Networks - EdexcelLatency

Network latency is a measure of how long it takes a message to travel from one device to another across a network. A network with low latency experiences few delays in transmission, whereas a high latency network experiences many delays. The more delays there are, the longer it takes to transmit data across a network.

Latency is affected by the number of devices on the network and the type of connection device. Latency is measured in milliseconds and it can be measured through a “ping test”, which sends a data packet from one device to another and measures the amount of time it takes that data packet to travel between devices.

Examples of high latency

• Video conferencing calls freezing or lagging.
• Delays when pressing keys on a keyboard in real time and the action not happening on screen.
• Slow transfer rates, such as downloads and uploads taking longer.
• Web pages taking long to load.