Latency is the term used to describe the time it takes for a request to go from the client to the server and back to the client. When you have “Low Latency,” that means it takes less time to complete a user’s request, which means faster speeds for the user. When you have “High Latency,” it means it is taking a lot of time to complete a user’s request, which means slower speeds.

Latency can cause problems with real-time communications (video conferences and online gaming), cloud services, file transfers, web browsing, businesses that run promotions and campaigns online and more. 

Efforts to mitigate latency issues may involve optimizing network infrastructure, using high-speed communication technologies such as fiber optics, improving routing efficiency, and employing content delivery networks to reduce the physical distance data must travel.

3 Causes of Latency

No one likes to experience the dreadful lag when playing their favorite video game or waiting forever for a webpage to load. The worst is watching your favorite movie and waiting for it to buffer to start working again. There are three main causes of latency: an overload of traffic on the network, the distance from the host server and overloaded servers being overwhelmed by data requests. Below, we will explain more about the causes of high latency.

To solve overloaded traffic on a network, we need to consider how your server provider looks to accommodate a large rush of traffic so that the end user isn’t affected negatively. When sharing servers with multiple users, you can experience overloaded servers. Some users with high traffic would interfere with your connection, causing high latency. The solution to having high latency when being far away from the host server would be to have multiple servers across the globe to ensure everyone has the best connection.

Fiber and Latency

With fiber-optic Internet, you will experience very low latency compared to traditional cable Internet. You will also have much faster ping rates than someone with a cable Internet connection. Fiber-optic connections also have faster data transfer speeds. The data speeds and low latency speeds range from 1 to 7 milliseconds.

Fiber-optic cables have a much higher bandwidth compared to copper cables. Higher bandwidth allows for the simultaneous transmission of a large amount of data, reducing congestion and lowering the likelihood of delays in data transmission. Fiber-optic technology also supports full-duplex communication, allowing the data to be transmitted and received simultaneously.

Fiber-optic cables combine high-speed transmission, low signal loss, resistance to interference and high bandwidth to lower data communication latency.

Pavlov and Latency

At Pavlov Media, we strive to give you the best connection possible. With that comes low latency. When hard-lined in, meaning your Ethernet cord is running straight from your device to your modem, your ping will come much faster than a typical wireless connection, ranging from 1 to 7 milliseconds. Still, even connecting to your wireless connection when you have a fiber Internet provider, you will experience high speeds and low latency.

Fiber-optic Internet, which relies on transmitting data using light signals through optical fibers, is known for its high speed, low latency and reliability. Because Pavlov Media utilizes fiber-optic technology in its network infrastructure, we offer several benefits, such as high speeds, low latency, reliability, scalability,and symmetrical speeds.