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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Use more than one test. Start with a sustained ping to establish end-to-end loss, then use traceroute/pathping or MTR to localize a suspected hop. If loss appears only under traffic, run a controlled UDP iPerf3 test. Use Wireshark/TShark for packet-level proof and Windows Pktmon for drops inside a Windows host. This workflow separates real destination loss from routers that merely rate-limit diagnostic probes.
What packet-loss testing can—and cannot—prove
Packet loss is the percentage of packets sent that never arrive at the intended receiver. A useful diagnosis records four properties for every test: scope (end-to-end, per-hop, or local-host), traffic type (ICMP, UDP, TCP, or captured application traffic), duration, and evidence depth. A single failed ping is an observation, not a root cause.
Intermediate routers often de-prioritize or filter ICMP and traceroute probes. A hop showing loss while the final destination has 0% loss usually indicates probe handling, not transit loss. Confirm suspected loss at the destination and, when possible, with controlled traffic or a capture.
1. Ping: the fast end-to-end baseline
Ping sends ICMP echo requests and reports replies, round-trip time (RTT), and loss. It is the quickest way to establish whether a destination is reachable and whether loss persists over a repeatable sample.
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Linux, macOS and BSD
ping -c 100 -i 0.2 example.com-c sets the count and -i the interval. Use a low rate first; an aggressive interval can trigger policing.
Windows
ping -n 100 -w 2000 example.com-n sets the count and -w the per-reply timeout in milliseconds. Test both a hostname and its resolved IP when you suspect DNS or a dual-stack difference (for example, compare an IPv4 address with ping -6).
How to read the result
- 0% loss with stable RTT is a healthy baseline for that destination and time.
- Intermittent loss at the final destination deserves another run at a different time and from another network.
- High RTT without loss is latency, not packet loss; record both.
- Do not infer the location of loss from ping alone.
2. Traceroute or Windows PathPing: localize the path symptom
Traceroute sends probes with increasing TTL values so each hop can identify itself. Windows pathping combines a route trace with repeated measurements and is convenient when you need a longer sample on Windows.
Traceroute commands
# Linux
traceroute -n example.com
# macOS (ICMP mode may require privileges)
traceroute -I example.com
# Windows
tracert -d example.com-n and -d suppress reverse-DNS lookups, making results faster and easier to compare. Traceroute may use UDP, ICMP, or TCP depending on platform and options; a firewall can treat each differently.
PathPing on Windows
pathping -n example.comPathPing spends several minutes collecting per-hop statistics. Keep the window open until it prints the final table.
Interpretation rule
Follow a suspected loss point down the path. If hop 4 reports 30% missing replies but hops 5–12 and the destination show 0% loss, hop 4 is probably rate-limiting or filtering its own diagnostic responses. Loss that begins at a hop and continues through every later hop—including the destination—is more credible as a path problem.
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3. MTR: repeated path measurements over time
MTR (My Traceroute) continuously combines route tracing with ping-style measurements, showing latency and response loss at each hop as conditions change. It is more informative than a one-shot traceroute for intermittent problems.
Linux example
mtr --report --report-cycles 100 --interval 0.2 example.com--report prints a final report, --report-cycles controls the sample count, and --interval controls probe spacing. Use an interval your network can tolerate.
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Reading an MTR report
- Compare the destination row with intermediate rows; destination loss is the decisive end-to-end signal.
- Look for loss that starts at one hop and persists on every subsequent hop.
- Compare minimum, average, maximum and worst observed latency. A single high maximum can indicate queueing without sustained loss.
- Run reports during both idle and busy periods and save timestamps with the output.
MTR still uses diagnostic probes, so it cannot by itself prove that application packets are being dropped.
4. iPerf3: test loss under controlled traffic
iPerf3 requires a client and server that you control. It lets you vary bitrate, packet size and duration instead of relying on tiny ICMP probes. For a direct loss percentage and jitter measurement, use UDP: iPerf documentation reports loss and jitter for UDP, while TCP does not expose packet loss directly to the user.
Start the server
iperf3 -sRun a UDP client test
iperf3 -c SERVER_IP -u -b 10M -t 60 -l 1200 -J > udp-10m.json-u selects UDP, -b sets the target bitrate, -t the duration, -l the UDP payload length, and -J emits JSON for later comparison. Begin below the link’s expected capacity, then repeat at higher rates. Record bitrate, duration, packet size, loss and jitter for each run.
Separate congestion from an idle-path issue
- Run a low-rate UDP test while the network is otherwise idle.
- Repeat at several bitrates and for at least one longer duration.
- Run a simultaneous ping to the same path and note whether RTT rises as UDP load increases.
- Stop increasing the rate if you are saturating a shared connection; that result describes capacity pressure, not necessarily a faulty link.
TCP iPerf3 remains useful for throughput and retransmission behavior, but do not report its throughput result as a UDP-style loss percentage.
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5. Wireshark and TShark: packet-level evidence
Wireshark is a packet analyzer with extensive protocol statistics. A capture can show TCP retransmissions, sequence behavior, conversations and time-series patterns that a loss percentage cannot explain. For unattended or repeatable work, TShark provides command-line capture and analysis.
Capture a short test with TShark
tshark -i 1 -a duration:60 -w packet-loss.pcapngReplace interface 1 with the correct adapter. Run the ping or iPerf3 test during the capture, then open packet-loss.pcapng in Wireshark.
