Jitter

Jitter refers to a variation of the timings for a signal’s arrival, typically found in digital communication and signal processing. It usually involves random fluctuations in the timing of the signal, causing them to arrive later or earlier than they should. Jitter is problematic in various systems, such as telecommunications, computer networks and video/audio processing.

Jitter in networking can affect the quality of voice or video in calls by causing irregularities in the arrival of packets. It is measured in units of time (seconds) and can be quantified as absolute and relative jitter. Absolute is a deviation from the expected timings while relative considers variations between different signals.

Managing jitter is crucial for applications where timing is essential, suc has UC apps and video/audio streaming. Buffering synchronization and buffers are commonly employed to mitigate these effects.