What Is Packet Loss: The Invisible Enemy of Network Performance

No matter the size or scope of your business, network connectivity and performance are essential for any business’ operations. From video conferencing and VoIP, to cloud-based applications and remote work, businesses rely heavily on the network to stay connected and productive. However, network performance can be severely impacted by packet loss, one of the most common issues that IT professionals face.

In this article, we’re going to explore what packet loss is, how packet loss impacts network performance, and how to reduce packet loss to minimize its impact on businesses.

As you probably saw from the title of this article, packet loss is the Invisible Enemy of Network Performance.

Packet loss is a network issue that occurs when data packets being transmitted over a network (or between devices or across the Internet) get lost or dropped during transit and fail to reach their destination. Incomplete or delayed data transmission can impact network and application performance and affect the user experience.

So, imagine you’re mailing a letter to a friend, and you write a long message on a piece of paper. To send this letter, you fold it, put it in an envelope, write the address on the envelope, and then drop it in a mailbox. Here, the message on the piece of paper represents a data packet, the envelope represents the network protocol used to transport the packet, and the mailbox represents the network device transporting packet to its destination.

Let's say that the envelope containing your letter gets damaged during transit and some parts of the message become illegible. If too much of the letter is lost or damaged during transit, your friend may not receive the complete message, and the communication will be incomplete.

This is similar to packet loss in a network.

When data packets are lost or corrupted during transmission, it leads to incomplete or unusable data at the receiving end. And, if there is too much packet loss on the network, the data being transmitted may become incomplete or unusable, causing issues for the user.

In both cases, it's important to ensure that the message or data being transmitted arrives at its destination without any errors or loss. By identifying and troubleshooting network packet loss, network administrators can help ensure that data is transmitted reliably across the network - just like ensuring that your message reaches your friend in one piece!

Packet loss can be caused by a variety of different factors, and not all of them are easy to identify. For businesses with large enterprise networks, having a tool to monitor packet loss helps you understand what is causing packet loss in your network.

Packet loss can be caused by:

1. Network Congestion: occurs when there is high network traffic, data packets can be delayed or dropped due to limited bandwidth.

2. Faulty Network Hardware: such as routers, switches, or cabling, can cause packet loss.

3. Software Bugs: bugs or glitches in network software can also cause packet loss.

4. Security Measures: some security measures, such as firewalls or intrusion detection systems, may block or filter certain types of data packets, resulting in packet loss.

5. Latency: long distances between network devices or multiple network hops can increase the likelihood of packet loss.

6. Quality of service (QoS) settings: QoS settings may prioritize certain types of network traffic over others, leading to packet loss for less important traffic.

Note that, not all packet loss is avoidable, and some level of packet loss is to be expected with packet-based communication over a network. However, it’s important for network administrators to measure the amount of packet loss, and identify and address the underlying causes of packet loss to minimize its impact on network performance and user experience.

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Packet loss is measured as a percentage of the total number of packets sent versus those received. ICMP pings are a common method for testing packet loss, which includes sending multiple pings and measuring the percentage of packets that are lost. For example, if you ping a device 50 times and only receive 49 responses, you can estimate that packet loss is about 2% at that moment.

To accurately and automatically measure packet loss for all your network applications, use a tool like Obkio Network Performance Monitoring software, which continuously measures packet loss by sending synthetic UDP packets every 500ms, and recording how many packets are dropped in transmission.

Continuously measuring packet loss every minute is essential for obtaining an accurate percentage of packet loss in your network. Learn more in our article on How to Measure Packet Loss.

Measuring the percentage of packet loss is important for understanding the impact on your network. Low levels of packet loss (less than 1-2%) are considered acceptable for most applications, but higher levels of packet loss can cause significant issues with network performance and user experience.

A network monitoring tool, like Obkio, continuously measures packet loss at the required frequency to ensure it catches the earliest signs of packet loss.

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As we mentioned above, packet loss can have a significant impact on network performance and user experience. Which is why it’s important to measure packet loss. in your network to address the possible causes, or troubleshoot before it causes larger issues.

