Packet loss is a serious problem that can negatively impact various applications and services. It is important to know how to test and fix Packet Loss to ensure that you have a stable and reliable connection.
Packet loss is a term used to describe a situation when a portion of data sent or received over a network does not reach its destination. Packet loss can occur for a variety of reasons, such as signal interference, hardware errors, configuration errors, network overloads, or DDoS attacks. Packet loss can cause various problems, such as decreased quality of VoIP calls, video buffering, lag in online games, or file transfer errors.
To find out if you experience packet loss or not, you can use some of Windows’ built-in tools, such as Command Prompt, PowerShell, or Resource Monitor. These tools can help you measure packet loss between your computer and the destination server, as well as identify weak points in your network path.
Here are the steps to use those tools:
Using Command Prompt
Command Prompt is a command-line tool that lets you execute various commands to manage your system and network. One of the commands you can use to measure packet loss is ping.
A ping is a command that sends a small packet of data to the destination IP address or domain name and waits for a reply. Pinging can tell you how long it took for data packets to go back and forth, as well as how many packets were lost in the process.
To use ping, follow these steps:
- Open Command Prompt by pressing the Windows + R key, typing cmd, and pressing Enter.
- Type the following command, where <target> is the IP address or domain name you want to test, for example google.com:
ping <target>- Press Enter and wait for the result. You will see several lines of output indicating the response time (in milliseconds) and the status of the packet (either successful or failed). Examples are as follows:
- Pay attention to the last line showing ping statistics. You can see how many packets were sent, received, and lost, as well as the percentage of packet loss. If you see a number other than 0% in the packet loss section, you are experiencing packet loss. The higher the percentage, the worse your connection will be.
Use PowerShell
PowerShell is a more advanced command-line tool than Command Prompt, which allows you to run various scripts and modules to manage your system and network. One of the modules you can use to measure packet loss is Test-NetConnection. Test-NetConnection is a command that tests a network connection to a destination IP address or domain name, and provides detailed information about the results, including packet loss.
To use Test-NetConnection, follow these steps:
- Open PowerShell by pressing Windows key + X, and select Windows PowerShell or Windows PowerShell (Admin) from the menu that appears.
- Type the following command, where <target> is the IP address or domain name you want to test, for example google.com:
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName <target> -InformationLevel Detailed- Press Enter and wait for the result. You will see several lines of output showing information about your network connection, such as local IP address and distance, protocol, port, status, response time, and packet loss. Examples are as follows:
- Note the lines that indicate PingSucceeded and PingReplies. You can see whether the ping was successful or not, as well as details about each ping reply, including packet size, response time, and status. If you see a TimedOut or DestinationUnreachable status in one of the ping replies, you’re experiencing packet loss. You can also calculate the packet loss percentage by dividing the number of packets lost by the number of packets sent, and multiplying it by 100.