Latency Calculator
Fast, accurate, and free online Latency Calculator tool that runs directly in your browser.
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Other tools you may find usefulTime delay calculator - RTT, latency and signal propagation
Time delay calculatorcalculates different types of delays: network signal propagation time, round-trip time (RTT), satellite delay and data rate. A useful tool for network administrators, developers and telecommunications students.
What is latency?
Latency is the time it takes to send data from point A to point B. In the network, we usually measure RTT (Round-Trip Time) - the time from sending a packet to receiving a response. Latency has several components: propagation delay (the time the signal physically travels through the medium), transmission delay (time to serialize the packet on the link), queuing delay (waiting time in the router's buffer), processing delay (time on the router/switch).
Signal speed in various media
Electric signal in copper cable: ~200,000 km/s (67% of the speed of light). Light in fiber optic cable: ~200,000 km/s (66% c). Radio signal in air: ~300,000 km/s (speed of light). On this basis: Europe-USA earth cable (approx. 8000 km) = 40 ms RTT theoretical minimum. Actual transatlantic RTT: 70-100 ms due to routing, processing and queuing.
Satellite latency
Geostationary (GEO) satellites in 35,786 km orbit: RTT ≈ 500–600 ms - high latency due to distance. Starlink (LEO, 550 km): RTT ≈ 20-40 ms - much better than GEO. OneWeb, Amazon Kuiper (LEO): similar 20-50 ms. The high GEO latency makes these links unsuitable for online gaming and video conferencing.
How to measure latency?
Ping:ping google.com- measures ICMP RTT. Traceroute:traceroute google.com(Linux/macOS),tracert google.com(Windows) - shows RTT for each hop. MTR (My TraceRoute):mtr google.com- continuous monitoring with statistics. curl timing:curl -w "DNS:%{time_namelookup} TCP:%{time_connect} TLS:%{time_appconnect}" -o /dev/null https://site.com.
FAQ
What is the acceptable network latency for online gaming?
For online gaming, latency is crucial: less than 20 ms - excellent, almost imperceptible. 20-50 ms - very good, action games without problems. 50-100 ms - Good, strategy games and RPGs no problems. 100-150 ms - Noticeable, action games can be frustrating. Above 150 ms - problematic for any species. Ping 200+ ms makes FPS games virtually unplayable.
Why is my ping to the server in Poland higher than 10 ms?
Even over short distances, network routing can pass through many nodes (hops). Processing time on each router, buffer queuing, and suboptimal BGP routes can significantly increase RTT beyond the physical minimum. Use traceroute to see where the slowest hops are.
What is the difference between latency and bandwidth?
Latency = time from sending to receiving the response (ms). Bandwidth = amount of data transferred per unit of time (Mbps/Gbps). Metaphor: latency is the time it takes for the train to travel from A to B, bandwidth is the number of weights on the train. A fast connection (large bandwidth) may have high latency - typical of satellite connections.
How does latency affect video conferencing (Zoom, Teams)?
Video conferencing is latency sensitive: less than 150 ms RTT - natural conversation without delays. 150-300 ms - slight delays, minor communication difficulties. Above 300 ms - clearly noticeable delays, conversation interruptions. However, bandwidth is more important for video quality: Zoom HD requires at least 1.8 Mbps up and down.
How to calculate the minimum RTT for a given connection?
RTT_min = (2 × distance_km) / propagation_speed km/s × 1000 (ms). For Poland–USA (8000 km, cable: 200,000 km/s): RTT_min = (2 × 8000) / 200,000 × 1000 = 80 ms. The actual RTT will be higher by the processing time on the routers (each ~0.1-2 ms) and the queuing time.