TecnoOrange 
You have 500 Mbps fiber, the speed is blazing, but in video calls people complain about hearing you with a delay and in online games your character moves in slow motion. The problem isn’t speed, it’s latency. I’ve seen so many people confuse Mbps with ping, and they’re completely different things. Here’s what latency is and how it affects your internet, so you can finally understand why your “fast” connection sometimes doesn’t feel that way.
Table of contents
Table of contents
What is latency (ping)
Latency is the time it takes for a data packet to travel from your device to a server and back. It’s measured in milliseconds (ms) and in technical circles it’s called “ping” or “round-trip time” (RTT).
Think of it like the echo of your voice in a canyon. You shout (send data), the sound bounces off the canyon wall (the server responds), and you hear it come back (you receive the response). Latency is the time between your shout and when you hear the echo.
Your 500 Mbps connection indicates how much data you can move per second (bandwidth). Latency indicates how long it takes to start moving it. They’re two different things. You can have a huge truck (500 Mbps) that takes 2 hours to reach its destination (high latency), or a fast motorcycle (50 Mbps) that arrives in 5 minutes (low latency).
Heads up: The internet speed your ISP advertises (300 Mbps, 500 Mbps, 1 Gbps) is bandwidth, NOT latency. To know your latency, you need to run a ping test.
To measure your latency, you can use:
- Speedtest.net: Shows your ping to the nearest server
- fast.com: Netflix’s test, shows loaded and unloaded latency
- Command Prompt on Windows: Type
ping google.comand see your real ping
Low vs high latency: What numbers matter
Not all latency is equal. Here are the ranges you should know:
| Latency | Rating | Experience |
|---|---|---|
| 0-20ms | Excellent | Competitive gaming, trading, perfect video calls |
| 20-50ms | Very good | Everything works perfectly, smooth casual gaming |
| 50-100ms | Acceptable | Normal browsing, casual gaming with minimal lag |
| 100-200ms | Bad | Video calls with delay, frustrating gaming |
| 200ms+ | Very bad | Connection barely usable for real-time |
Fiber optic typically gives latencies of 5-20ms. ADSL used to give 30-60ms. 4G/5G varies between 20-80ms depending on coverage. Starlink satellite hovers around 30-50ms, which is impressive for satellite.
If you have fiber optic and your ping exceeds 50ms, something is wrong. It could be your router, DNS configuration, or WiFi interference.
Pro tip: To measure your real latency, use an Ethernet cable instead of WiFi. WiFi adds 5-20ms of extra latency due to interference and packet retransmission. If you need low latency, cable always wins.
How latency affects different activities
Latency doesn’t affect everything equally. Some activities are more sensitive than others.
Online gaming
Gaming is where latency matters most. In a shooter like Valorant or Call of Duty, a latency of 20ms vs 80ms is the difference between winning and losing a gunfight. Your character moves in real time, but what you see on screen is what happened X milliseconds ago.
At 20ms, what you see is almost what’s happening. At 100ms, you see what happened a tenth of a second ago. In a fast game, that’s an eternity.
Video calls
In Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet, latency causes conversation overlap. You speak and the other person starts speaking at the same time because they haven’t heard you yet. Under 150ms is tolerable. Above that, the conversation becomes frustrating.
Web browsing
For browsing, latency affects how long it takes a page to start loading. Each web element (images, scripts, fonts) requires a request to the server. With low latency, those requests go back and forth quickly. With high latency, the page “takes a while to start” even if it loads fast afterward.
Video streaming
Streaming is the activity least affected by latency. Netflix, YouTube, or Spotify download data in a buffer, so a 100ms delay in the initial request is irrelevant. Latency only matters if you’re live streaming (Twitch, YouTube Live).
| Activity | Latency sensitivity | Ideal latency |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive gaming | Very high | < 30ms |
| Video calls | High | < 100ms |
| Web browsing | Medium | < 50ms |
| Video streaming | Low | < 200ms |
| File downloading | Minimal | Irrelevant |
How to reduce latency
If your latency is high, there are several things you can do to improve it without changing ISP.
Use Ethernet cable instead of WiFi
The most effective change. An Ethernet cable eliminates wireless latency (5-20ms) and interference. For gaming or important video calls, always use a cable.
Change your DNS
Slow DNS adds 20-50ms to each web request. Switch to Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) or Google DNS (8.8.8.8) to reduce name resolution. (See article on changing DNS)
Close background apps consuming bandwidth
Automatic updates, cloud backups, and torrents saturate your connection and increase latency. Before a competitive match or important video call, close everything you don’t need.
Use a nearby game server
In online games, always choose the server closest to your geographic location. Playing on a European server from Europe gives 30-50ms. Playing on a US server gives 150-200ms.
Configure QoS on your router
QoS (Quality of Service) lets you prioritize certain traffic. You can configure your router so video calls and gaming have priority over downloads. This reduces latency when the network is congested.
Pro tip: If you play competitive online games, configure QoS on your router to prioritize your console or PC’s IP. That way, when someone in your house is downloading something, your game won’t suffer lag.
Latency on mobile connections (4G/5G)
Mobile latency is generally higher than fiber, but 5G has improved it significantly.
4G LTE: 30-80ms typically. Sufficient for normal use, but not ideal for competitive gaming.
5G Sub-6GHz: 15-40ms. Comparable to good fiber. Perfectly usable for gaming and video calls.
5G mmWave: 5-15ms. Incredibly low, similar to or better than fiber. But only available in very specific areas with direct coverage.
If you use your phone as a hotspot for gaming, choose 5G whenever possible. The latency difference between 4G and 5G is noticeable in gaming.
| Connection | Typical latency | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber optic | 5-20ms | Everything, including competitive gaming |
| 5G | 10-40ms | Gaming, video calls |
| 4G LTE | 30-80ms | General use, casual gaming |
| Starlink | 30-50ms | General use, good rural alternative |
| ADSL | 30-60ms | General use (if you still have it) |
| GEO Satellite | 500-700ms | Only basic tasks |
FAQ: Frequently asked questions
Does internet speed affect latency?
Not directly. You can have 1 Gbps with 10ms latency or 10 Mbps with 10ms latency. Speed determines how much data fits in the pipe; latency determines how long it takes to arrive.
What latency do I need for online gaming?
For casual gaming, under 80ms is acceptable. For competitive gaming (shooters, MOBAs), under 40ms is ideal. Professional players look for under 20ms.
Does VPN increase latency?
Yes, always. A VPN adds at least 10-30ms of latency because your data takes an extra detour. Nearby VPNs add less; distant VPNs can double your ping.
Can I have low latency with WiFi?
Yes, but not as low as with cable. A good WiFi 6E router on the 6GHz band can give latencies of 5-15ms. But for minimum latency, cable always wins.
Conclusión
Latency is a fundamental concept that directly affects your internet experience, especially in gaming, video calls, and browsing. Don’t confuse it with download speed: they’re different things. If you want to improve your latency, start by using an Ethernet cable and changing your DNS. They’re two free changes that can make a real difference in your daily internet experience.