Useful TShark statistics
# ICMP conversation statistics
tshark -r packet-loss.pcapng -q -z io,stat,1
# TCP analysis fields, including retransmission flags
tshark -r packet-loss.pcapng -Y "tcp.analysis.retransmission"TShark can calculate ICMP requests, replies, loss, percentage loss and latency statistics, including minimum, maximum, mean, median and sample standard deviation. For TCP, retransmissions are evidence that the sender detected missing data; they do not identify whether the drop occurred on the local host, path or remote host. UDP has no built-in acknowledgment or retransmission, so an application using UDP can lose data without a transport-layer recovery signal.
Capture cautions
- Capture at an endpoint close to the sender or receiver so you can distinguish packets sent from packets observed arriving.
- Use synchronized clocks when comparing captures from two hosts.
- Protect captures: they may contain URLs, payloads, credentials or personal data.
6. Windows Pktmon: attribute drops inside the host
Pktmon is included with current Windows versions and is designed for packet tracing and loss statistics. It can attribute local packet loss to specific reasons and code locations. Microsoft recommends combining Pktmon traces with Wireshark analysis.
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Basic workflow
pktmon filter remove
pktmon start --etw -p 0
ping -n 100 example.com
pktmon stop
pktmon etl2pcap PktMon.etl -o pktmon.pcapngOpen the converted PCAPNG in Wireshark. The exact adapter, filter and event volume depend on the problem; start broad, then add a filter for the relevant address or port to reduce noise.
What Pktmon adds
- Evidence of drops in the Windows networking stack, driver or interface.
- Reasons and code locations for some locally observed drops.
- A way to correlate a user-visible ping or application failure with host-local events.
A clean Pktmon trace does not prove the network path is healthy; it means the observed local components did not report the drop.
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A practical packet-loss investigation sequence
- Baseline: run a low-rate ping to the actual service endpoint for a repeatable sample.
- Localize: run MTR, or traceroute/PathPing on Windows, toward the same destination.
- Load the path: if symptoms appear during transfers or calls, run iPerf3 UDP between endpoints you control at several rates and durations.
- Collect proof: capture the test with Wireshark/TShark when retransmissions, sequence gaps or protocol behavior matter.
- Check the host: on Windows, add Pktmon to determine whether the local stack, driver or interface is dropping packets.
- Correlate: save command lines, timestamps, destination addresses, rates, packet sizes, loss and jitter. Repeat from another endpoint before blaming an upstream provider.
Choosing the right tool
| Tool | Scope | Traffic | Best evidence | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ping | End-to-end | ICMP | Reachability, RTT and percentage loss | Cannot locate the drop |
| Traceroute/PathPing | Per-hop path | Diagnostic probes | Where latency or missing replies first appears | Intermediate replies may be filtered or rate-limited |
| MTR | Per-hop over time | Repeated probes | Persistent versus intermittent path symptoms | Still measures diagnostics, not application packets |
| iPerf3 | Controlled endpoints | UDP or TCP | UDP loss, jitter, bitrate under load | Requires access to both endpoints |
| Wireshark/TShark | Captured endpoint traffic | Any captured protocol | Retransmissions, sequences and detailed statistics | Requires a useful capture and careful privacy handling |
| Windows Pktmon | Local Windows host | Host packet events | Local drop reasons and code locations | Does not observe every remote-path failure |
Troubleshooting common results
“One hop shows loss, but the destination does not”
Treat the hop as probe-rate limiting or filtering unless later hops and the destination show the same loss. Lower the probe rate and confirm with a destination ping or iPerf3 test.
“Ping is clean, but the application still fails”
ICMP may take a different treatment from the application’s TCP or UDP traffic. Capture the application flow, test its actual port with controlled endpoints, and check for DNS, TLS, server or firewall errors.
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Run UDP iPerf3 at increasing rates and record jitter and RTT. A sharp change under load points toward queueing or capacity pressure; test in both directions if possible.
“TCP shows no loss percentage”
That is expected: TCP reports recovery through retransmissions rather than a direct user-facing loss field. Use Wireshark/TShark retransmission analysis or an iPerf3 UDP test for an explicit percentage.
“Pktmon reports local drops”
Convert the ETL to PCAPNG, inspect the event context in Wireshark, and check the named adapter, driver, filter or code location. Update or isolate the implicated local component before escalating the path.
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FAQ
How much packet loss is acceptable?
There is no universal threshold: interactive voice, video, gaming and bulk transfers tolerate different conditions. Compare measurements with the application’s own error symptoms and requirements.
Should I test by hostname or IP address?
Do both when troubleshooting. A hostname can resolve to different addresses or address families, while an IP test isolates name resolution.
Can a router hide real loss by answering pings?
Yes. Diagnostic replies describe the router’s control-plane behavior, not necessarily forwarding performance. Confirm with destination results and controlled traffic.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a packet-loss test run?
Use a short baseline first, then a sustained test long enough to cover the symptom—typically several minutes for intermittent incidents—and record the exact duration.
Do I need administrative rights?
Ping and many traceroute commands work as a normal user. Packet capture and some Windows Pktmon or traceroute modes may require elevated privileges.
Can Wireshark repair lost packets?
No. It observes and analyzes traffic; TCP endpoints may retransmit, but Wireshark itself does not restore application data.
Quick Recap
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