“`html
(Image credit: Getty Images)Jump to:
- Gauging Latency
- Lessening data velocities
- Evaluating Latency
- Supplementary resources
- References
ShareShare by:
- Duplicate link
- X
Share this articleJoin the conversationFollow usAdd us as a favored source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletter
Latency is the specific term defining the duration for info to journey from one location to another. It can be quantified through a ping. Your device dispatches a concise piece of info to a server, which in turn sends it back, and you measure the elapsed time.
Latency fluctuates subject to three elements: the velocity at which info can inherently transit the network, the path it follows, and whether it undergoes queuing, as stated by Apposite Technologies, the computer hardware producer.
Measuring latency
Latency, gauged in milliseconds, is frequently conveyed in terms of its “round trip time” (RTT), as per Frontier. RTT signifies the duration for an info packet to proceed from one network endpoint to another. Another and less prevalent phrase employed to articulate latency is “time to first byte” (shortened to TTFB). TTFB denotes the interval between the initial segment of an info packet departing a network point and arriving at its destination.
You may like
-
Science history: Initial computer-to-computer dispatch sets the stage for the internet, yet it fails midway — Oct. 29, 1969
-
‘It won’t resemble a ghost town but more of a zombie apocalypse’: How AI could forever reshape our interaction with the internet
-
‘Positioning the servers in orbit is an absurd concept’: Could data hubs in space mitigate an AI energy dilemma? Opinions are divided.
Pace via the network presents a considerable issue for satellite internet. According to Space.com, the bulk of communications satellites reside in geostationary orbit, at a distance of 22,300 miles (35,900 km) from Earth. For info to travel from your computer to a server and back, it must undertake that extended journey four times.
SpaceX’s originator and CEO, Elon Musk, unveiled Starlink in January 2015, clarifying that the firm aimed to deploy approximately 4,000 broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit, intending to provide economical internet. For context, there are merely about 2,000 active satellites presently orbiting, and humankind has only launched about 9,000 spacecraft into space throughout history.
Regarding latency, Starlink endeavors to notably diminish the RTT of info packets, thereby drastically curtailing latency. This should facilitate high-velocity pursuits, such as streaming and gaming, virtually globally.
Reducing data speeds
The notion of a network comprising geographically dispersed computers was initially put forward in the 1960s by JCR Licklider, a computer scientist from MIT, in his theoretical composition on real–time interactive computing, termed Man–Computer Symbiosis.
As per Scientific American, the earliest manifestation, ARPANET, was restricted to a handful of nodes in the U.S.; however, the advancement of packet switching and TCP/IP protocols (internet communication languages) during the 1970s unlocked the network’s capacity for worldwide growth.
You may like
-
Science history: Initial computer-to-computer dispatch sets the stage for the internet, yet it fails midway — Oct. 29, 1969
-
‘It won’t resemble a ghost town but more of a zombie apocalypse’: How AI could forever reshape our interaction with the internet
-
‘Positioning the servers in orbit is an absurd concept’: Could data hubs in space mitigate an AI energy dilemma? Opinions are divided.
Email gained traction during the 1980s, yet it wasn’t until Tim Berners–Lee unveiled the World Wide Web in the early 1990s that the internet initiated its expansion beyond research and government bodies. Subsequently, enhancements in data transmission rates have empowered both individuals and enterprises to archive and retrieve continuously escalating volumes of data and dispatch substantial files at accelerated speeds from any location.
At present, high-speed internet connectivity remains exclusive to regions outfitted with fiber optic cabling, with fiber optic internet outpacing cable internet by a factor of 20, according to HP, a software and computer manufacturer. In far-flung areas, communications satellites bridge the gap to the internet, although the connections are notably sluggish.
Testing latency
Ping rates of 100 milliseconds or less are common for the majority of broadband links.
Any individual is capable of executing a ping examination on their device to assess latency. Every device tethered to a network will incorporate an inherent latency assessment instrument. Additionally, Cloudfare, a web infrastructure entity, hosts this examination on their digital platform. This can be employed to promptly assess data velocity, precluding the requirement to install extraneous software.
The methodology entails transmitting a default quantity of 32 bytes of data to a designated location and quantifying the duration for the data to revert to the device, as elucidated by Ionos, a web hosting enterprise. The timeframe is represented in milliseconds.
The RTT is determined for each conducted examination, and the user receives a summary of the findings. Coupled with data velocity, any data packets that are unreturned will be documented in this summary. Upon completion of the examination, an average duration between the transmission and retrieval of the data is computed.
Additional resources
You can unearth methods to enhance latency for pursuits like gaming by perusing this article furnished by Norton, a computer software provider. Alternatively, to understand the ramifications of 5G on latency, attend to this video presented by AT&T, a telecommunications entity.
Bibliography
- “Demystifying Latency in Networking”. Apposite Technologies.
- “Deciphering network latency and its remediation”. Frontier.
- “Man-Computer Symbiosis”. IRE Transactions on Human Factors in Electronics (1960).
- “Initial depiction of ARPANET’s primary four nodes”. Scientific American (2009).
- “Leading 10 Benefits of Fiber Optic Internet Connectivity”. HP (2020).
- “Directing the ping directive in Windows”. Ionos Digital Guide (2020).
Laura Mears
Laura Mears is a biologist who exchanged the perimeters of the laboratory for the stringencies of an office workstation, emerging as an avid science author and a full-time software developer. Laura’s prior engagements involve contributions to magazines such as How It Works and T3. Laura’s cardinal interests span science, technology, and video gaming.
With contributions from
Back To TopRead more
Science history: Initial computer-to-computer dispatch sets the stage for the internet, yet it fails midway — Oct. 29, 1969
‘It won’t resemble a ghost town but more of a zombie apocalypse’: How AI could forever reshape our interaction with the internet
‘Positioning the servers in orbit is an absurd concept’: Could data hubs in space mitigate an AI energy dilemma? Opinions are divided.
History of computers: Timeline of key events & technological breakthroughs
‘Rainbow-on-a-chip’ could aid in managing AI energy consumption — and its genesis was fortuitous