Is Jitter the Problem?

Most people assume that when they have broadband issues they don’t have fast enough broadband speeds, but in many cases, problems are caused by high jitter and latency. Because when data is transmitted over the internet it is broken into small packets Jitter happens when incoming data packets are delayed and don’t show up at the expected time or in the expected order. The primary cause of jitter is network congestion, which happens when places in the network between the sender and the receiver are sent more data packets than can be processed in real-time. Bandwidth constraints can occur anywhere in a network where there is a possibility of overloading the capacity of the electronics—known as "chokepoints." A common cause of overloaded chokepoints is old or inadequate hardware. Faster speeds don’t reduce jitter, and can actually increase it, especially if you have an old inadequate Wi-Fi modem and upgrade to a faster technology like fiber. The best solution to lowering jitter is for broadband providers and customers to replace equipment that causes chokepoints.