Ping Test
Ping and jitter decide how responsive your connection feels. Use the tool on this page to measure your latency, then use the guides below to interpret the numbers and improve them for gaming, calls, and remote work.
For full diagnostics (download, upload, packet loss, and latency under load), see the Check Internet Speed Test.
What is ping?
Ping is the round‑trip time it takes for a small packet to travel from your device to a server and back, measured in milliseconds. Lower ping means quicker responses—your actions arrive faster, and updates come back with less delay. In a multiplayer game, low ping feels like instant movement and consistent hit registration. In a video call, low ping keeps voices in sync and stops people from talking over each other.
What is a good ping?
There is no single “perfect” number, but these ranges describe common experiences:
| Quality | Gaming (ms) | Video calls (ms) | What it feels like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | < 20 | < 30 | Movements and shots feel immediate; voices feel in-person |
| Good | 20–50 | 30–60 | Very playable; minimal overlap in conversation |
| Acceptable | 50–80 | 60–100 | Slight delay; timing windows tighten; occasional talk-over |
| Poor | > 80 | > 100 | Noticeable lag, rubber‑banding, or speaking pauses |
For competitive gaming, staying under ~30–40 ms is ideal. For everyday calls, under ~60 ms keeps conversation natural. Above ~100 ms, you will likely notice echo, talk-over, or delayed in-game responses.
Why does ping matter?
- Online gaming: Determines input responsiveness, hit detection, and how often you see rubber‑banding or desync. High ping can also worsen matchmaking if servers prioritize closer players.
- Video calls: Affects conversation flow; higher ping adds delay between speech and response, making people interrupt each other. It can also amplify the impact of jitter, causing choppy audio.
- Streaming: While buffering hides some delay, high ping can slow startup times, ad requests, and interactive features like live chat or stream control.
- Remote work: Screen sharing, SSH/RDP sessions, and cloud IDEs depend on quick round‑trips. Lower ping keeps typing and pointer movement in sync with what you see on screen.
Common causes of high ping
- Congested network: Uploads, cloud sync, large downloads, or multiple video streams saturate the connection and increase queueing delay.
- Wi‑Fi issues: Weak signal, interference from neighbors, or crowded 2.4 GHz channels add retries and timeouts.
- Bufferbloat: Routers that hold large queues during uploads/downloads inflate latency until queues drain.
- Distance and routing: Long physical paths or inefficient routes (extra hops, peering limits) add unavoidable delay.
- VPNs and proxies: Encryption and detours through distant servers increase round‑trip time.
- Outdated firmware or drivers: Old router firmware or NIC drivers can mis-handle congestion or power-saving, adding delay.
How to reduce high ping
- Prefer Ethernet: A wired link avoids Wi‑Fi interference and usually lowers jitter by removing wireless retransmits.
- Optimize Wi‑Fi when wired is not possible: Use 5 GHz/6 GHz, stay close to the router, choose a clear channel (1/6/11 on 2.4 GHz), and minimize walls between you and the AP.
- Control bufferbloat: Enable SQM/QoS on your router and cap up/down bandwidth to about 85–95% of your real maximum so queues stay small under load.
- Limit background traffic: Pause cloud backups, game updates, and large downloads during play or calls. Check for hidden sync tools running on other devices.
- Choose closer servers: Pick in-region game servers and CDNs; disable or relocate VPN endpoints that add distance.
- Keep firmware and drivers current: Update router firmware and network drivers to benefit from stability and congestion fixes.
- Test at different times: If ping spikes only at peak hours, the issue may be upstream congestion; collect data before contacting your ISP.
Test your ping
Use the tool above, press start, and let it complete a few rounds. Run the test on a quiet network (no big uploads/downloads) and, if possible, on Ethernet. Compare results at peak vs off‑peak times to spot congestion. Keep notes so you can see whether changes like enabling SQM or moving closer to the router improve stability.
Ping vs related metrics
- Ping: The round‑trip time in milliseconds. It indicates baseline responsiveness.
- Jitter: The variation between ping samples. Low jitter keeps audio and gameplay smooth; check it with the dedicated Jitter Test.
- Latency under load: Ping can rise sharply during uploads/downloads if queues build up. If your ping jumps while transferring files, verify your upstream using the Upload Speed Test and enable SQM/QoS to keep queues short.
All three metrics work together: low ping gives immediacy, low jitter keeps it consistent, and controlled latency under load ensures performance stays stable when your connection is busy.