Built for Real-Time Problems
Use this test when games stutter, Discord audio cuts out, Zoom freezes, or a live stream drops frames while normal web pages still load.
Online packet loss, ping, and jitter check
Packet Loss Test
Check packet loss, latency, and jitter in your browser. No download, no account, no setup. Use it when games rubber-band, voice chat cuts out, video calls freeze, or your speed test looks fine but the connection still feels unstable.
WebRTC-based
Gaming / Voice presets
Latency & Jitter included
Quick setup
Tune the essentials, then start.
Test profile
Test duration
Server region
Packet loss test console
Live Test Console
Ready
Start with a short packet loss test. If the problem comes and goes, run a longer test and compare Wi-Fi, Ethernet, VPN, and busy-hour results.
Sent
0/150
Received
0
Live latency
N/A
Live jitter
N/A
Packet loss
0.00%
0.0 sec elapsed
No download required. Keep this tab open while the test sends real-time packets.
Quick answer
Quick Answer: What Does a Packet Loss Test Check?
A packet loss test checks whether small test packets arrive successfully, how long they take to return, and whether their timing is stable. It is useful when speed looks fine but games, voice chat, video calls, or live streams still feel unstable.
Packet loss
Whether packets are missing
Latency / ping
How long packets take to return
Jitter
How much timing changes between packets
Connection stability
Packet Loss Test Results You Can Act On
Speed is not the whole story. You can have fast downloads and still drop the small, time-sensitive packets that games, voice chat, video calls, and cloud gaming depend on. This page focuses on the practical question: what does the result mean, and what should you try next?
Read More Than One Number
Packet loss, latency, jitter, and late packets describe different failure modes. A clean loss result can still feel bad when jitter is high.
Compare Wi-Fi and Ethernet
Run one test on Wi-Fi and another on Ethernet before blaming your ISP. That single comparison often separates wireless trouble from line trouble.
Collect Useful Evidence
Save results before and after changing cables, router placement, VPN settings, server region, or background downloads.
What Is a Good Packet Loss Test Result?
For real-time apps, the best result is simple: 0% packet loss. A tiny amount of loss may not matter while browsing websites, but games, calls, and live audio have less room to recover. A single short test is only a snapshot. If your connection fails randomly, run a longer test before deciding the problem is gone.
| Result | Packet Loss | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 0% | Your connection looks clean for real-time apps during this test. |
| Good | 0-0.5% | Usually fine. You may not notice it unless the app is very sensitive. |
| Fair | 0.5-2% | Can cause game stutter, voice cuts, or short video glitches. |
| Poor | 2-5% | Real-time apps will often feel unstable or inconsistent. |
| Bad | Over 5% | Expect serious lag, dropouts, or disconnects. |
How to Run a Reliable Packet Loss Test
Change one thing at a time. Do not change five things at once. If you switch server region, move rooms, enable a VPN, and restart the router all at once, the result may improve but you will not know why.
1
Run a 1-minute test first
A short test catches obvious packet loss without making you wait. If it shows loss, repeat it once before changing anything.
2
Use 5-10 minutes for random lag
If the problem appears every few rounds or once during a meeting, a quick test can miss it. Longer tests are better for intermittent loss.
3
Test Wi-Fi and Ethernet separately
If Wi-Fi shows packet loss but Ethernet shows 0%, focus on wireless first. Check distance, interference, router placement, and crowded channels.
4
Pause background traffic
Cloud backups, game updates, torrents, security camera uploads, and VPN routes can add latency spikes or packet loss during a test.
Choose the Right Test Settings
The default settings are enough for a first pass. Adjust settings when you are trying to reproduce a specific problem, such as short game freezes, choppy calls, evening congestion, or VPN route trouble.
Test Duration
Use a short run for a quick check and a longer run for problems that appear randomly. A clean 30-second result is useful, but it does not prove the connection is stable all evening.
Preset
Start with Default if you are not sure. Use Gaming for tighter packet timing, Voice for call-like traffic, and Video when meetings or live calls are the problem.
Server Region
Auto is fine for most checks. If you are troubleshooting a specific app or game region, choose the closest matching region and compare it with another region.
Acceptable Delay
Late packets are packets that return after your delay threshold. They are not always lost, but in real-time apps they can arrive too late to help.
Packet Loss vs Latency vs Jitter
These numbers answer different questions. Treat them as a group instead of chasing one perfect score.
Packet Loss
Packets that never arrive. This is the number to watch for rubber-banding, robotic voice audio, frozen calls, and random disconnects.
Latency
The round-trip time between your device and the test server. High latency feels like delay even when no packets are lost.
Jitter
How much latency changes from packet to packet. High jitter can make a 40 ms connection feel worse than a steady 70 ms connection.
Late Packets
Packets that arrive, but too late to be useful for real-time apps. In a call or game, late packets can feel almost the same as lost packets.
Speed vs stability
Why Your Speed Test Can Look Fine
A normal speed test mainly measures bandwidth: how much data your connection can move per second. Packet loss testing measures reliability: whether small packets arrive on time and in sequence.
That is why a connection can show 500 Mbps download speed and still feel terrible in a match or meeting. Speed is capacity. Packet loss, latency, and jitter decide whether real-time apps feel steady.
