What does jitter refer to in networking?

Jitter refers specifically to the variation in time delays in packet arrivals over a network. This means that even if packets are sent out consecutively, some may arrive sooner or later than others, leading to irregularities in the flow of data.

In real-time applications such as video conferencing or online gaming, high levels of jitter can cause noticeable disruptions in service quality, such as choppy audio or video. Minimizing jitter is essential for maintaining a smooth and consistent user experience.

The other options pertain to different networking concepts: packet loss involves the number of packets that fail to reach their destination during transmission, bitrate describes the speed of data transfer in a network connection, and physical distance refers to how far apart devices are from each other, none of which accurately capture the definition of jitter.