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What is jitter and how much is too much?
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Smooth gaming. Seamless streaming. Stress-free browsing. Jitter can get in the way of all three – but once you know what it is, you can stop it slowing you down. Here's everything you need to know
By Virgin Media Edit
- Published
- 29 August 2025
What is jitter?
Jitter is the variation in delay of received data packets over a network, meaning that packets don't arrive at a consistent, steady rate. It happens when there’s is a time delay in the sending of data packets over your network connection to your device and is usually caused by network congestion, timing drift or route changes.
When you’re online – whether you’re playing a game, making a video call, or streaming a movie – your device sends and receives small packets of data. Ideally, these packets arrive in a steady, even stream so that your online experience stays nice and smooth.
But when your jitter is high, it can disrupt the process of these data packets and lead to stutters in your internet connection. For example, in a video call, jitter might make someone’s voice sound choppy or out of sync with their video. For gamers, it can cause delays or erratic movements, making it hard to play effectively.
The more jitter there is, the more noticeable and frustrating these issues become, so keeping jitter low is the key to a reliable and seamless online experience.
What causes internet jitter?
Lots of things can cause jitter. But it’s usually because something is interrupting your connection with your network. Some of the most common causes include:
One of the most common causes of jitter is network congestion. This happens when too many devices are trying to use the same network at once, like during peak internet hours. Data packets slow down or take longer to get through because there’s simply not enough bandwidth to handle everything smoothly. This congestion can cause delays or uneven arrival times for the data packets, leading to jitter and in some cases complete packet loss.
Timing drift happens when devices on the network aren’t perfectly synchronised with each other. Networks rely on precise timing to send and receive data, and if there’s even a small mismatch, packets might arrive at irregular intervals. This can happen due to technical glitches, differences in device clocks, or issues with how data is queued for transmission.
If your broadband plan doesn’t give you enough bandwidth for what you’re doing online, jitter can quickly become a problem. Streaming in 4K, gaming, video calls, and big downloads all take up chunks of your connection. If the demand is higher than the speed your plan provides, packets get delayed or dropped, leading to choppy performance and jitter.
Data packets travel across the internet through a series of “hops” between routers. Sometimes, the route that packets take can change unexpectedly, either because of network maintenance or problems along the usual path. These sudden detours can increase the time it takes for packets to reach their destination, and when packets take different routes, they can arrive at different times, causing jitter.
Wireless connections, like WiFi, are more prone to interference than wired ones. Devices such as microwaves, baby monitors, and even other WiFi networks can interfere with your signal. When interference occurs, packets might be delayed or need to be retransmitted, creating inconsistencies in how data flows.
What is a good jitter speed?
A good target for jitter is typically under 30ms. At this level, the data packets arrive in a smooth, even flow, which is important for things like online gaming, video calls, or streaming. You won’t experience much lag or disruption in your experience.
If jitter is higher than 30ms but below 50ms, you might start noticing some issues, especially in real-time activities like gaming or video conferencing. The delay can cause a slight disruption in your connection, leading to as choppy video or a delay in character movements in a game.
Anything above 50ms is generally considered a bad jitter speed, causing noticeable lag, delays and choppy audio or video performance. You may experience freezing, pixelation and frustrating out of sync issues during video streaming or calls. Gaming responsiveness will suffer too.
For the best performance, aiming for a jitter measurement as close to zero as possible is ideal. This means data packets are arriving with little to no delay, which means you’ll get a seamless and smooth experience when you’re online.
If you consistently get high jitter results from broadband speed tests, it indicates an unstable connection needing troubleshooting. Checking your broadband router stats can help determine if the issue is within your home network.
How can I test my jitter speed?
If you're curious the jitter speed on your device, you can measure your broadband jitter using our helpful broadband speed test.
This will test your jitter, upload and download speed, and latency by mimicking your online activities and testing how long it takes. If your jitter is lower than 30ms according to the test, you’re good to go! If it’s high, you may want to look into ways to improve your broadband connection.
What is a jitter buffer?
