Most of the time, you will find networks running without too many issues. However, there are times where you begin to see problems.
You may also see this more in certain situations, depending on the IP protocol in use. Either TCP or UDP will have a very different impact on packet loss. TCP data is resent, yet UDP you often use for gaming or streaming will mean you can suffer jumps, missed frames, and stuttering.
In this guide, you will learn what packet loss is and how the cause of packet loss affects network performance. You will also find how to make sure you can fix packet loss the right way once and for all. (Read What Is A PCAP File)
Is High Packet Loss Bad?
The acceptable level of packet loss varies according to the type of data being sent.
Loss between five and ten per cent of the entire packet stream will considerably affect the quality.
Some describe less than one per cent of the packet stream as good for streaming and one to two and a half per cent acceptable.
Packet loss can directly degrade network throughput to a particular sender since some sent data will never reach the sender and will not count as throughput.
Packet loss indirectly reduces throughput because some transport layer protocols interpret failures as congestion indications and modify their transfer rates to avoid congestion collapse.
Packet loss will increase latency when you need reliable network delivery since additional time is required for retransmission (TCP).
There is no retransmission under the assumption, packets with the worst delays may be dropped preferentially from the queue discipline used, and such results in lower overall latency on your network. (Read What Is My IP Address For My Router)
Can a Bad Modem Cause Packet Loss?
While your modem can be causing packet loss, there are others, as you can find here.
- Inefficiency or failure within a rights reserved component transporting data across a network. For instance, packets lost can come from a loose network connection cable, a faulty router, or a weak Wi-Fi signal.
- Increased latency, causing difficulties in delivering data packets consistently.
- Distance between the packets being delivered, causing network congestion at the destination.
- Insufficient bandwidth or failure to optimize existing network bandwidth.
- Bad apps with software bugs and excessive errors.
- Legacy network devices are used to transfer data.
- Broken, incorrectly wired, or slow cables may allow packets to “leak” through.
- Hardware and physical infrastructures that are not optimized for data transfer may be damaged or faulty.
- A Wi-Fi network may be damaged by elements like distance, thick walls, or interference from a surrounding Wi-Fi network.
What Causes High Packet Loss
Data is transmitted in packets over the network at defined time intervals. When these packets fail to reach their destination, the sender receives a ping notifying them of the failure.
It is natural to experience one or two such failures. Still, when the issue worsens with increasing packet losses, more retransmissions occur, eventually resulting in an overload of the communication line and a timeout in the data transmission.
How Do I Reduce Packet Loss in Valorant?
Suppose you are suffering from this. You need to understand the levels and cause of packet loss you are dealing with before seeing how to fix packet loss.
Using a network monitoring tool can help you find the issue and help you know when you have resolved it. Network monitoring tools can run on servers and will map your network.
Once they do this, you can visually see packet loss signs because of the auto-discovery feature.
Most of the time, it is faulty hardware that causes the issue. For Valorant specific issues, here’s all you need to know if you find Xbox One high packet loss or another device you use.
- Use Valorant Built packet loss test
- Launch Valorant
- Log into your Riot account
- Make sure you update to the latest version
- Click the gear button
- Access the Video section on the config screen
- Navigate to the Stats section
- For the Packet Loss – pick between text, graph, or both
- Packet loss will be shown as you play and access the Valorant server.
You can also conduct some manual troubleshooting to ensure you don’t have a simple issue causing your problem.
- Check your home connection, including all the cables and your router. Replace any that need replacing.
- Update all your drivers to the latest versions
- Flush your DNS and Restart your PC, router, and modem
- Avoid peak hours or, as you can see, use a VPN to connect to an underloaded server
- Always try to use a wired connection rather than a WiFi
- Close bandwidth-heavy apps on your PC
Do a speed test to ensure you get the right speeds from your ISP (ISPs make throttle connections for gamers and streamers. VPN’s help you avoid this).
Fix Packet Loss in Valorant
One of the best ways of fixing packet loss in Valorant is using a premium gaming VPN. Here are the steps you need to take to accomplish this.
- Pick the number one gaming VPN
- Install and launch the VPN client
- Select a server that is closest or let the VPN select the best internet connection
- Launch Valorant
- Check that you have resolved your network performance connection issues
A VPN can help you with your online gaming in many other ways as well. If you have server issues, you can connect to another country, and the VPN will change your IP address.
You can either do this to connect to blocked servers, open up your gameplay, or use it to connect to servers that are not overloaded.
