• Company
    • About Us
    • Case Studies
    • Press Center
    • Events
    • Careers
    • Blog
    • Contact us
  • Login
 
  • English
    • Deutsch
    • Español
    • Français
    • Italiano
    • Português
Paessler
                    - The Monitoring Experts
  • Products
    • Paessler PRTG
      Paessler PRTGMonitor your whole IT infrastructure
      • PRTG Network Monitor
      • PRTG Enterprise Monitor
      • PRTG Hosted Monitor
      • PRTG extensionsExtensions for Paessler PRTGExtend your monitoring to a new level
    • Icon Features
      FeaturesExplore all monitoring features
      • Maps & dashboards
      • Alerts & notifications
      • Multiple user interfaces
      • Distributed monitoring
      • Customizable reporting
  • Solutions
    • Industries
      IndustriesMonitor various industry sectors
      • Industrial
      • Healthcare
      • Data Center
      • Education
      • Finance
      • Government
    • IT Topics
      IT TopicsMonitor all areas of IT
      • Network Monitoring
      • Bandwidth Monitoring
      • SNMP Monitor
      • Network Mapping
      • WiFi Monitoring
      • Server Monitoring
  • Pricing
  • Resources
    • Getting Started
      Getting StartedModules for self-paced learning
    • How-to Guides
      How-to GuidesGet the most out of PRTG
    • Videos & Webinars
      Videos & WebinarsLearn from Paessler experts
    • IT  Knowledge
      IT KnowledgeExpand your IT knowledge
    • PRTG Manual
      PRTG ManualFull documentation
    • Knowledge Base
      Knowledge BaseShare community knowledge
    • PRTG Sensor Hub
      PRTG Sensor HubGet sensors, scripts & templates
    • Trainings
      PRTG TrainingLearn how to work with PRTG
  • Partners
    • icon star
      New Partners and MSPBecome a new partner or MSP
    • icon partner
      Partner PortalLog in to your partner account
    • icon search
      Find a PartnerFind partners selling Paessler products
    • icon technology
      Technology AlliancesSee Paessler technology partnerships
  • Company
    • About Us
    • Case Studies
    • Press Center
    • Events
    • Careers
    • Blog
    • Contact us
  • Login
  • English
    • Deutsch
    • Español
    • Français
    • Italiano
    • Português
  • Get a quote
  • Free trial
  1. Home>
  2. IT Topics>
  3. Performance>
  4. Packet Loss Test Tool
PRTG Logo

Packet Loss Test with PRTG

Preserve peak network performance by continuously testing packet loss

  • Continuously monitor data packets and test packet loss
  • Get alerted about connectivity and performance issues
  • Keep your network highly available, fast, and stable
Free download
product overview

Our users give top ratings for monitoring with Paessler PRTG

Gartner peer insights
spiceworks
Capterra
G2
Trustpilot

PRTG packet loss test: What you will find on this page

Table of content
  • Secure superior network performance with PRTG
  • What Packet Loss Test Tool looks like in PRTG
  • Double-strength packet loss protection
  • Explore our preconfigured PRTG sensors for Packet Loss Test Tool
  • Packet Loss Test Tool

PRTG makes spotting high packet loss as easy as it gets

Custom alerts and data visualizations let you quickly identify and prevent the causes of packet loss and proactively fix packet loss issues.

Free download
PRODUCT OVERVIEW

Stop the silent performance killer in its tracks

Static-filled calls. Dropped connections. Missing files. Corrupted data.

Packet loss can cause trouble across your organization and make it impossible for everyone to do their jobs. But you won't know it's a problem unless you check.

Paessler PRTG monitors your network – including your internet connection – round the clock and alerts you if there are issues you need to fix, so you can ensure it continues to perform at 100%.