When data packets are dropped in transit across the network, it can result in delayed or incomplete data transmissions, causing a range of issues, such as:

1. Reduced Throughput: Packet loss can slow down the network's performance as data needs to be retransmitted.
2. Increased Latency: Lost packets can cause delays in data transmission, leading to increased latency or delay times.
3. Jitter: When packets are lost, the timing of the remaining packets can become unpredictable, leading to jitter, or fluctuations in latency.
4. Poor Quality of Service (QoS): If packet loss is severe or frequent, it can impact the QoS of network applications, such as video streaming, VoIP, or other unified communication applications.
5. Network Congestion: In some cases, packet loss can lead to network congestion, causing a backlog of data that further slows down the network's performance.

To prevent packet loss, it’s essential to identify and troubleshoot any underlying network problems, such as high bandwidth usage, outdated hardware, or network congestion.

So packet loss can clearly affect network and application performance, but it doesn’t stop there. Besides the direct impact, it can also have a significant impact on user experiences and businesses, particularly those that rely on network applications to operate.

1. Increased Support Time and Costs: If customers or employees experience issues due to packet loss, businesses may need to provide additional support to resolve these issues, resulting in increased support costs. But remember, you can use Obkio’s Network Performance Monitoring tool to avoid and troubleshoot packet loss.
2. Poor User Experience: Packet loss can cause slow loading times, buffering, or dropped calls for customers or users of a business's online services, leading to a poor customer experience and potential loss of business.
3. Reduced Productivity: If network applications are slow or unresponsive due to packet loss, employees may be less productive, resulting in decreased output and increased costs.
4. Damaged Reputation: If a customer-facing network application is slow or unreliable due to packet loss, it can damage a business's reputation and make it less attractive to customers and partners. Additionally, employees may experience a poor user experience, which can make them less likely to recommend their employer.
5. Security Risks: Packet loss can be a sign of network security issues, such as cyber attacks or malware infections, which can compromise a business's data and operations.
6. Lost Revenue: If network applications are slow or unresponsive due to packet loss, it can lead to lost revenue due to decreased sales, missed opportunities, or decreased efficiency.

Overall, packet loss can have a significant impact on a business's operations, reputation, and bottom line. By monitoring and troubleshooting packet loss, businesses can improve network performance and minimize the impact on their operations and customers.

You can't really see packet loss in your network (being that it's an invisible enemy and all, but there are various methods that you can use to detect packet loss in other ways. Some of these methods include:

1. Synthetic Network Monitoring: Synthetic network monitoring involves simulating network traffic using specialized software. The synthetic traffic (such as UDP, TCP, HTTP) travels through your network to simulate the end-user POV and detect packet loss affecting network performance, applications and services. You can perform synthetic monitoring using Obkio Network Performance Monitoring software, which continuously tests packet loss by sending synthetic UDP packets every 500ms to check for packet loss during transmission.

2. Ping: One of the easiest and most common methods to detect packet loss is by using the ping command. The ping command sends an ICMP echo request to a designated IP address and measures the time it takes for the echo reply to return to determine whether packets are being lost. If the echo reply does not return or takes an unusually long time to return, it's usually clear indication of packet loss.

3. Traceroute: Another method to detect packet loss is by using the traceroutes. Traceroutes trace the path of packets from the source to the destination and collect information about the number of hops and the response time of each hop, which can help identify where packet loss is occurring on a network.

4. Router Logs: Router logs can also be used to detect packet loss. Router logs can provide information about packet loss rates, the source and destination of lost packets, and other network-related issues.

5. Packet Capture: Packet capture is a more advanced method for detecting loss which requires specialized software and skills to use and analyze the captured data packets. It provides information about network traffic, including the number of packets sent and received, the response time of each packet, and the percentage of packets that were lost, but can be expensive, time-consuming and hard to scale in enterprise networks.

By using these methods, network administrators can detect packet loss and take steps to improve network performance and reduce the impact of packet loss on their network.

Note: ICMP tests like Ping and Traceroutes aren’t processed by routers like TCP or UDP packets, which can lead to less accurate results. Additionally, they can still experience dropped packets, which can also lead to false positives or false negatives. Therefore, IT pros should use ICMP testing in combination with other methods for detecting packet loss, like Synthetic Network Monitoring.

Different levels of package loss can affect your network and applications in different ways. The level of acceptable packet loss varies depending on the type of network application and the specific requirements of the users.

