Latency↔ distance calculator
Calculator
Distance
Medium / Path Type
Route Factor (fiber rarely runs straight)
Geography Guide — RTT Ranges (Single-mode Fiber, 1.3× Route Factor)
| RTT | One-Way | Est. Distance | Typical Scope |
|---|
Medium Comparison at Current Distance
| Medium | Velocity Factor | One-Way Latency | RTT |
|---|
Physics Notes
Speed of light in vacuum: 299,792 km/s (186,282 mi/s)
Single-mode fiber: ~197,614 km/s (0.66c) — refractive index ≈ 1.52
Route factor: Fiber is never laid in a straight line. Terrestrial routes add 20–50% over straight-line distance due to terrain, conduit paths, and right-of-way. Undersea cables add 10–30%.
Additional latency sources not modeled: queuing, serialization, optical amplifiers (~0.1ms each), protocol processing, switch/router forwarding delay.
Single-mode fiber: ~197,614 km/s (0.66c) — refractive index ≈ 1.52
Route factor: Fiber is never laid in a straight line. Terrestrial routes add 20–50% over straight-line distance due to terrain, conduit paths, and right-of-way. Undersea cables add 10–30%.
Additional latency sources not modeled: queuing, serialization, optical amplifiers (~0.1ms each), protocol processing, switch/router forwarding delay.