Round-trip time, or RTT, is one of the key metrics for measuring speed and efficiency. If you’re new to networking, understanding it can help you grasp how data travels across the internet and how quickly it does so. With this article we aim to explain the crucial metric in simple terms, why it’s important, and how it impacts your online experience. So, without any further ado, let’s begin!
What is RTT (Round-Trip Time)?
RTT (Round-Trip Time) measures the time it takes for a data packet to travel from your device (like a computer or smartphone) to a server on the internet and back again to your device. In simpler terms, it’s the time taken for a message to go to the destination and for the response to come back.
Imagine sending a letter to a friend who lives far away. RTT is the time it takes for the letter to reach your friend and for your friend to send a reply back to you. In networking, however, this entire process happens in milliseconds.