Jitter

Jitter is defined as a variation in the delay of received packets. At the sending side, packets are sent in a continuous stream with the packets spaced evenly apart. Due to network congestion, improper queuing, or configuration errors, this steady stream can become lumpy, or the delay between each packet can vary instead of remaining constant. Jitter can cause a display monitor to flicker; poor voice quality; affect the ability of the processor in a personal computer to perform as intended; introduce clicks or other undesired effects in audio signals, and a loss of transmitted data between network devices. Today, there are some devices or circuits that can be used to reduce or handle jitter such as, anti-jitter circuits, jitter buffers, dejitterizer and filters.