{"id":22092,"date":"2022-07-25T16:27:06","date_gmt":"2022-07-25T10:57:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mirrorfly.com\/blog\/?p=22092"},"modified":"2026-03-27T18:28:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T12:58:51","slug":"what-is-low-latency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mirrorfly.com\/blog\/what-is-low-latency\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Low Latency and Its Importance?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Low latency is the minimal delay between a system’s input and its response. For example, when you click a button or give a command, there\u2019s little to no noticeable delay before the system react, usually just a few thousandths of a second (milliseconds).<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

You are watching the T20 World cup and your favorite team is a touchdown away from winning the cup. You\u2019re waiting for the broadcast after the regular commercial. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But by then, your neighbors start screaming about the victory! Gone. Your screen freezes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You missed the win in real time. Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because your network was slow. The stream staggers and comes back, yet the moment\u2019s gone!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This occurs when the network faces a delay in delivering the streaming data to your device. This delay is what we call \u201cLatency\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the post below, let us briefly discuss what latency is, how it can be reduced, and the tools you need to achieve low latency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>What Is Low Latency?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"ultra
Low Latency Process<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Low latency is defined as the minimal delay that happens between an action and a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important to maintain a good latency and low jitters so users watching a live video stream, talking over the phone or sending messages have a smooth and responsive experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is especially influential in time-sensitive scenarios where real-time software depend on low latency systems for live-streaming, high-frequency trading, and online gaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At any cost, the latency cannot go up during critical remote operations like drone control or medical conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>What Is High Latency?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

