Free Packet Loss Test
— Check Your Internet Online
Run a real-time packet loss test, ping test, and jitter test directly in your browser. Our free packet loss checker and tester diagnoses dropped packets, high latency, and unstable connections — built for gaming, streaming, video calls, and remote work. No software, no download, no signup.
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How to check packet loss online (5 ways)
There are five reliable ways to test packet loss on your connection. The fastest is the browser-based packet loss checker above — no installation required. The others give you more control over the target server and let you test from the command line. Pick the one that matches your platform.
Use the free online packet loss tester above
The packet loss checker at the top of this page works in any browser on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, or Android. Press Run Test, wait 20–80 seconds, and read your packet loss percentage, average ping, and jitter. No download, no signup, no extension required.
Test packet loss on Windows (Command Prompt)
Open the Start menu, type cmd, and press Enter. In the Command Prompt window, run ping -n 100 1.1.1.1. After 100 pings, read the Lost = X (Y% loss) line at the bottom of the output. Anything above 1% is a problem. Replace 1.1.1.1 with any IP or hostname to test against a specific server (such as your game server).
Test packet loss on Mac or Linux (Terminal)
Open Terminal (Cmd+Space → terminal on Mac) and run ping -c 100 1.1.1.1. After 100 pings, look for the X packets transmitted, Y received, Z% packet loss summary line. For continuous monitoring, drop the -c 100 flag and watch the packet loss percentage live.
Check packet loss to a specific server or IP
If a particular game, video call, or streaming service is laggy, test against its IP directly rather than a generic endpoint. On Windows: ping -n 100 [server IP]. On Mac/Linux: ping -c 100 [server IP]. For path-level diagnosis, use tracert (Windows) or traceroute (Mac/Linux) to find where loss is occurring between you and the destination.
Check packet loss from your router admin panel
Most modern routers include a built-in WAN diagnostic tool that pings your ISP's gateway. Log into your router (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1), find the Diagnostics or Ping section, and run a test. If you see loss at the router level but not from a wired device, the problem is between your router and the ISP — call them.
What is packet loss — and why does it matter?
Network packet loss occurs when one or more data packets travelling across an internet connection fail to reach their destination. Internet data is broken into small chunks called packets — and when even a small percentage fails to arrive, real-time applications like video calls, online gaming, and live streaming break down. Unlike web browsing, which silently retransmits lost packets in the background, these applications cannot wait for retransmission and instead skip the missing data — which is why you see freezes, audio glitches, rubber-banding, and dropped calls.
What is a good packet loss percentage?
0% is the gold standard for all internet use cases. 1–2% is acceptable for general browsing but causes noticeable issues in real-time apps. At 3%+, video calls drop, games lag, and streams buffer. Competitive shooters need under 0.5% to feel responsive.
What causes high packet loss?
The most common causes are WiFi interference, a faulty router or modem, ISP backbone congestion, damaged ethernet or coax cables, overloaded network switches, and faulty network drivers. Running this packet loss checker helps pinpoint whether the problem is on your side or upstream — for a fuller view, also diagnose your connection for outages and instability.
High packet loss but internet still works?
This happens because web browsers and downloads use TCP, which silently retransmits lost packets — so pages load and files complete even when loss is high. But gaming, video calls, and VoIP use UDP, which cannot retransmit because the data would arrive too late to use. So your browser feels normal while your game lags badly.
How to check packet loss on PC
Use our free online packet loss test above — no download, no install. On Windows, open Command Prompt and run ping -n 100 1.1.1.1. On Mac or Linux, open Terminal and run ping -c 100 1.1.1.1. Read the % loss summary in the output.
Packet loss vs latency, jitter, and bufferbloat
Packet loss is one of four key network quality metrics, and they're often confused. Speed test tools report bandwidth, but bandwidth alone doesn't tell you whether your connection is stable. Here's how the four metrics differ and which one is causing your issue.
| Metric | What it measures | Bad threshold | Main causes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Packet loss | Percentage of data packets that fail to arrive at their destination | > 1% | WiFi, faulty router, bad cables, ISP congestion |
| Latency (ping) | Round-trip time for a single packet, measured in milliseconds | > 100ms | Physical distance to server, routing inefficiency, ISP peering |
| Jitter | Variation in latency between consecutive packets | > 30ms | WiFi interference, network congestion, weak signal |
| Bufferbloat | Latency increase when the connection is under load | > 150ms loaded | Oversized router queues, no QoS, ISP modem buffers |
All four metrics affect real-time applications, but they require different fixes. Packet loss usually points to a faulty piece of hardware or upstream ISP issue. Latency is mostly determined by physics — the distance between you and the server. Jitter and bufferbloat are typically solvable with router upgrades or QoS settings. If you suspect bufferbloat, run our dedicated bufferbloat test. For pure latency, use our gaming ping test.
Packet loss by connection type
Not all connection types are equally prone to packet loss. Fiber-to-the-home is the most stable; mobile and satellite are the most variable. Here's what's typical for each — and what to watch for on your specific connection.
Pure fiber connections (Verizon Fios, Google Fiber, AT&T Fiber, Frontier Fiber) typically show 0% packet loss because there's no shared medium and signals don't degrade over distance. If you see loss on fiber, it's almost always your home WiFi, a bad ONT, or a router fault — not the fiber itself.