Table of content

Secure superior network performance with PRTG

test

Accurate and reliable

PRTG is precision-engineered to detect the slightest packet delays, lags, and timeouts. But our packet loss monitoring tool also monitors duplicate packets, ethernet latency, and even VoIP jitter, reducing the risk a colleague's face will freeze awkwardly during an important call.

test

Proactive protection

Keep your network stable, with just a slight effort. Once you set up PRTG, it works in the background, twenty-four hours a day. Ensuring everything's working as it should and alerting you of issues promptly, so you can fix them before anyone can notice.

test

More than a packet loss testing tool

PRTG also keeps an eye on your traffic, bandwidth, device availability, server load, hardware, and applications. With 250+ preconfigured sensors, monitoring every aspect of your network's health and performance is as simple and straightforward as it gets.

What packet loss test looks like in PRTG

Diagnose network issues by continuously tracking network packet loss. Show network latency, throughput, network traffic, Wi-Fi internet speed, and other key metrics in real time. Visualize monitoring data in clear graphs and dashboards to identify problems more easily. Gain the overview you need to troubleshoot network congestions, bad VoIP calls, slow network speed, and various packet loss issues.

PRTG Screenshot device tree view

Device tree view of the complete monitoring setup

PRTG screenshot map entire it infrastructure

Custom PRTG dashboard for keeping an eye on the entire IT infrastructure

PRTG screenshot graph live data traffic

Live traffic data graph in PRTG

Start testing packet loss with PRTG and see how it can make your network more reliable and your job easier.

Free download
PRODUCT OVERVIEW

IT experts agree: Paessler PRTG is a great solution for IT infrastructure monitoring

PCMag

“All-around winning
 network monitor”

IT Brief

“The real beauty of PRTG is the endless possibilities it offers”

ITPro

“PRTG Network Monitor 
is very hard to beat”

Double-strength packet loss protection

check

Measure packet loss with a PRTG sensor

Our sophisticated QoS (Quality of Service) One Way sensor continuously monitors the quality of a network connection by measuring the packet loss rate between two probes.

You can monitor any connection in your network and measure packet loss on this route by setting up PRTG remote probes close to the route’s endpoints and adding a QoS sensor. The sensor will automatically send data packets between the two probes and alert you if performance falls below your defined threshold.

check

Test packet loss with a PRTG custom script

Can't (or won't) create remote probes on more Windows systems? No problem. PRTG's quality-of-service reflector can do it via a Python script that sends packets from your chosen endpoints back to PRTG.

The script can be used on any (Linux) computer, even a small Raspberry Pi. For more information, see our Knowledge Base: How can I monitor QoS round trips without using remote probes?

Explore our preconfigured PRTG sensors for packet loss test

PRTG comes with more than 250 native sensor types for monitoring your entire on-premises, cloud, and hybrid cloud environment out of the box. Check out some examples below!

QoS (Quality of Service) Round Trip

The QoS (Quality of Service) Round Trip sensor monitors parameters regarding the quality of a network connection between two probes. It can show the following:

  • Average, minimum, and maximum jitter
  • Average, minimum, and maximum packet delay variation
  • Average, minimum, and maximum round trip time (RTT)
  • Corrupted, duplicated, lost, and out-of-sequence packets
  • The MOS
(Quality of Service) Round Trip
(Quality of Service) Round Trip

Cisco IP SLA

The Cisco IP SLA sensor monitors Voice over IP (VoIP) network parameters using IP service level agreements (SLA) from Cisco. It can show the following:

  • Average jitter
  • Average, minimum, and maximum latency and RTT (round-trip time)
  • The ICPIF
  • The MOS
  • Number of lost, out-of-sequence, and late packets
Cisco IP SLA
Cisco IP SLA

HTTP Advanced

The HTTP Advanced sensor monitors the source code of a web page using HTTP. It supports authentication, content checks, and other advanced parameters. It can show the following:

  • Number of bytes received
  • Download speed
  • Loading time
  • Time to the first byte
HTTP Advanced
HTTP Advanced

Ping v2

The Ping v2 sensor sends an Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) echo request ("ping") from the probe system to the parent device to monitor its availability. It can show the following:

• Response time

• Packet loss

• Target status

• Minimum and maximum ping time

Ping v2
Ping v2

See the PRTG Manual for a list of all available sensor types.

