--- title: Packet Loss: When Data Goes Missing in Transit url: https://hdiss.net/glossary/packet-loss/ business: High Desert Internet Services (HDISS) phone: 775-575-9593, 775-391-5660 email: info@hdiss.net mailing_address: Home base: 200 S Virginia St, Suite 760, Reno NV 89501 (dispatch office, not a walk-in store). Mail: Billing Dept., PO Box 11353, Reno NV 89510 hours: Office open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, seven days a week. Network watched around the clock. type: Fixed wireless internet service provider (homes and small businesses), web hosting, customer email, domain registration service_area: Northern Nevada - Washoe, Lyon, Storey, Churchill and Douglas counties and Carson City; availability is checked address by address (line of sight to a tower) plans: Bronze $50/mo up to 500 Mbps down, up to 200 Mbps up; Silver $75/mo up to 800 down, up to 200 up; Gold $99/mo up to 1 Gig down, up to 200 up; ask about the up to 1 Gig / 1 Gig ultra-low-latency service no_online_purchase: true (check your address or call; existing customers pay at https://www2.fernley.net/hdiss/onlinepay/paymentform.cfm) since: 2002 --- - [Home](https://hdiss.net/) - [Glossary](https://hdiss.net/glossary/) - Packet loss # Packet loss Packet loss happens when pieces of your data fail to reach the other end. A little is normal, and a lot makes pages stall, calls break up and games rubber-band. A radio tower at sunset. Stock photo: Adobe Stock. [Photo credits](https://hdiss.net/photo-credits/) ## What is packet loss? Everything online is cut into packets. If a packet is dropped, the sender may retransmit it, which is how web pages and downloads recover, though more slowly. Real-time traffic such as a voice call usually cannot wait, so the missing piece becomes a gap. The IETF's RFC 7680 defines a standard way to measure one-way packet loss, as the fraction of packets that do not arrive within a time limit. You see it as a stalled page that finishes after a pause, a call that clips words, or a video that drops to low resolution. ## What causes it on a fixed wireless connection? The usual suspects are a weak or partly blocked radio path, interference on the radio channel, a bad cable or connector, an overloaded router, and Wi-Fi trouble inside the house. A bad Ethernet cable between the power injector and the router is a common and cheap cause. Heavy use by a camera or backup can crowd out other traffic and cause drops at the router, so the fix there is at home, not at the tower. High Desert does not publish a packet loss figure for its service, so do not expect a printed number. Your own tests are the evidence. ## How do I check it and what then? Run a [ping](https://hdiss.net/glossary/ping/) for a few minutes from a computer wired to the router, and read the summary line, which counts packets sent and received. Repeat at an evening hour. Zero loss on a wired test points toward Wi-Fi inside the home. Steady loss on a wired test points toward the link or the cable. Check that cables are seated and not damaged, restart equipment in order using [this restart guide](https://hdiss.net/support/restart-your-equipment/), and look at the lights described under [power injector lights](https://hdiss.net/support/power-injector-lights/). If loss continues, call 775-575-9593 and give the times and results. A technician decides whether the path needs a visit. ### Sources - [rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc7680](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc7680) (RFC 7680, one-way loss metric for IP performance metrics, IETF) - [hdiss.net/](https://hdiss.net/) (company facts, read 10/15/26) ### Talk to a person - Call [775-575-9593](tel:7755759593) [775-391-5660](tel:7753915660) Open 9-5 every day - Email [info@hdiss.net](mailto:info@hdiss.net) [Check my address](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/#check) ### Related terms - [Ping](https://hdiss.net/glossary/ping/) - [Jitter](https://hdiss.net/glossary/jitter/) - [Latency](https://hdiss.net/glossary/latency/) - [Power-over-Ethernet injector](https://hdiss.net/glossary/poe-injector/) - [Slow internet checklist](https://hdiss.net/support/slow-internet-checklist/) Local since 2002 Fixed wireless from towers in Northern Nevada. Three plans, no contracts, local support, 4.8 on Google from 36 reviews. [About High Desert](https://hdiss.net/about/)