Common Packet Loss Patterns
Use the pattern, not just the average number. One bad test is a clue, not a final diagnosis.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to try first |
|---|---|---|
| Packet loss only on Wi-Fi | Weak signal, interference, or a crowded wireless channel | Move closer to the router or test with Ethernet |
| Packet loss on every device | Router, modem, ISP line, or route problem | Restart modem and router, then test a wired device |
| Loss appears at night | Peak-hour congestion or overloaded local route | Save one morning result and one evening result |
| High jitter but 0% loss | Bufferbloat, upload congestion, or router queueing | Pause uploads and cloud sync, then test again |
| Only one game feels bad | Game server, region, or route to that service | Compare another server region before replacing hardware |
How to Fix Packet Loss
Start with simple checks. Most home packet loss problems come from wireless conditions, overloaded equipment, background traffic, or a route that is bad at a specific time of day. Work from the local network outward.
Switch from Wi-Fi to Ethernet
This is the cleanest first test. If Ethernet fixes the result, your internet service may be fine and the problem is probably wireless.
Restart modem and router
Power both off for about 30 seconds. Bring the modem back first, wait until it reconnects, then start the router and test again.
Stop heavy upload traffic
Cloud backups, photo sync, game updates, torrents, file transfers, and security camera uploads can all increase jitter or cause packet drops.
Test another device
If only one laptop or console has packet loss, check that device, adapter, driver, cable, or network settings before blaming the whole connection.
Compare time of day
Packet loss that appears mostly at night can point to peak-hour congestion. Save one quiet-hour result and one busy-hour result.
Save a clear report
Write down packet loss, average latency, jitter, test duration, Wi-Fi or Ethernet, device, region, and time of day before contacting support.
Use cases
When Should You Run a Packet Loss Test?
Run the test when the internet feels unstable but the cause is not obvious. It is especially useful before a ranked match, important call, livestream, remote interview, router change, or support ticket.
- online games rubber-band or shots do not register
- Discord, voice chat, or VoIP audio cuts out
- Zoom, Meet, or Teams freezes while the rest of the web works
- a livestream drops frames or cloud gaming feels inconsistent
- your speed test looks good but the connection still feels unstable
- you want numbers before contacting your ISP
Accuracy
Is a Browser Packet Loss Test Accurate?
A browser test is a practical first step for home troubleshooting, gaming, voice chat, and video call problems. It is not the same as enterprise monitoring, but it can show whether packets are dropping right now and whether the problem changes between Wi-Fi, Ethernet, VPN, device, or time of day.
- Server distance affects latency, so compare regions when the route matters.
- A single clean result does not prove your connection is always stable.
- Packet loss to one test server does not prove every app is broken.
- VPNs, browser load, background apps, and device performance can affect results.
- For business SLA disputes, use longer monitoring and more than one tool.
Next reading
Learn the Basics Before You Change Settings
Keep the homepage focused on testing. Use these two guides when you want the plain definition, root-cause guide, or step-by-step testing method.
FAQ
Packet Loss FAQ
What is a good packet loss result?
For real-time apps, 0% packet loss is the goal. Results under 0.5% are usually fine, 0.5% to 2% can be noticeable, and anything above 2% is worth troubleshooting.
Is 1% packet loss bad?
For browsing, 1% packet loss may not feel serious. For gaming, voice chat, video calls, and cloud gaming, repeated 1% loss can cause stutter, audio cuts, or inconsistent response.
Is 0% packet loss always good?
0% packet loss is good, but it is not the whole result. High jitter, high latency, or many late packets can still make a connection feel unstable.
How long should I run the packet loss test?
Start with 1 minute. If the issue happens randomly, run 5 to 10 minutes so the test has a better chance to catch short bursts of packet loss or jitter.
Should I test on Wi-Fi or Ethernet?
Test both if possible. Ethernet gives you a cleaner baseline. If Ethernet is stable but Wi-Fi has packet loss, focus on signal, interference, router placement, and wireless channels.
Why does my speed test look fine but packet loss is bad?
A speed test measures bandwidth. Packet loss testing measures reliability. Your connection can move large downloads quickly while still dropping small real-time packets.
Is a browser packet loss test accurate?
A browser test is useful for real-world troubleshooting, but it is not an enterprise SLA audit. Server distance, VPNs, browser load, background apps, and current network conditions can affect results.
Can packet loss be caused by my router?
Yes. Routers can drop packets when they are overloaded, overheating, running old firmware, handling too many devices, or queueing traffic badly during uploads.
Can packet loss be caused by my ISP?
Yes. ISP congestion, line issues, damaged cabling, neighborhood peak usage, or routing problems can cause packet loss. If multiple wired devices show loss, your ISP becomes a realistic suspect.
Why does packet loss happen only in games?
Sometimes the whole connection is not broken. The issue may be the route to one game server, a specific server region, overloaded game infrastructure, or the way that game handles real-time packets.
Does packet loss affect streaming?
Yes, but the effect depends on the app. Video platforms can hide small loss with buffering, while live streaming, cloud gaming, video calls, and voice chat are much more sensitive.
What should I send my ISP if I find packet loss?
Send the test duration, packet loss percentage, average latency, jitter, wired or Wi-Fi status, time of day, server region, and whether more than one device had the same result.
What should I do if the test shows packet loss?
Run a second test, then compare Wi-Fi with Ethernet. Restart your modem and router, pause heavy upload traffic, test another device, and save wired results before contacting your ISP.