John Vinton | Copywriter
At Cuckoo, we like to keep things simple. So welcome to Jargon Busters - a series of quick guides that decode the technical nonsense that other broadband providers seem to love. Next up…jitters.
The jitters. We’ve all had them. Before a big game, an important presentation or even (whisper it) on your wedding day. But did you know the internet can get the jitters too?
If you’re only hearing half the conversa… on VoIP calls, freezing mid-sentence on a client Zoom or missing the killer move during a zombie attack, jitter could well be the culprit.
In our first two Jargon Busters, we looked at:
The third in this reliability trilogy is jitter, which basically measures changes in latency. And, like The Bourne Ultimatum but unlike The Godfather Part 3, we hope the third in this series is as good as the first two.
When you’re online, data is constantly getting sent from your keyboard to the server and back in bundles called packets. It’s broken down, sent as a packet, then rebuilt at the other end. A bit like Mike Teavee getting transmitted in Wonkavision.
The speed at which these packets travel back and forth is known as latency. The lower the latency, the faster everything moves. But if the latency keeps changing, your experience will be unstable and int..errup..ted. In a word, jittery.
Imagine you’re voice calling a friend abroad on VoIP. A nice smooth conversation needs a nice smooth connection, with packets of data arriving at regular intervals.
If too many people are using the network, the congestion can cause delays. Which. Means. Your. Chat. Keeps. Breaking. Up. This is jitter in action. And it also affects streaming, gaming, video calling and whatever else you might be doing online
Network congestion is the number one cause of jitter. But interference from other electrical devices can also be a problem. That’s because baby monitors and microwaves sometimes operate on the same frequency as your Wi-Fi. The best thing to do is to keep your router as far away from other devices as you can. Of course, an old router can struggle to cope with demand anyway.
The good news is you can easily reduce jitter just by doing the following:
● Plug it in - Plug in all your data hungry devices directly with an ethernet cable
● Upgrade your router - Switch to a top-notch router like the eero Pro 6E Cuckoo customers get as standard
● Less is more - Disconnect any devices you’re not going to be using for a while
The quickest way to find out the level of jitter you’re experiencing is to take a speed test. Many will give you a latency and jitter score, as well as your basic upload and download speeds. Jitter is measured in milliseconds and the lower the number, the better. Anything under 30ms and you should be fine.
To banish the jitters forever, switch to full fibre from Cuckoo. While we can’t promise that you won’t get nervous before your first date or your interview, we can promise fast, reliable, feel-good broadband.
At Cuckoo, we like to keep things simple. So welcome to Jargon Busters - a series of quick guides that decode the technical nonsense that other broadband providers seem to love. This time we’re looking at…latency.
At Cuckoo, we like to keep things simple. So welcome to Jargon Busters - a series of quick guides that decode the technical claptrap that other broadband providers seem to love. Starting with…ping.
The British countryside is lovely to look at. But not always so great when making a call on your mobile. That’s because the signal in rural areas can be patchy or even non-existent. With Wi-Fi calling, your call uses a broadband connection instead which is much more reliable. Problem solved.