Understanding Internet Latency: Why It Matters More Than Speed for Rural Internet
When shopping for internet service, everyone focuses on download speed. "How many Mbps do I get?" is the first question. But there's another metric that often matters more for daily experience: latency.
Latency is the delay between when you take an action and when it happens. It's why some internet connections feel responsive and snappy while others feel sluggish—even when they have the same download speed.
For rural homeowners who work from home, game online, or have frequent video calls, understanding latency is crucial to choosing the right internet service.
About SimNet: We provide both cellular home internet and managed Starlink services, so we're technology-agnostic. This article explains latency honestly—we benefit when you choose the right technology for your needs, not when we push one solution over another.
What Is Latency? (In Plain English)
Latency measures how long it takes for data to travel from your device to a server on the internet and back. It's measured in milliseconds (ms).
Think of it like this:
You click a link on a website
Your computer sends a request to the server hosting that website
The server sends back the webpage
Latency is the round-trip time for that exchange
Lower latency = faster response = better experience.
Real-world comparison:
Low latency (30ms): You click, and things happen instantly. Video calls feel natural. Games respond immediately.
Moderate latency (80ms): Slight delay, but most activities work fine. Some gaming lag.
High latency (600ms): You click, then wait a noticeable moment. Video calls have awkward delays. Games feel laggy.
That difference between 30ms and 600ms is only 0.57 seconds, but your brain perceives it clearly. Everything feels sluggish and frustrating.
Why Download Speed Gets All the Attention
Internet providers market download speed because:
Bigger numbers sound more impressive (100 Mbps! 200 Mbps!)
It's easy to understand (more = better)
Speed tests show it prominently
Most people don't know latency exists
But here's what they don't tell you: For most household activities, 50 Mbps is plenty. What varies dramatically is latency.
You don't need 500 Mbps to stream Netflix or have smooth Zoom calls. You need consistent, low-latency internet.
When Latency Matters More Than Speed
Video Conferencing (Critical)
What's happening: Real-time audio and video communication Bandwidth needed: 3-5 Mbps Latency impact: Massive
High latency creates the awkward video call experience where:
You ask a question, the other person starts answering before they hear you
Two people talk at once because of the delay
Conversations feel stilted and unnatural
You're constantly saying "Can you hear me?" and "You froze"
Latency requirements:
Under 100ms: Conversations feel natural
100-150ms: Slight delay, but workable
Over 150ms: Noticeably awkward
Over 300ms: Barely usable
Reality check: A 100 Mbps connection with 600ms latency will give you a worse video call experience than a 25 Mbps connection with 30ms latency.
This is why cellular internet (30-50ms) often provides better video call quality than traditional satellite internet (600ms+), despite satellite offering higher speeds.
Online Gaming (Critical)
What's happening: Real-time gameplay with split-second timing Bandwidth needed: 3-5 Mbps Latency impact: Everything
In competitive gaming, latency determines whether you win or lose. The difference between 30ms and 100ms latency is whether your character reacts instantly or noticeably lags.
Gaming latency requirements:
Under 50ms: Excellent, competitive level
50-100ms: Good, playable
100-150ms: Noticeable lag, casual play only
Over 150ms: Frustrating, competitive play impossible
The irony: Gaming uses very little bandwidth. Most games need only 3-5 Mbps. But they need low latency.
Modern Starlink (40-80ms average) is actually playable for gaming—a huge improvement over traditional satellite. But cellular internet (30-50ms) still has an edge for competitive gaming due to more consistent latency.
VPN Connections (Significant)
What's happening: Encrypted tunnel to company network Bandwidth impact: Minimal Latency impact: Doubles your effective latency
VPN adds another round trip to every request:
Your computer → VPN server → actual destination → VPN server → your computer
If your baseline latency is 30ms, VPN adds another 30ms. Total: 60ms. Still responsive.
If your baseline latency is 80ms, VPN adds another 80ms. Total: 160ms. Noticeably slower.
If your baseline latency is 300ms (old satellite), VPN adds another 300ms. Total: 600ms. Every click feels agonizingly slow.
Remote workers: This is why some rural workers complain their company VPN is unbearably slow. It's not the VPN—it's high baseline latency being doubled.
Both cellular and modern Starlink work reasonably well with VPNs. Traditional satellite does not.
Cloud Applications (Moderate)
What's happening: Every action requires server communication Examples: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Salesforce, cloud-based accounting
Unlike locally installed software, cloud apps send every action to a server:
Formatting text in Google Docs
Loading a spreadsheet in Excel Online
Searching in Salesforce
Refreshing data in QuickBooks Online
Each action incurs the latency penalty.
