Packet loss is measured between two points, usually your router or network and a web address (URL) or IP address on the internet. This usually affects a specific site or service. If you are experiencing intermittent problems it is important to test when the service is running normally and when the issue occurs.
To check for packet loss you will need the URL or IP address of the point to test to, eg. google.co.za or 172.217.170.67. There are a couple of tools that you can use to check for packet loss from your network.
1. Open a command prompt in Windows or a terminal in MAC OS
2. Type in "ping" and the URL or IP address that you would like to test to. For example, "ping google.co.za"
3. Push Enter
In Windows you can add -t to run a continuous ping eg. "ping google.co.za -t". Press Ctrl+C to stop the command.
On MAC OS you will need to push Command+C to stop the command.
On completion or when canceled there will be statistics at the bottom for all the packets sent.
Note: On occasion, we might request a traceroute from your connection to help troubleshoot a routing issue.
A traceroute helps us confirm that from your home or business connection the internet traffic is taking the right path to a specific server, such as google.com.
If you are doing a traceroute on a PC / Windows, please follow the following instructions:
1. Click on the magnifying glass (or Start / The Windows button) at the bottom left of your screen.
2. Search for the Command Prompt
3. Open the application (which will bring up a DOS window)
4. Type the following command and press Enter on your keyboard:
tracert {hostname}
Replace {hostname} with the name or IP of the server connection you are testing and push Enter on your keyboard.
e.g:
tracert google.com
You do not need to enter the "https://" or "www." section of the website's address.