Ping times change over time only to a certain server

Question

The problem happens only to a certain server from a nearby country. When i test the ping to that server, i get 30-40 ms today, then tomorrow i'll get 240-250 ms. Sometimes, an hour later it'll be 50-60 ms and then later gets higher or maybe lower (The response times are stable, so it's most likely not due to a congested link). I use the same ip to test the server and my connection is perfectly fine. This problem happens only to this certain server or the ISP itself. I tried tracert, but nothing seems out of ordinary (The forward path doesn't indicate any issues, only after entering the very first hop of this particular ISP backbone of the server. I would assume it has something to do with the reverse path but i'm not sure). It's a permanent issue, but not really much of an issue. It's quite baffling seeing how ping times change occasionally from time to time and never sticks to a specific number like any other servers. I don't understand. Can anyone please explain to me why the traffic time changes or rather, the routing table changes here and there?

Answer 1

The internet is dynamic. Routes and load are managed by high level protocols like BGP that care very little for one specific route. You’re a retail user, your traffic will never be prioritized, busy link = buffers fill up = frames have to wait = ping spikes. It’s like the T1’s fault, all you can do is vote with your wallet.