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Verifiedintermediateest. 20 minutes

Diagnose High Packet Loss and Ping Spikes

Inconsistent latency and dropped network packets degrade real-time applications like VoIP and gaming, caused by bad cabling, Wi-Fi congestion, or ISP routing issues.

packet-lossping-spikeslatencygaming

Confirmed working on: Windows 10 · Windows 11 · macOS

Before you begin

Match the environmentUse this guide only for Windows 10, Windows 11, macOS or a clearly compatible setup.
Protect recoveryBack up important data and save encryption or account recovery keys before changing system state.
Know when to stopMake one change at a time and stop if the result differs from what the guide describes.

Problem overview

While gaming or on a video call, you experience rubber-banding, robotic audio, or sudden disconnects. This is caused by high latency (ping spikes) or network data failing to reach its destination (packet loss).

Common causes

  • Wi-Fi interference or an overloaded wireless channel
  • Failing Ethernet cables or physical line degradation
  • ISP routing bottlenecks during peak hours
  • Outdated Network Interface Card (NIC) drivers

Solution 1: Isolate the loss with pathping

  1. Open Command Prompt.
  2. Run the pathping command to a reliable server: 
    pathping 8.8.8.8
  3. Wait for the test to complete (it takes about 5 minutes).
  4. Review the results to see which hop is dropping packets.
  5. If packet loss happens on Hop 1 (your router), the issue is inside your house. If it happens on Hop 2 or beyond, the issue is with your ISP.
Expert Tip

You can also use the standard tracert 8.8.8.8 command for a quicker, though less detailed, view of latency across the route.

Solution 2: Test a wired Ethernet connection

  1. If you are on Wi-Fi, connect a physical Cat 5e/Cat 6 Ethernet cable from your PC to the router.
  2. Disable your Wi-Fi adapter to ensure traffic flows over the cable.
  3. Run a continuous ping test: 
    ping google.com -t
  4. Watch the time=Xms values for a few minutes. If the spikes disappear, your Wi-Fi environment is the culprit.

Solution 3: Update NIC drivers

  1. Press Windows Key + X and select Device Manager.
  2. Expand Network adapters.
  3. Right-click your Ethernet or Wi-Fi adapter and select Update driver.
  4. If Windows doesn’t find a new driver, go to the manufacturer’s website (e.g., Intel, Realtek) and download the latest network drivers.
  5. If the issue started recently, you can also select Properties -> Driver -> Roll Back Driver to revert a buggy update.

Solution 4: Contact your ISP

  1. If your pathping showed packet loss on the ISP’s infrastructure, you must contact their support.
  2. Ask them to run a line test to check for signal degradation.
  3. Provide the results of your pathping to prove the packet loss is external to your local network.
Caution

Damaged coaxial cables outside your home (e.g., squirrel damage, water ingress at the junction box) are a leading cause of packet loss on cable internet. Only an ISP technician can fix this.

Confirm the result

  1. Repeat the exact action that originally triggered the problem.
  2. Confirm the original error or symptom is gone and no new warning has appeared.
  3. If the guide changed a driver, service, package, or system setting, restart once and test again.
  4. If the result is worse or unexpected, stop. Reverse only the last change using its documented restore option; if none is documented, use your backup or qualified support.

Questions about this fix

What is an acceptable ping?

For gaming and VoIP, ping under 50ms is ideal. Anything over 100ms or with high variance (spikes) will cause noticeable lag.

Can a bad modem cause packet loss?

Yes, modems with failing chipsets (like the Intel Puma 6 bug) can introduce severe latency spikes even on healthy ISP lines.

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