Picture this: you’ve made it to the final round of interviews for your dream job, and you’re anxiously chatting to the CEO on a video call. Everything’s going great when, suddenly, the video freezes and the conversation goes from a fluid exchange to intermittent blasts of sound neither of you can understand. What’s going on?!
The answer is probably a rather mundane issue called packet loss.
Packet loss occurs when packets of data are lost in the communication between a you and your network. When this happens, the lost data packets must be re-sent, which causes latency (sometimes known as lag or ping), in the system. Occasionally, the data packets are simply lost altogether, meaning your video, game or call will skip whole sections intermittently.
5 Ways to Fix Packet Loss
If you think packet loss is affecting your network, there are a few measures you can take to get rid of the problem.
1. Upgrade your hardware
Outdated or faulty hardware, such as a router or cable, is one issue that can result in data loss. Properly maintaining your networking hardware – and upgrading where necessary – will reduce the risk of it impacting your data packets.
2. Reboot your device
Restarting networking devices and routers improves their performance by enabling software updates to be completed. Doing this regularly is one way of optimizing performance and preventing lost data.
3. Check your network connections
It might sound basic, but it’s still important. Check the connections and configuration of your networking set-up. A loose connection can make a big difference to their throughput. The greater the capacity of your network, the less you’ll need to worry about lost packets.
4. Use QOS settings
Quality-of-service (QOS) settings allow you to configure your network in a way that prioritises specific applications. This is another way to optimize network performance, and minimize frictions.
5. Use an ethernet cable instead of WiFi
Lost data packets are more common with a Wi-Fi connection. Try using an Ethernet wire instead for more reliable data transmission.
What Causes Packet Loss Anyway?
Lost data packets is a very common problem in networks. Here are a few of the culprits that tend to cause it.
Network congestion
Networks have a set capacity, and can become congested when they are carrying significant traffic. When there is too much traffic and the network cannot accommodate more, sometimes it will discard packets of data. This is one cause of packet loss.
Outdated network hardware
Obsolete network devices, including routers and switches, can significantly slow down network performance. Businesses that are expanding often face packet loss due to connectivity challenges and encounter delays due to equipment that hasn’t kept pace with their growth. To ensure a smooth flow of data, it’s crucial to upgrade these components to match increasing data demands.
Outdated software
Software can also have a big impact on your network, and whether packet loss is an issue. Thorough software checks and timely system updates are essential to avoid glitches that could lead to packet loss. Restarting your system, applying the latest software update, or installing a specific patch could resolve these glitches.
Cyber attacks
A security breach or cyber attack can interfere with a network, causing lost packets. Common attacks include denial-of-service (DoS) assaults, which can be deployed remotely via your IP address.
How to Run a Packet Loss Test
If you’re trying to fix packet loss, the first step will of course be understanding the extent of the problem. For this, you’ll need to run a packet loss test to analyse just how much data is being lost. From there, you can take measures to mitigate the problem.
You can easily test packet loss on your Windows or MAC system, or run a test online.
For Windows OS
You can test for packet loss on a Windows OS by using commands.
- Begin by opening Command Prompt, by pressing “Windows” + “R”. In the dialogue box that opens, type CMD and then press ENTER. This will open the command prompt dialogue box.
- Next, enter the command ping -n 100 1.1.1.1 and hit enter. This tells your system to send out Pings, defines which server to send them too and ensures the results will be summarized for you afterwards.
- Once the test is completed, a summary of results will be shown on your screen. Here, you’ll be able to see the percentage of data packages that were lost during the test. This will show whether there is packet loss in your network communication, and the extent of the problem.
For Mac
If you use MacOS and feel your network is slow or inconsistent, it’s worth testing for lost data packets. This is a fairly easy process using the MacOS Terminal program.
Here’s how to do it yourself:
- Press Command + Space simultaneously, and in the pop-up box, click Terminal.
- Type, or copy/paste the command ping 1.1.1.1 and press Enter.
- Terminal will automatically begin sending pings (notifications) to the IP address 1.1.1.1 Let the process continue for at least 50 pings.
- After 50 pings, press CONTROL + C simultaneously. This will stop the process and produce a summary of the results.
- You can analyse the summary to see the percentage of pings that suffered packet loss. This means you’ll understand how significant packet loss is on your network, and how to handle it.
Closing Thoughts
Whether you consider yourself technical or not, the vast majority of us use networking on a daily basis. Knowing the basics about your network and how it functions means a better user experience, and more options for you online.
So put fear aside and get familiar with some networking terms: the pay-off is worth it.