PRTG is compatible with all major vendors, products, and systems

compatible with all major vendors, products, and systems

PRTG makes packet loss testing as easy as it gets

Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent packet loss and network instability issues..

Free download
PRODUCT OVERVIEW

“PRTG helps us to keep control of our IT by making issues visible immediately – and everywhere. We always have an eye on the performance and availability of our IT and can react in time if any failures occur. On a long-term perspective, the monitoring data helps us with capacity planning so that we can deliver the required resources for our own systems as well as for our customers, without wasting money on unwarranted redundancies.”

Stein Erik Høybakk, Senior Network Engineer
TAFJORD

“All our production and business processes depend on SAP. But, of course, IT and production systems also play a crucial role in securing these processes. By incorporating SAP, production, and IT into one centralized monitoring system, we can quickly detect critical drops in performance and identify the causes of these issues. In fact, thanks to PRTG and itesys, this couldn’t be any easier.”

Andreas Schmidt, Senior Systems Engineer
Truma

“Any downtime could be detrimental to our customers. We also strive to provide the best possible service to our customers. PRTG allows us to see the health and performance of the network. Using these measurements we can make decisions on how to repair a piece of equipment before it fails and causes a service interruption.”

James Ott Jr., Communications System Technician and IT Administrator
Federal Radio

Your packet loss monitor at a glance – even on the go

PRTG is set up in a matter of minutes and can be used on a wide variety of mobile devices.

device overview

Create innovative solutions with Paessler’s IT partners

Partnering with innovative IT vendors, Paessler unleashes synergies to create
new and additional benefits for joined customers.

baramundi

baramundi

baramundi and PRTG create a secure, reliable and powerful IT infrastructure where you have everything under control - from the traffic in your firewall to the configuration of your clients.

Read more
ScriptRunner

ScriptRunner

With ScriptRunner Paessler integrates a powerful event automation platform into PRTG Network Monitor.

Read more
UVnetworks

UVnetworks

UVexplorer integrates tightly with PRTG to bring fast and accurate network discovery, detailed device inventory, and automatic network mapping to the PRTG platform.

Read more

Find the root cause of the problem with our PRTG packet loss test solution

Real-time notifications mean faster troubleshooting so that you can act before more serious issues occur.

Free download
PRODUCT OVERVIEW
Paessler PRTG

Paessler PRTG

Network Monitoring Software – Version 24.4.102.1351 (November 12th, 2024)

Hosting icon

Hosting

Download for Windows and cloud-based version PRTG Hosted Monitor available

Languages icon

Languages

English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Dutch, Russian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese

test

Monitor everything

Network devices, bandwidth, servers, applications, virtual environments, remote systems, IoT, and more

test

Pricing

Choose the PRTG Network Monitor subscription that's best for you

Discover beyond packet loss test

Resources Solution

Solutions for all your monitoring needs

  • Ping Tester: Monitor availability automatically
  • Game monitoring: Get rid of lag for good
  • Network Performance Test Tool
Resources Content

Powerful stories from the monitoring world

  • Ping - Definition and details
  • Analyzing Starlink speed and availability over 10 months
  • Disabling ICMP and SNMP won’t increase security, but will impact network monitoring
Resources Solutions

Resources to master your monitoring challenges

  • does the PRTG can check for packet loss?
  • Packet Loss (%) channel Notification Triggers - Threshold Calculation
  • Average PING: Packet Loss with a Custom EXE/Script Sensor

Packet Loss Test: FAQ

 

What is packet loss?

