What is latency? What affects latency?
Channel: internet-class
Date: 2016-09-20

Latency measures how long it takes one packet to travel from one computer on the internet to another. At least for now, the speed of light places a fundamental bound on how quickly everything—​including information—​can move from one place to another. It takes light around 100 ms to circle the globe, so a packet can’t arrive any faster than that! However, most delays on the internet are caused by computers, not by cables.

Credits: Talking: Geoffrey Challen (Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo). Producing: Greg Bunyea (Undergraduate, Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo).

Part of the https://www.internet-class.org online internet course. A blue Systems Research Group (https://blue.cse.buffalo.edu) production.