LAN & WAN Latency

OvrC Network Health runs a latency test through the internet service provider (ISP) or wide area network (WAN) and a device on the local area network (LAN). Latency tests measure the amount of time (in milliseconds) for a packet of data to travel between devices, reach its destination, then read the packet. Performing these tests introduces little traffic on the network and can be performed more often without an impact on the network performance.

Configuration

  1. Navigate to the customer’s Site Settings page and scroll down to OvrC Pro Settings.

  2. Select a Target Device and test Frequency (1, 6, 12, or 24 hours) for the LAN test. The router is selected by default. Choose a different device if the router is being used for the OvrC Network Scan. Like the core network switch.

  1. Select a Target Device and test Frequency (1, 6, 12, or 24 hours) for the WAN test. OvrC measures the WAN latency by measuring the response time between the OvrC Pro device that is scanning the networks and a public IP address or URL.

Pro Tip: Use the WAN gateway to provide the most accurate and consistent results because it’s the first address your network must contact when accessing the internet.

How is it different from SPEEDTEST?

SPEEDTESTS can only be run sparingly, leaving gaps of time without network performance data and no insight into potential issues. They also take more time and processing power to run. Read How does the OvrC Speed Test Work? to learn about how a speed test is run.

Identifying Issues

The latency test results are displayed on the Customer’s Dashboard. When measuring latency, the lower the response time the better. It’s normal to see individual spikes or dips over time.

Below is an example of a typical network latency history, with measurable and consistent change.

Testing the WAN and LAN latency separately helps identify an issue's source.

For example, if a customer reports that the internet is slow and the WAN latency has significantly increased while the LAN latency has not changed, the issue is likely related to the ISP or the modem.

If the reading were switched, where the LAN latency was increased and WAN latency remained low, the local network needs to be troubleshot.

It’s important to understand that latency, by itself, is not indicative of a problem but measuring it is a valuable tool when troubleshooting issues. Specific to WAN latency, different types of internet services yield different results.

For example, fiber and cable services typically have lower latency measurements than satellite or other types of wireless providers. The important thing to monitor is a change in performance.

What causes high latency?

High latency is often caused by long cable runs, physical issues in cabling or terminations, or low resources (CPU and memory) on the device being pinged. Wi-Fi connections have added latency introduced by wireless obstacles