Latency, more commonly known as “lag,” is the worst enemy of PC gamers worldwide. It can also interfere with accessing websites, using real time internet services, and provide general annoyance worse than hairballs in your spaghetti. Most people know that internet latency is this bad, but these people frequently aren’t aware of the exact definition of latency. So, what is latency, and what causes it?

What is latency?

Latency is the delay between sending a request to your internet network and receiving a response. It covers a huge variety of potential kinds of delays related to hardware and internet service. “Low latency” is the qualification given to a network with minimal delays, but can vary greatly in actual technical abilities. Latency is measured in milliseconds, and what is “bad” or “good” latency will vary dependent on your activity. For internet gamers and real-time application users, a latency of less than a hundred ms is generally required. For many others, a latency of 200 to 800 is acceptable.

What isn’t latency?

It is important to clarify that latency is not the same thing as bandwidth. Bandwidth is the amount of data that you can transfer at a time from your internet service provider. As such, slow download rates, page load times, and internet streaming are not due to latency, but bandwidth issues, in almost all cases.

What causes latency?

There are many different sources of latency, but they all have to do with not receiving or sending data to your internet service provider as quickly as possible. The first major cause is computer based. If your computer doesn’t have up to date hardware, software, or firmware, you may be bottlenecking your internet access on your computer. The second major cause is home hardware based. If you have an out of date router or modem, a wireless connection from a long distance away or that has to deal with large amounts of interference, you will be creating additional unnecessary delays. The third major cause is service based. Some cheap internet providers have latency issues, and some internet types, like satellite internet, come with built in high latency.