In general, a low level of packet loss (1%-2%) is considered acceptable for most applications, while higher levels of packet loss can significantly impact the performance and reliability of the network. In general, packet loss rates of 5% or higher are considered high and can significantly impact network performance and user experience.

For real-time applications such as video conferencing (Zoom), voice over IP (VoIP), a low level of packet loss is critical to ensure smooth and uninterrupted communication. Typically, packet loss levels of 1% or less are considered acceptable for these types of applications, although even lower levels of packet loss may be required for high-quality, high-definition streams.

High packet loss can lead to dropped calls, choppy audio, or frozen video, which can disrupt communication and reduce productivity. Measuring MOS Score for VoIP takes into account a set of network metrics related to VoIP Quality, including packet loss, and indicates what is acceptable or not.

For non-real-time applications such as email, file transfers, and web browsing, a slightly higher level of packet loss can be acceptable, as long as it does not significantly affect the overall user experience. Packet loss levels of up to 5% may be considered acceptable for these types of applications.

But high packet loss levels can still cause slow loading times, incomplete downloads, or corrupted files.

Ultimately, the level of acceptable packet loss or high packet loss depends on the specific needs and requirements of the network users, as well as the nature of the applications being used.

Network administrators should regularly monitor and measure packet loss levels to ensure that they remain within acceptable limits and troubleshoot as soon as the levels packet loss increases, and remain increasingly high.

While some levels of packet loss can be accepted and expected, high and ongoing packet loss can severely impact network and user experience. Therefore reducing adnd testing packet loss can improve network performance and user experience.

Here are some steps that network administrators can take to reduce packet loss:

1. Use Packet Loss Monitoring Tools: Network administrators can use packet loss detection tools, like Obkio Network Performance Monitoring tool, to monitor network performance and proactively identify where packet loss is happening on your network. With a tool like Obkio, you can also collect the data to identify what is causing the packet loss, and quickly troubleshoot.

1. Increase Circuit Speed: By increasing circuit speed or the available bandwidth on the network, you can then reduce network congestion and minimize the likelihood of packet loss happening. This can be done by upgrading network hardware or ISP circuit speed, using link aggregation, or implementing Quality of Service (QoS) policies to prioritize network traffic.

2. Use QoS and Prioritisation: IT professionals can optimize network performance by prioritizing traffic based on importance using QoS (Quality of Service) and CoS settings. QoS is commonly used in LANs, MPLS networks, and SD-WAN networks to prioritize and manage network traffic. By balancing the needs of different types of traffic and using network monitoring tools to identify packet loss, IT pros can minimize the impact of network traffic prioritization on packet loss and maintain optimal network performance and business productivity.

3. Optimize Network Equipment: Ensure that network equipment and devices, such as routers, switches, and cabling, are up-to-date and working correctly to reduce the likelihood of hardware failures causing packet loss.

4. Open A Service Ticket: If the packet loss is happening outside of your network (ex: in your Service Provider’s network), use the data provided by your Network Performance Monitoring tool to open a service ticket with your Service Provider for faster troubleshooting.

5. Implement Redundancy: By duplicating data packets and sending them through multiple routes, network redundancy can reduce the impact of packet loss, improving network performance and reliability.

Congratulations, you've made it to the end of our packet loss journey! Now that you know what packet loss is, what causes it, and how to combat it, you're well on your way to a stronger and more reliable internet connection.

Remember, packet loss may be an invisible enemy, but it's not invincible. With the right tools and knowledge, you can defeat it and keep your business running smoothly. And don't forget, a strong and reliable internet connection can have a positive impact on your bottom line, so it's worth investing the time and effort to make sure you're in control of your network performance.

And you don’t have to do it alone! Obkio’s Network Performance Monitoring solution is a network administrator's best tool to:

• Proactively detect packet loss anywhere in your network
• Measure packet loss rates (acceptable vs high packet loss)
• Identify where and what is causing the packet loss
• Collect the data to troubleshoot packet loss and take the necessary actions

By reducing packet loss, businesses can improve network performance, increase productivity, and provide a better user experience.

Start identifying and troubleshooting packet loss with Obkio’s Free Trial!