Speedify Latency Handling

This article explains what latency is, how it affects your internet connection, and what Speedify can do to help reduce its impact.

What Is Latency?

Latency, also referred to as ping, is the amount of time it takes for a data packet to travel from your device to a destination server and back. This round-trip time is measured in milliseconds (ms).

Several factors affect the latency you experience:

• Your local network type (for example, Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection)
• Your internet connection type (Cable, 4G/5G Cellular, Satellite, etc.)
• Network congestion and load
• The physical distance between your device and the target server

Higher latency causes delays when you access the internet, and it becomes most noticeable during real-time activities like video calls, online gaming, or live streams. In most cases, latency of 100 ms or lower works well. Once latency climbs to 300 ms or more, the impact becomes very noticeable.

How Speedify Helps with High Latency

Speedify can't reduce the physical latency of a single internet connection, but it can help minimize the impact of high latency in a few ways.

1. Transport Protocol Options

Speedify offers several transport protocols. TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) Multiple and UDP (User Datagram Protocol) generally perform best on connections with higher latency and can help maximize performance. You can read more about these options in the Transport Mode article.

2. Automatic Routing to the Lowest-Latency Connection

When you have multiple internet connections available, Speedify automatically sends your internet traffic over the connection with the lowest latency, so you get the fastest possible response times.

3. Dynamic Traffic Shifting

Speedify continuously monitors the latency of each of your connections. If one connection experiences a latency spike, Speedify shifts your internet traffic to a better-performing connection so the spike doesn't affect your experience.

4. Redundant Mode

Speedify's Redundant mode sends packets over multiple connections simultaneously and delivers whichever copy arrives first. This is especially useful for latency-sensitive applications like gaming or stock trading, where every millisecond counts.