User experience:
30-50ms latency: Cloud apps feel nearly instant
80-100ms latency: Slight delay, but acceptable
150ms+ latency: Noticeable lag, frustrating to use
Web Browsing (Moderate)
What's happening: Loading web pages and clicking links Latency impact: Page load speed
When you click a link, your browser:
Looks up the domain (DNS lookup)
Connects to the server
Requests the page
Receives the response
Each step incurs latency. Lower latency means faster page loads, even with the same download speed.
Practical difference:
30ms latency: Pages load snappily
80ms latency: Good loading speed
300ms latency: Noticeable delay before pages start loading
Streaming Video (Minimal)
What's happening: Buffered video playback Bandwidth needed: 5-25 Mbps depending on quality Latency impact: Almost none
This is where latency doesn't matter much. Video streaming buffers ahead, so latency only affects the initial load time. Once playing, latency is irrelevant.
Why this matters: Both cellular and Starlink work great for Netflix despite their latency differences because Netflix buffers. But cellular has an edge for Zoom calls that can't buffer.
Latency by Internet Type: The Reality
Different internet technologies have inherently different latency characteristics based on physics and distance:
Fiber Optic Internet
Typical latency: 5-15ms Why so fast: Fiber carries data as light at nearly the speed of light through direct underground cables
The gold standard. If you have fiber available, this is your best option for latency and speed.
Cable Internet (Coaxial)
Typical latency: 15-30ms
Why fast: Relatively direct connection to provider network through underground cables
Excellent latency performance. Common in suburban areas, rare in rural locations.
DSL (Phone Lines)
Typical latency: 20-40ms Why variable: Depends on distance from central office
Can have good latency if you're close to the phone company equipment. Performance degrades with distance.
Fixed Wireless / Cellular Home Internet
Typical latency: 30-50ms Why: Ground-based towers within 1-10 miles
Very good latency for rural areas. Close enough to towers that round-trip time is minimal. This is SimNet's cellular internet typical performance.
Physics explanation: If a cell tower is 5 miles away, data travels 10 miles round trip. At the speed of light through air, that's essentially instant—the processing time at the tower and carrier network adds the measurable latency.
Satellite Internet (Starlink - Low Earth Orbit)
Typical latency: 40-80ms (advertised), 40-120ms (real-world with occasional spikes) Why higher: Satellites are 340 miles above Earth
Data travels:
Your dish → Satellite (340 miles up)
Satellite → Ground station
Ground station → Internet
Then the reverse path back
Physics creates unavoidable delay. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second, but 680+ miles round trip plus processing time adds up. Some Starlink users report latency spikes to 150-200ms during satellite handoffs.
This is a massive improvement over traditional satellite (600-800ms), making Starlink actually usable for video calls and gaming.
Traditional Satellite (HughesNet, Viasat - Geostationary)
Typical latency: 600-800ms Why terrible: Satellites are 22,300 miles above Earth (geostationary orbit)
Unusable for video calls and gaming. Data travels 44,600 miles round trip—physics dictates the delay.
How to Test Your Current Latency
Want to know your current latency? Easy.
Method 1: Speed test (Simple)
Go to speedtest.net
Click "Go"
Look at the "Ping" result (this is your latency in milliseconds)
Method 2: Ping test (More accurate)
Open Command Prompt (Windows) or Terminal (Mac)
Type:
ping google.comPress Enter
Look at the "time=" values (your latency)
Run the test several times throughout the day to see how consistent your latency is. Consistency matters as much as the average.
Latency vs Speed: What You Really Need
Here's the truth most internet providers won't tell you:
For typical household activities, here's what actually matters:
Video Calls (Zoom, Teams, FaceTime):
Speed needed: 5 Mbps per call
Latency needed: Under 100ms
Winner: Latency matters 10x more than speed
Online Gaming:
Speed needed: 3-5 Mbps
Latency needed: Under 50ms for competitive, under 100ms for casual
Winner: Latency is everything
4K Streaming (Netflix, YouTube):
Speed needed: 25 Mbps
Latency needed: Doesn't matter (buffered)
Winner: Speed matters, latency doesn't
Working from Home (VPN, cloud apps):
Speed needed: 10-25 Mbps
Latency needed: Under 100ms
Winner: Both matter, latency slightly more
General Browsing:
Speed needed: 10 Mbps
Latency needed: Under 100ms
Winner: Both contribute to experience
The pattern: Real-time activities need low latency. Buffered activities need adequate speed.
