 you may not even have to deal with these attacks. And when you do, you’ll solve them quickly.
While diagnosing the cause of packet loss is straightforward, some of these causes can be difficult to remedy.
For instance, when your software isn’t working correctly, you may have to wait for the developer to come up with an update to remove the bug. An immediate fix isn’t available most of the time, so you might have to look for an alternative software solution that doesn’t cause packet loss.
Changing the hardware isn’t always better, either.
Upgrading or replacing your modem, router, and cables cost money, which can be an issue for businesses with tight budgets. There is not much you can do as changing hardware is usually the last resort if nothing else is working to eliminate or minimize packet loss.
If you end up getting targeted by a cybercriminal, you’ll have to deal with DoS attacks. And if you don’t resolve the problem soon, your network will end up crashing. You’ll need advanced cybersecurity to prevent such attacks, which again won’t be cheap.
Step 1 — Detect Packet Loss Using Your Computer’s OS
You can detect packet loss in two ways.
The first is visiting this packet loss test website. You simply have to run a quick test to see the results on your network. This method is best if you are short on time and want more immediate results.
The other method is more thorough and direct, where you use the Command Prompt or PowerShell in Windows or visit the Terminal folder on Macs to see packet loss.
Seeing Packet Loss in Windows
Right-click on the Start button, and then select Windows PowerShell (Admin) on the displayed menu.
Then you have to type ‘Ping’ followed by your router‘s address (you can find the router address through this guide).
In the results, you see a percentage next to Loss. Something like this:
This number should be zero as it indicates all packets have reached their destination. Keep in mind that this test is merely local. If you want to see the packet loss between a website and your PC, you’ll need to type in a different command prompt.
This new prompt will be Ping www.thewebsitename.com
Keep in mind that by using the ping command, you’re only sending and receiving four packets. If you want a more extended test, you’ll have to type the following: Ping www.thewebsitename.com -t
This test will continue until you press the Ctrl + C key combination to put a stop to it.
Seeing Packet Loss in macOS
For Mac devices, you can use the Terminal folder to run the command prompt: Ping 127.0.0.1.
You’ll find this folder either pinned to the dock (the lower menu bar you see as soon as you open your device) or in the Other folder after clicking on the Launchpad icon.
Seeing Packet Loss in Linux
For Linux, also you need to click on Terminal to run the command prompt.
You’ll find Terminal in the Linux apps folder on the Launcher. And in this case, the command will be the same as macOS (Ping 127.0.0.1).
Once you run the ping command, the test will run indefinitely, just like the ping -t command in Windows. You’ll have to type the Ctrl + C or Command + C key combination, depending on your device, to stop the test.
While carrying out these tests, you’ll notice that random drops are inevitable, and that’s okay. It’s a continuous packet loss that’s the problem.
Step 2 — Diagnose the Different Causes of Packet Loss
There are four different causes of packet loss. I’ll explain how you can detect each one of them below.
Detecting Bandwidth Congestion
Congestion is inevitable, especially during the busiest time of the day. A congested network experiences high latency, higher than normal loss rates, and jitter increases, which is why they’re so undesirable.
Monitor your network by looking at your latency, loss rates, and jitter to measure congestion and see how they vary during the day. If you’re lucky, the congestion will only last a few minutes, but it can also take longer.
Detecting Faulty Network Wires
Wired networks handle a lot of traffic. If they start to deteriorate, you will face packet loss issues as data sent inefficiently