High latency is when the time taken for the data to travel between a request and a response is longer. This eventually makes apps and systems perform slower and sometimes unresponsive, affecting user engagement dramatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the latency is high in websites and web apps, it may slow down the pages and increase bounce rates. Similarly, on calls\/messages, the receiver may get the response from the sender after a long gap, causing a huge discomfort during conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>Low Latency vs. High Latency: What\u2019s the Difference?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Response time is the key factor that distinguishes low latency<\/strong> from high latency<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At low latency<\/strong>, data moves quickly and the response feels instantaneous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, at high latency<\/strong>, you\u2019ll experience lags and delays. To be precise, latency is the delay that happens when data travels from your device to a server and back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aspects<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/th>Low Latency<\/strong><\/th>High Latency<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Definition<\/strong><\/td>Minimal delay between input and response, typically measured in milliseconds<\/td>Significant delay between input and response, ranging from hundreds of milliseconds to seconds<\/td><\/tr>
Response Time<\/strong><\/td>Under 50ms (excellent), 50-100ms (good)<\/td>Over 150ms, often 300ms+<\/td><\/tr>
Best For<\/strong><\/td>Video calls, live streaming, online gaming, VoIP, real-time chat<\/td>Email, file downloads, batch processing<\/td><\/tr>
Example Scenario<\/strong><\/td>Instant response during a live video call<\/td>Delay when sending or receiving an email<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What Causes High or Low Latency?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Several factors affect latency:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Distance:<\/strong> Data takes longer to travel over greater physical distances.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Connection type:<\/strong> Fiber-optic connections usually have lower latency than wireless or copper.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Network hops:<\/strong> Each router or switch adds a small delay.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Network congestion:<\/strong> Heavy traffic can cause bottlenecks and slow responses.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    <\/span>Types Of Latency<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    While latency is a single factor, the causes of latency are numerous. There are various reasons for a delay to happen during data transmission. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Based on these reasons, we can group them into 4 different categories.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. Propagation Delay<\/strong> – A data physically travels from a source to destination. The delay caused during this phase is known as the propagation latency.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Transmission Delay<\/strong> – All the data: large and small, has to be pushed into the network for a connection to happen. The delay which happens when pushing these data is known as the transmission latency or transmission delay.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Processing Delay<\/strong> – Once the data enters the network, routers must check the packet headers, and sometimes split the packets. Here, ping works on the ICMP network protocol to measure basic connectivity and response delays. Later, when the data enters the server, it might take some time to generate a response. The delay that occurs during these processing phases are termed as processing latency.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Queuing Delay<\/strong> – When the network is busy, some data packets must wait in the buffer. There are scenarios where multiple packets arrive at the same time and a congestion might happen. This causes the queuing delay, and the prolonged or extreme cases of this delay is known as the buffer bloat. This is one of the severe-impact delays in data transmission.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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      <\/span>What Causes Network Latency?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      A delay may occur due to physical and technical factors when data travels from one location to another. Let\u2019s take a quick look at some of the most important factors that likely cause latency in real-time conversations and remote operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      1. The distance data needs to travel<\/strong>: Even if the network quality is high, when the server is farther from your device, the delay might be longer. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Which medium the data travels<\/strong>: Data can travel in different physical mediums: Fiber-optic cables, copper cables or wireless transmitters. Generally, the delay is less across fiber-optic cables. Other mediums usually cause high latency. On the other hand, the data has to cross different devices like routers, switches, and firewalls. While crossing each device, a small delay called network hop occurs. You can use traceroute to identify network hops where latency increases especially across routers and switches.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      3. Hardware and server performance:<\/strong> Even slow servers or overloaded systems can be a reason for delay. They might take more time to process the requests and generate responses. Similarly, if you use an older hard drive, the storage speed might be slower, eventually affecting the time it takes for the data to move.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      4. Design of the software or app:<\/strong> If your video calling app or a messaging platform has too many images, videos and uncompressed files, or runs on an inefficient video codec, it might impact the speed of data. Also, unoptimized or bloated code can lead to unnecessary delay in data transmission.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      5. Factors in the user-side:<\/strong> At the user\u2019s end, poor Wi-Fi connections, outdated routers or old versions of firmware might slow down the performance of your video or audio calling apps.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      6. Bandwidth:<\/strong> If you have a higher bandwidth, your data will travel faster. A higher bandwidth means faster delivery and minimal traffic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      7. Use of Encoder:<\/strong> Encoders must be optimized in such a way that it instantly pings a signal to the receiver.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      8. Optic Fibers:<\/strong> The connection type influences data transmission. We suggest you use optic fibers instead of wireless internet. Usually, Fiber-based low latency connectivity improves real-time streaming, live video conferencing and VoIP performance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      9. Long Distance:<\/strong> See that you are located at a closer distance from ISP, satellites, and internet hubs. Because long distances can increase the delay.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      10. File Size:<\/strong> A larger file size takes a long time to transmit data via the internet, thereby increasing the streaming latency.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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        <\/span>How Is Network Latency Measured?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        Network latency is commonly measured in milliseconds (ms)<\/strong> and in fast systems like fiber-optic networks or high-performance hardware, it may be measured in microseconds (\u03bcs)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Common Network Latency Metrics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        The most widely used latency measurement is Round-Trip Time (RTT)<\/strong>. RTT represents the total time it takes for a data packet to travel from a source to a destination and back again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Another important metric is Time to First Byte (TTFB)<\/strong>. This measures how long it takes from the moment a connection is made until the first byte of data is received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        One-way latency measures the time it takes for data to travel in a single direction. While this can provide more precise insight into where delays occur, it is harder to measure because it requires accurate time synchronization between systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Tools Used to Measure Latency<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

        One of the easiest ways to check delay on a network is a tool called ping<\/strong>. It sends a tiny test message to another system and measures how long it takes to get a response back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        This is helpful for a quick check, but it\u2019s not that perfect or accurate because these test messages may be handled differently than real app traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        For more accurate results, engineers use tools like Iperf<\/strong>, Netperf<\/strong>, or hping<\/strong>. These tools act more like real users and applications, giving a far more better picture of actual performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        In real systems, you can often measure latency jitters<\/strong> using percentiles (like the 99th percentile) to show how bad delays can get, since simple averages can hide occasional slowdowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        <\/span>How To Reduce Latency?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        Reducing latency in any real-time environment involves optimizing infrastructure, protocols, video codecs<\/a>, and network routing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Additionally, these steps can also improve high latency levels:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n