Packet loss occurs in networks when data packets are lost during transmission or individual data packets arrive late at their destination. Before being sent, data is packaged into several layers. These packets travel through a variety of different hubs (copper cables, fiber optics, wireless, etc.) to reach their destination. In these hubs, TCP or UDP packets get lost or become delayed. Once sent, each packet is marked with a timestamp.

This value specifies the amount of time the sender must wait before obtaining a confirmation of receipt. If a packet gets lost or is delayed, it eventually “times out.” When this happens, a new packet is sent in its place. This is known as a retransmission timeout (RTO).

The result? It leaves gaps in the information your network needs to do its job, resulting in latency and underperformance.

Why run regular packet loss tests?

Packet loss can occur at any point in your network: in cables, routers, switches, and other hardware, especially if it's older or missing important updates, in your Citrix environment, SAP applications, or other cloud-based applications, and in your VoIP or video-conferencing system.

But you might not notice, especially if your colleagues don't report the issue. Regular packet loss tests track your network's performance and let you know the second there's a problem so you can take action, also in the case of wireless packet loss.

What is a packet loss tester?

A packet loss tester is a tool or software used to measure the rate at which data packets are lost or dropped while being transmitted across a network. These tools are crucial in evaluating the reliability and performance of a network connection.

Packet loss testers typically work by sending a series of test packets through a network and then analyzing the number of packets that successfully reach their destination compared to the total number sent. This analysis helps determine the percentage of packet loss occurring in the network.

These tools provide insights into network performance, allowing administrators to identify and troubleshoot issues that could be causing packet loss. They are valuable for maintaining and optimizing network efficiency, especially in situations where reliable and consistent data transmission is essential.

What is a sensor in PRTG?

In PRTG, “sensors” are the basic monitoring elements. One sensor usually monitors one measured value in your network, for example the traffic of a switch port, the CPU load of a server, or the free space on a disk drive. On average, you need about 5-10 sensors per device or one sensor per switch port.

We asked: would you recommend PRTG? Over 95% of our customers say yes!

Paessler conducted trials in over 600 IT departments worldwide to tune its network monitoring software closer to the needs of sysadmins. The result of the survey: over 95% of the participants would recommend PRTG – or already have.

recommendation

Still not convinced?

Love

More than 500,000 sysadmins love PRTG

Paessler PRTG is used by companies of all sizes. Sysadmins love PRTG because it makes their job a whole lot easier.

PRTG

Monitor your entire IT infrastructure

Bandwidth, servers, virtual environments, websites, VoIP services – PRTG keeps an eye on your entire network.

test

Try Paessler PRTG for free

Everyone has different monitoring needs. That’s why we let you try PRTG for free.

PRTG Logo

Start testing packet loss with PRTG and see how it can make your network more reliable and your job easier.

Free download
PRODUCT OVERVIEW

Products

  • Paessler PRTG
    Paessler PRTGMonitor your whole IT infrastructure
    • PRTG Network Monitor
    • PRTG Enterprise Monitor
    • PRTG Hosted Monitor
  • PRTG extensions
    Extensions for Paessler PRTGExtend your monitoring to a new level
  • Icon Features
    FeaturesExplore all monitoring features

Monitoring with PRTG

  • Network monitoring
  • Bandwidth monitoring
  • SNMP monitoring
  • Network mapping
  • Wi-Fi monitoring
  • Server monitoring
  • Network traffic analyzer
  • NetFlow monitoring
  • Syslog server

Useful Links

  • PRTG Manual
  • Knowledge Base
  • Customer Success Stories
  • About Paessler
  • Subscribe to newsletter
  • PRTG Support
  • PRTG Consulting

Contact

Paessler GmbH
Thurn-und-Taxis-Str. 14, 
90411 Nuremberg 
Germany

[email protected]

+49 911 93775-0

  • Contact us
©2025 Paessler GmbHTerms & ConditionsPrivacy PolicyImprintReport VulnerabilityDownload & InstallSitemap
CPU Monitoring Tool CPU Monitoring Tool CPU Monitoring Tool