Cable internet (Xfinity, Spectrum, Cox, Optimum) is shared with neighbours in the same node. Peak-hour congestion, ingress noise from damaged coax, and aging amplifiers all cause intermittent loss. Loss that gets worse between 7–11pm strongly suggests node congestion — your ISP can move you to a less crowded segment.
DSL packet loss usually correlates with line distance from the DSLAM and copper line quality. Long lines, wet pair faults, and old splices create errors that surface as loss. If you've had DSL for years and loss is creeping up, the copper between you and the cabinet may be degrading.
Geostationary satellite (HughesNet, Viasat) has high latency (600ms+) but generally stable loss. LEO satellite (Starlink) has lower latency but more loss during satellite handoffs and bad weather. Expect 1–3% loss on Starlink as a baseline; rain fade and obstructions push it higher.
Fixed wireless (T-Mobile Home Internet, Verizon 5G Home) shares cellular spectrum with phones. Loss spikes during commute hours and at events. Mid-band 5G is more stable than low-band 4G LTE — but neither matches fiber for competitive gaming.
WiFi is the single most common source of home packet loss, regardless of how good your ISP is. 2.4GHz channels in apartments are congested; 5GHz signal drops sharply through walls; old standards (802.11n and earlier) drop packets under load. Always retest on ethernet to isolate WiFi as the cause.
Packet loss test for gaming
Competitive games are among the most packet-loss-sensitive applications on the internet. Use our real-time network packet loss monitor before and after gaming sessions to diagnose rubber-banding, teleporting enemies, hit registration issues, and input lag.
How to fix high packet loss
If your packet loss test shows results above 1%, work through these fixes in order. Most cases are resolved at home in under 30 minutes without needing to contact your ISP. Rerun the test after each step to see if it helped.
Restart your router & modem
Power-cycle both devices — unplug for 30 seconds, then plug the modem in first, wait two minutes, then the router. This clears memory, resets connections, and resolves the majority of temporary packet loss issues.
Switch to a wired ethernet connection
WiFi is the single biggest cause of packet loss at home. Plugging directly into your router with an ethernet cable eliminates wireless interference and dramatically improves stability. If wired is clean and WiFi isn't, the problem is your wireless setup.
Check for damaged cables
Inspect ethernet and coax cables for kinks, fraying, or loose connectors. A damaged cable can cause intermittent packet loss that's hard to trace. Swap each cable one at a time to isolate the culprit — start with the modem-to-router link.
Reduce network congestion
Disconnect other devices while testing. Background downloads, cloud syncs, streaming, and smart home devices all compete for bandwidth and can cause congestion-related loss. Use our bufferbloat tool to test your connection under load.
Update router firmware
Outdated router firmware causes instability, memory leaks, and dropped packets. Log into your router's admin panel and check for firmware updates — many routers update automatically when prompted. If yours hasn't updated in over a year, it's overdue.
Contact your ISP
If packet loss persists after all local fixes, the issue is likely upstream in your ISP's network. Run this test multiple times at different times of day and share the results with your ISP — they can diagnose line-level issues remotely. If the problem is ongoing, it may be time to find a better internet plan for gaming or compare internet providers in your area.
How our packet loss test works
Transparency matters when you're diagnosing a connection. Here's exactly what our packet loss checker does, what it tests against, and where its limits are.
What the test measures
Our packet loss test sends a sequence of small HTTP requests from your browser to Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 resolver endpoint, then measures whether each request returns within a 4-second timeout. Requests that complete count as successful packets; requests that time out or error count as lost packets.
- Packet count: 20, 50, 100, or 200 — you choose. More packets give more statistically meaningful loss percentages.
- Interval: 400ms between requests, similar to a standard
pingcommand. - Timeout: 4 seconds per request before counting as lost.
- Target: Cloudflare 1.1.1.1, an anycast resolver with sub-10ms latency to most US, EU, and APAC users.
Why HTTP, not ICMP?
Real ping commands use ICMP, which browsers cannot send for security reasons. So this test uses HTTPS requests as a proxy. The measurement is slightly noisier than a native ping (TCP handshake adds time) but the loss percentage closely tracks what you'd see from a command-line ping over the same period.
What this test can't detect
This test measures end-to-end loss between your browser and Cloudflare. It can't isolate whether the loss is on your WiFi, your ISP, or somewhere in the path. To pinpoint the location, follow up with a traceroute from your terminal to see which hop is dropping packets.
Common questions about packet loss
Packet loss glossary
Common networking terms you'll encounter when diagnosing packet loss issues.
- Packet
- A small chunk of network data — most internet traffic is broken into packets and reassembled at the destination.
- TCP
- The protocol used for web browsing, file downloads, and email. Automatically retransmits lost packets.
- UDP
- The protocol used for gaming, VoIP, and video calls. Does not retransmit — lost packets are simply skipped.
- RTT
- Round-Trip Time — how long a packet takes to travel from you to a server and back. Same thing as ping.
- ICMP
- The protocol used by the
pingcommand. Browsers can't send ICMP, so web tools use HTTP instead. - Anycast
- Routing technology where one IP (like 1.1.1.1) maps to many physical servers worldwide — you reach the closest one.
- QoS
- Quality of Service — router setting that prioritises gaming and video-call packets over downloads.
- Bufferbloat
- When router buffers grow too large during heavy use, causing latency to spike even when bandwidth is fine.