It is also essential for high-speed games like first-person shooters or RT strategies. A player with 30 ms ping will react to events faster than someone with 150 ms ping, meaning that every millisecond counts. A high ping can ruin your chances of winning.
Some online games use prediction algorithms to compensate for these delays. When the ping is too high, actions will be delayed or can result in “rubber banding”. This is a phenomenon where a character jumps back to a previous location. Rubber banding can spoil an entire game.
The Effect on Other Real-Time Apps
Ping and latency don’t apply only to online gaming and video streaming. Nowadays, we use many video conferencing tools, especially during COVID-19, when remote work became a new normal. Many video conferencing tools, such as Zoom, or Microsoft Teams, rely on low latency for smooth conversations. When there is a lag between speaking and hearing, communication breaks down, turning meetings into a tiring experience.
Factors that Affect Ping
There are several factors that influence your ping. First of all, your physical distance from the server. Then, the quality of your internet connection. Other important factors are the speed and traffic of your network and the hardware you are using.
Wired connections (Ethernet) offer lower latency than Wi-Fi connections. Also, a great option is to choose servers geographically closer to you, to reduce your ping times.
All of these can improve your online experience, reduce lag, and enhance responsiveness. Now that you understand these terms and factors, you can have a smoother and more reliable connection.
