Need assistance with latency issues?
Need assistance with latency issues?
Speedtest works fine, but it only measures latency when the connection is idle. Pings tend to rise as more bandwidth is utilized. For activities like online gaming or video calls, keeping your ping low is essential even when others are using the internet. The simplest method to check this is using the Bufferbloat Test by Waveform. It operates directly in your browser, similar to Speedtest, but it also evaluates ping during downloads and uploads and gives a letter grade based on performance. An A means you're doing well.
Thanks everyone for your support. Now I really grasp how ping functions. What confused me was realizing the ISP was running speed tests on one site while measuring pings on another. I thought something might be wrong. That’s why I tried using the command prompt and saw pings in the 25-30ms range, alongside other users nearby. The ISP confirmed it should be 1-2ms (which it is on Ookla). This made me wonder if there was an issue. Additionally, I didn’t mention that the installer seemed a bit sloppy—just wanted to verify everything was in order. I’ve been experiencing poor internet for seven years, with frequent drops and gains. Getting fiber now feels like a necessary step to ensure everything is set up correctly.
Your setup is working correctly. The problem seems to lie between your ISP and another network. You can verify this using a traceroute. If your neighbors experience slower connections to the same hosts simultaneously, it might be due to poor routing on your IP address. Consider changing your address by restarting your router.
To assess latency on your fiber link to the ISP network, run the "tracert 8.8.8.8" command. This checks not just the destination but all intermediate points. Your first hop should be your default gateway with less than 1ms delay since the router is located at home. The second hop connects to your ISP, and response times may fluctuate throughout the day; if busy, it will take longer to reply. This does not impact your browsing, streaming, or gaming experience because the router prioritizes user data over pings. Results will differ based on time of day—delays in the second hop are normal. Typically, installers use speedtest.net on their laptop to confirm performance. For ongoing monitoring, PingPlotter offers a free 14-day trial. Test it by running multiple pings to IPs like 8.8.8.8 and 1.1.1.1 to see how round-trip times and packet loss change.