y the time of the day that’s most congested. You can then easily fix packet loss by sending information out when your network is less congested.
This may not be the best solution for VoIP connections, but you can schedule calls and conferences for non-peak times.
Experts also suggest increasing the bandwidth of the links undergoing packet loss to minimize the loss. You can adjust the arrangement of the network, making it prioritize real-time packets.
This won’t entirely eliminate the congestion, but it can reduce the chances of a drop.
Fixing Faulty Networking Wires
The obvious solution is to replace your faulty wires to create a better connection path (duh!). However, here are a few more tips to help you avoid faulty wire situations in the future:
- Make sure the wire jacket has lots of physical integrity and is durable. It shouldn’t wear off easily.
- Choose the proper wire category. For instance, a Cat 5 is a good option for small businesses, but companies having more than 1 Mbps internet connection would need a higher category to speed things up.
- Get a shield to prevent signal interference if you have several cables running together.
Fixing Software Issues
If you find your software is taking too much of your network’s bandwidth, it’s best to either restart your app or reboot your hardware. There may be times when the software is difficult to adjust, but in most cases, you’ll have an update to boost performance speed.
If the software remains buggy, you’ll simply have to wait for the development team to release an update to solve the issue, or you can choose an alternative solution that doesn’t cause packet loss.
Fixing Weak Wi-Fi Networks
It’s best to reset your Wi-Fi router to improve the signal. If only one device lacks a signal, just reset it to see whether it gets a stronger signal.
You can also use a Wi-Fi analyzer to determine if the packet loss is caused due to an issue in the Wi-Fi settings. If yes, set your device to access another Wi-Fi network or use a wired connection.
Step 4 — Make Other Changes to Your System
Other causes may be responsible for packet loss in your system, namely, obsolete hardware or network attacks. The remedial action will vary in both situations, which is why knowing the exact course of action is vital.
Upgrade or Replace Your Hardware
One of the biggest contributors to packet loss is old or defective hardware. Upgrading your modem or router might be your best bet if you’ve tried everything else and still couldn’t eliminate packet loss.
If you think your desktop network connection is the main cause of the problem, you can add a secondary network card instead of buying new hardware. This may not be possible with most laptop and tablet models, but it works perfectly well for desktop computers.
Having a dedicated IT team—if you can afford one—to keep up with VoIP hardware and servers is another alternative to minimize packet loss.
Handle Network Attacks
If you suspect a serious and ongoing packet loss due to network attacks like Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, check whether there is a specific IP address flooding traffic to your network.
DoS attacks overload your network with more requests than it can handle in an attempt to make it unusable or even crash it. This ends up making your network slower than normal, which, in turn, will make your files and websites open slowly and your VoIP calls to experience stuttering and jitter.
Once you find the IP address wreaking havoc on your system, simply block it. Eventually, your network will return to normal.
Investing in more advanced cybersecurity could block these attacks before any damage to your system. Another alternative is to switch to cloud services as it can also prevent or lessen the effects of DoS attacks.