Packet Loss

When can you have the best connection, a strong signal, and the fastest speed tests ever with your internet, and still be stressed by your connection? Apparently something called packet loss.

I did numerous speed tests, only to find that the speeds were amazingly fast:

The speeds didn’t make sense as I was noticing interruptions to my teleconferences, my uploads, downloads, and page loads. Nothing was consistent. I called comcast who said they could test my modem from there and two times they noticed a 60% packet loss.

Packet loss occurs when one or more packets of data traveling across a computer network fail to reach their destination. Packet loss is distinguished as one of the three main error types encountered in digital communications; the other two being bit error and spurious packets caused due to noise.

Two times they sent technicians to the house, and each time they had no readings of packet loss while here. While I had to remind them that it was their own people who told me of the packet loss it still didn’t help the situation that it wasn’t happening at the time they were there.

Now for most customers, I am guessing packet loss isn’t a huge issue, but for online gamers, or people like me who do their teleconferencing daily, it is really quite noticeable.

Not satisfied with leaving this alone, I set out to learn when the packet loss occurs. I learned how to go to my DOS Command prompt and “Ping” a site, google for example.

Next, I learned how to do a tracert (traceroute):

Again, at the command prompt type tracert and any domain name:

So far, it seems to me that an “*” indicates an issue as it is usually followed by a “timed out” message.

So, it is a learning thing for me, and so far, I am just collecting knowledge on it. Some have said at dslreports.com that the issue could be the weather – the cold and ice we’ve had, I am not totally sure of that theory. I will carry on trying to inform myself and keep Comcast updated.
🙂