jitter
Jitter is the variation in packet arrival times across a network, impacting the quality and reliability of real-time communications like voice and video.
Jitter reflects the inconsistency in the timing of packet delivery, often caused by congestion, routing changes, or network instability. High jitter can disrupt VoIP, video conferencing, and gaming, resulting in choppy audio, video artifacts, and synchronization issues.
Mitigation strategies include buffering, QoS prioritization for real-time traffic, and traffic engineering to optimize network paths. Monitoring jitter levels helps administrators identify and address sources of instability.
Alternatives to reduce jitter include increasing network capacity or deploying dedicated links for critical applications.