A jitter buffer is a tool or feature that temporarily stores incoming data packets before delivering them to the recipient. This helps make sure these packets are delivered in the correct order and at consistent intervals, even if they arrive unevenly due to jitter.
The jitter buffer smooths out these irregularities by waiting a fraction of a second to collect packets, aligning them in the proper sequence before sending them on. This small delay helps provide a seamless, uninterrupted experience when you've got moderate jitter issues with your connection.
Can a jitter buffer help reduce jitter?
A jitter buffer can help improve your online experience if your have moderate levels of buffering and jitter, but it does have a limit. If the jitter is too high or packets arrive too late, even the buffer can’t compensate and you’ll probably still noticeable disruptions.
In that case, you’ll need look at ways to reduce your jitter speed, such as by upgrading your router or switching to a ultrafast broadband package if you're broadband can't keep up.
How can I reduce my jitter speed?
Jitter can be frustrating, but there's plenty you can do to keep your connection running as it should. Here are just some ways you can reduce jitter and get that silky smooth experience you deserve when you're online:
1. Restart Your Router
It might sound simple, but restarting your router can clear any temporary issues with your connection, and sometimes improve performance and reduce issues like jitter. To do this, turn off your router, unplug it from the power source, wait 30 seconds, and then plug it back in. Allow a few minutes for it to reconnect to the internet.
Pro tip: While restarting, check if your router has firmware updates available. Manufacturers often release updates that can boost the performance and security of your connection.
2. Use a Wired Connection
WiFi is convenient, but if you’re serious about download speed, a wired Ethernet connection will be better for you as it provides a direct link between your device and the router, reducing signal loss and improving speed. This is especially useful for downloading large files, streaming in 4K, and online gaming. If possible, connect your computer, gaming console, or smart TV directly to the router using an Ethernet cable for the best performance.
Pro tip: For the best download speed, use a Cat 6 or Cat 7 Ethernet cable instead of older Cat 5 cables – they support higher speeds and can reduce interference even more.
3. Move closer to your router
If you're using WiFi, the farther you are from the router, the weaker the signal will be. Thick walls, furniture, and electronic devices can block or weaken the signal. Try moving closer to the router or placing it in a central location in your home, and if your router is on the floor, raise it to a higher position, like a shelf or desk, to improve signal coverage.
Pro tip: Use the 5GHz WiFi band instead of 2.4GHz if your router supports it – it’s faster and less crowded, though it has a shorter range.
4. Disconnect devices you're not using
Every device connected to your network –smartphones, tablets, laptops, smart TVs, and gaming consoles – shares your internet speed. If too many devices are streaming, downloading, or browsing at the same time, your download speed may slow down. Disconnect devices that you’re not using or limit bandwidth-heavy activities while downloading files.
Pro tip: Some routers allow you to prioritize devices (Quality of Service or QoS settings). Enable this feature to give your computer or console priority bandwidth while downloading.
5. Close background apps
Many applications run in the background without you realizing it, using up your bandwidth. Cloud backups (like Google Drive or Dropbox), automatic software updates, and streaming services can slow down your downloads. Check your task manager (on Windows) or activity monitor (on Mac) to see what programs are running. Close any unnecessary applications before starting your download.
Pro tip: Schedule updates and cloud backups for late at night when you’re not actively using the internet. That way, your bandwidth stays free during the day.
Is it time for an upgrade?
Sometimes the problem isn’t with your setup, it’s with the speed you’re paying for. If your broadband package isn’t built to handle streaming in 4K, online gaming, and downloads all at once, your connection will struggle to keep up, causing issues like jitter.
At Virgin Media, we’ve got a range of superfast and ultrafast broadband deals with speeds to suit every home – from 100 Mbps to 1 gbps and beyond. Choose from our ultrafast broadband deals, or go all in with our best broadband for gaming to cut the lag and get that silky smooth gameplay you deserve.
Ready to make the switch? Thanks to One Touch Switch, it’s now easier than ever before to our superfast fibre broadband deals and put jitter to bed for good.
Use our helpful postcode checker to see what packages are available in your area.
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