PHYSICS OF THE INTERNET
Find the physical limits behind network latency
Turn distance, orbit and frequency into transparent lower-bound calculations. Compare measured ping with propagation time without pretending that a simplified model can predict an exact route.
CALCULATORS & EXPLAINERS
Fiber Latency Calculator: Distance to Ping RTT
In typical optical fiber, a signal travels at roughly 204,000 km/s. The propagation-only round-trip time is twice the route length divided by that speed; real ping is higher because routes are indirect and networks add processing and queueing.Satellite Latency Calculator: LEO vs MEO vs GEO
Altitude strongly affects satellite latency. Even before routing and processing, a signal must travel from the ground to space and back; an RTT requires that propagation path twice.Wi-Fi Wavelength Calculator: 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz
Wavelength equals the speed of light divided by frequency. Higher-frequency Wi-Fi has a shorter wavelength, but indoor coverage also depends on power, channel width, antennas, walls, interference and receiver sensitivity.Free-Space Path Loss Calculator for Wi-Fi and RF
Free-space path loss increases with both distance and frequency. The calculator models unobstructed line-of-sight spreading only, so walls, reflections, antenna gain and interference must be evaluated separately.Distance from Ping Estimator
Ping cannot reveal a unique geographic distance. It can only provide a generous propagation ceiling because routing, processing and queueing consume part of the measured RTT.ExplainerIs 0 ms Ping Possible? Why Tests Show Zero
Exactly zero elapsed time is not possible across a real network. A displayed 0 ms can be a rounded sub-millisecond response, limited timer resolution or an unstarted test. Check the destination, precision and completed samples before interpreting it.ExplainerFiber Latency per km and 1,000 km: Delay & RTT
Using approximately 204,000 km/s in fiber, 1,000 km of optical path adds about 4.9 ms one way and 9.8 ms round trip before routing or equipment overhead.ExplainerLEO Satellite vs Fiber Latency
LEO is not automatically slower or faster than fiber. Fiber carries light more slowly than vacuum and may take indirect routes, while LEO paths add ground-space legs, gateways, handoffs and terrestrial backhaul.ExplainerNew York to London Ping: Minimum RTT Explained
New York and London are about 5,570 km apart. Even a perfect 5,570 km fiber path has a propagation-only RTT near 54.6 ms at 204,000 km/s; a real cable and terrestrial route is longer and adds network overhead.Methodology first
Every calculator shows its assumptions and separates a physical lower bound from measured network performance. Values are estimates derived from disclosed formulas, not availability promises or precise route measurements.