Ping Test
Live round-trip latency, jitter and packet loss
Ping Test
live round-trip latency & packet lossHow to Use
- 1Type a hostname or IP address, or leave it blank to use google.com.
- 2Press Start and let it run for at least 30 seconds.
- 3Watch the graph: a flat line is healthy, spikes are jitter.
- 4Export the samples as CSV if you need to show your ISP.
Reading the Numbers
- Under 30 msExcellent, feels instant
- 30 to 60 msGood, fine for gaming
- 60 to 100 msUsable, browsing and video calls
- Over 150 msLaggy, noticeable delay
- Packet lossAbove 1% needs investigating
What to Ping
- google.comA general baseline for your line
- Your game serverThe number that actually matters
- Your own websiteChecks the host, not your line
- A distant hostShows the distance floor
Everything about the Ping Test
Latency, jitter and packet loss: the three numbers that decide how a connection feels.
A ping test sends a small packet to a server and measures how long the reply takes to come back. That round-trip time is your latency, the delay before any data starts moving, which is a completely different thing from how fast it moves once it does.
This monitor keeps pinging on an interval so you see latency over time rather than one snapshot. A single good ping proves nothing; thirty seconds of pings shows whether the line is steady.
Bandwidth is not latency. A gigabit connection with 200 ms latency still feels sluggish in a game or a video call, because every action waits a fifth of a second for acknowledgement. Upgrading your speed tier does nothing for latency, because distance, routing and congestion set that.
The three numbers
| Measure | What it means | Good value |
|---|---|---|
| Latency (ping) | Round-trip delay | Under 60 ms |
| Jitter | How much latency varies | Under 20 ms |
| Packet loss | Replies that never arrive | 0% |
Jitter is the one people overlook. A steady 60 ms feels far better on a call than a line bouncing between 20 ms and 120 ms, because voice and video have to buffer for the worst case. The graph makes jitter obvious, since a flat line is healthy, a jagged one is not.
Why distance sets a floor
Light travels about 200,000 km per second in fibre, so a round trip from London to Sydney, roughly 34,000 km there and back, cannot be faster than about 170 ms no matter what you pay. If your ping to a distant server is high, that may simply be physics rather than a fault.
What to do about a bad result
- 1Use a cable
Wi-Fi adds latency and jitter, especially on a busy channel or at range. An Ethernet cable is the single biggest improvement most people can make.
- 2Check what else is running
A large download, a cloud backup or someone streaming 4K will saturate the line and push everything else into a queue. Stop them and re-run the test.
- 3Pick a closer server
If a game or app lets you choose a region, the nearer one wins. No amount of bandwidth beats distance.
- 4Collect evidence before calling your ISP
Run the test for several minutes and export the CSV. "It feels slow" gets nowhere; a log showing 4% packet loss at a specific time does.
How this differs from a terminal ping
A command-line ping sends raw ICMP packets. A browser cannot do that, so this measures the round
trip over HTTP instead, which adds a little overhead. Treat the figure here as a reliable relative
measure, excellent for comparing servers, spotting jitter or catching packet loss, rather than an exact match
for what your terminal reports.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a ping test and what does it measure?
A ping test sends a small packet to a server and measures how long the reply takes to come back. That round-trip time, measured in milliseconds, is your latency, the delay before any data starts moving, separate from how fast it moves once it does.
What counts as a good ping?
Under 30 ms is excellent and feels instant. Between 30 and 60 ms is good and fine for competitive gaming. Between 60 and 100 ms is acceptable for browsing and video calls. Above 150 ms you will notice lag in games and voice chat.
What is jitter and why does it matter?
Jitter is how much your latency varies between packets. A steady 60 ms connection feels far better on a video call than one bouncing between 20 ms and 120 ms, because voice and video have to buffer for the worst case. Jitter under about 20 ms is generally fine.
What causes packet loss?
Packets that never arrive are usually caused by a congested link, weak Wi-Fi, a failing cable or an overloaded router. Any sustained loss above roughly 1% is worth investigating, because it shows up as stuttering calls and rubber-banding in games.
Why is my ping different from the command-line ping?
A terminal ping sends raw ICMP packets, while a browser has to measure the round trip over HTTP, which adds a little overhead. Treat the figure here as a reliable relative measure, good for comparing servers or spotting a problem, rather than an exact match for your terminal.
How can I improve my ping?
Use a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi, move closer to the router if you cannot, close other devices and downloads competing for bandwidth, and pick a game or app server geographically nearer to you. Distance sets a floor that no amount of bandwidth can beat.