Real-World Scenario: Remote Worker
Let's compare three internet options for someone working from home:
Option A: Cellular Home Internet (SimNet)
Speed: 50 Mbps download
Latency: 35ms consistent
Cost: $99/month, no equipment fee
Option B: Starlink (Consumer Direct)
Speed: 150 Mbps download
Latency: 60ms average, spikes to 120ms
Cost: $120/month + $499 equipment
Option C: Managed Starlink (SimNet Business)
Speed: 150 Mbps download
Latency: 60ms average
Cost: Higher than direct, includes professional support and failover options
Daily work activities:
Morning video call (9 AM):
Option A: Natural conversation flow, feels in-person
Option B: Slight delay noticeable, occasional awkward talking-over-each-other
Option C: Same as B, but professional support if issues arise
Working in cloud apps (all day):
Option A: Snappy, feels like local software
Option B: Acceptable responsiveness, occasional waiting
Option C: Same as B, with monitoring and optimization
Connecting via VPN:
Option A: 35ms becomes 70ms, still responsive
Option B: 60ms becomes 120ms, noticeable lag on every click
Option C: Same as B, but support team can optimize VPN performance
Lunch break Netflix:
Option A: Perfect, buffers ahead, HD/4K works fine
Option B: Perfect, buffers ahead, 4K no problem
Option C: Perfect
Afternoon client video presentation:
Option A: Smooth screen sharing
Option B: Works but screenshare lags slightly
Option C: Works, with failover to cellular if satellite has weather issues
For this remote worker: Option A (cellular) provides the best daily experience for residential use due to lower, more consistent latency. Option C (managed Starlink with cellular failover) makes sense if this is business-critical and location has no cellular coverage.
Why Different Technologies Have Different Latency
Cellular Internet's Low Latency: Ground-based cellular towers are typically 1-10 miles from your location. Data travels:
Your router → Cell tower (1-10 miles)
Cell tower → Carrier network → Internet
Reverse path back
Total distance: Perhaps 20 miles round trip. Processing time at tower and network adds latency, resulting in 30-50ms typical.
Starlink's Moderate Latency: Satellites orbit 340 miles above Earth. Data travels:
Your dish → Satellite (340 miles up)
Satellite → Ground station
Ground station → Internet
Reverse path back
Total distance: 680+ miles round trip, plus satellite processing, plus ground station routing. Physics dictates 40-80ms minimum, with spikes during satellite handoffs.
This is genuinely impressive for satellite technology—65 times closer than traditional satellites makes Starlink actually usable for real-time applications.
The Trade-off:
Cellular: Lower latency, but requires nearby tower coverage
Starlink: Higher latency, but works almost anywhere with clear sky view
Neither is "better"—they're different technologies with different strengths.
Making the Right Choice for Your Needs
Understanding latency helps you choose the right internet service for your actual usage:
Choose cellular internet if you:
Have any cellular coverage at your location
Work from home with video calls and VPN
Game online competitively
Use cloud-based business applications
Value the most responsive, snappy internet experience
Choose Starlink (direct or managed) if you:
Have zero cellular coverage at your location
Need internet where cellular towers don't reach
Prioritize maximum download speed over latency
Can accept 40-80ms latency for your use cases
Are primarily streaming and downloading (latency doesn't matter much)
Choose managed Starlink (SimNet business service) if you:
Need Starlink but require professional support
Want failover capabilities (hybrid with cellular backup)
Run a business that depends on connectivity
Need priority data management and monitoring
The Honest Bottom Line
Internet speed is like horsepower in a car—more is nice, but beyond a certain point, it doesn't improve your daily experience.
Latency is like response time—it affects every interaction.
For rural homeowners:
Cellular Internet: Lower latency (30-50ms), adequate speed (25-100 Mbps), lower cost
Starlink: Higher speed (50-200 Mbps), moderate latency (40-80ms), higher cost
Managed Starlink: Same as Starlink, plus professional support and failover options
The choice depends on your specific situation:
Have cellular coverage? Cellular usually provides better value and performance for residential use
No cellular coverage? Starlink is excellent technology that actually works for rural areas
Business critical? Managed Starlink with professional support and failover makes sense
SimNet offers both, so we can recommend what actually works best for you—not push one technology because it's all we sell.
Next Step
Test your current internet latency at speedtest.net. Look at the "Ping" result.
If it's over 100ms and you struggle with video calls or gaming, you might benefit from lower-latency internet
If it's 30-80ms, you're in good shape for most activities
If it's 600ms+, you're on old satellite technology—both cellular and Starlink would be major upgrades
SimNet offers free coverage checks to see if cellular home internet with 30-50ms latency works at your rural location. If it doesn't, we can provide managed Starlink with professional support instead.
Visit simnetwireless.com to learn more about both options—we'll recommend what's actually right for your situation.
