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Networking Fundamentals · Foundational

Jitter

The variation in packet delay over time, which disrupts real-time traffic such as voice and video.

Definition

Jitter occurs when packets in a stream experience different queuing or path delays, arriving at uneven intervals. VoIP endpoints use jitter buffers to smooth playback at the cost of added delay. Typical voice guidance is jitter under 30 ms, one-way latency under 150 ms and loss under 1 percent.

Example

Choppy, robotic-sounding VoIP calls usually point to high jitter.

Exam tip

Jitter is variation in delay, not delay itself; QoS queuing is the usual remedy.

Don't confuse it with

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