---
title: "Test for call stutter · Kilobat Recipes"
url: "https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/test-call-stutter"
description: "Find the short latency spikes that make calls, game streams and remote desktops stutter, see if they repeat, and test whether pausing AirDrop helps."
---

Recipe

# Test for call stutter

A speed test averages its pings, so short spikes disappear. The stutter test pings every 50 ms and shows each spike.

Stutter test: free · Compare with low-latency on: Kilobat Pro · Checked: 29 October 2026

## In the app

1. Open the dashboard and click the Health tab.
2. Find Stutter test and click Run test. It pings your router every 50 ms for 20 seconds.
3. Read the Median, the Spikes and the Worst ping. Spikes show in rose.
4. If the spikes repeat at a regular interval, click Compare with low-latency on. This needs Pro.
5. In the Wi-Fi menu, choose Show Bluetooth devices. A tag marks devices that share 2.4 GHz with your Wi-Fi.

## With the CLI

1. Run the test against your router.

   ```
   kilobat stutter
   ```

   Output p50, p95, p99 and the worst ping, the spikes with their times, the `pattern` and a verdict.
2. Run it against the internet to see if the spikes start beyond your router.

   ```
   kilobat stutter --target internet --seconds 60
   ```
3. Pause AirDrop and AWDL for one hour during the call. macOS asks for an administrator.

   ```
   kilobat low-latency on --for 1h
   ```

   Needs an administrator password.
4. Restore AirDrop and AWDL.

   ```
   kilobat low-latency off
   ```

   Needs an administrator password.
5. List Bluetooth devices that share 2.4 GHz with Wi-Fi.

   ```
   kilobat bluetooth
   ```

## Through MCP

Connect the MCP server once with `claude mcp add kilobat -- kilobat mcp`. For other clients, see [the docs](https://kilobat.app/docs#agents). Then an agent can call these tools. Tools that change settings tell the agent to ask you first.

| Tool and arguments | What it does |
|---|---|
| `run_stutter_test` `{"seconds": 20, "target": "router"}` | Sends pings only. Returns `latencyMs`, `spikes`, `periodSeconds`, `pattern` and a `verdict`. |
| `get_nearby_radios` | Whether the AirDrop link is active and what uses it, and Bluetooth devices that share the band. |

## Good to know

- Regular spikes on the router test often come from AWDL, the link that AirDrop uses. Other causes can look the same, so test before you decide.
- Many routers answer only about ten pings a second. Kilobat marks this as `pingRateLimited`, not as real loss.
- There is no MCP tool for the low-latency pause. Run it in your own Terminal.

## Sources

- [Kilobat docs: Stutter test](https://kilobat.app/docs#stutter)
- [Kilobat skill: video-call-network-check](https://github.com/seifip/kilobat-skills/tree/main/skills/video-call-network-check)
- [Kilobat llms.txt: CLI and MCP reference](https://kilobat.app/llms.txt)

Sources checked on 29 October 2026. Man pages are the ones installed with macOS; open one with `man <name>` in Terminal.

## Related guides

- [Video calls stutter or freeze on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/video-call-stutter-mac): Calls need steady latency and steady upload more than high speed.
- [AirDrop, AWDL and latency spikes in games and calls](https://kilobat.app/guides/awdl-airdrop-latency-spikes): AWDL is the Apple Wireless Direct Link.
- [Bluetooth headphones and Wi-Fi interference on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/bluetooth-wifi-interference): Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi use the same radio band.
- [Bufferbloat: calls lag when the network is busy](https://kilobat.app/guides/bufferbloat-mac): Bufferbloat is latency that network devices add when they hold too much data in their buffers.