Hi, My internet has been experiencing regular packet loss and ping spikes recently. They are occurring at approximately 2.5 minute intervals almost without fail. I'm mostly experiencing it while sim-racing where I teleport all over the track. Other times it manifests as slow and incomplete loading while on Yahoo.com

The first sample file is to my ISP's website. It appears that my problem is originating at my ISP, but would like an expert opinion. Thanks!

Hi Jon,

Thanks for getting in touch with us! I'm happy to offer some wisdom here.

You've definitely captured a problem here, which seems to be starting at hop #2 (which looks to be your ISP gateway). However, hop #1 is down-prioritizing ICMP TTL Expired packets (which doesn't affect your connection) which is sort-of masking any results on your local network.

To ensure the problem isn't local, I'd recommend tracing to 192.168.1.1 for a period of time to ensure the spikes don't start at your router (and you can use this data to convince your ISP the issue is not on your end).

Here's an article which outlines some great information about bringing a case to your ISP:

https://www.pingplotter.com/fix-your-network/build-a-case.html

As with a lot of Tier 1 support, you may need to be that "squeaky wheel" for a bit in order for them to address the problem seriously

If on the other hand the problem is local, I'd recommend using PingPlotter to troubleshoot your NIC (Network Interface Card) as well as your loopback address (IP Stack and hardware):

- In Windows, run Command Line as administrator and type **ipconfig** and look for the IPv4 address; this is your NIC IP.

- Trace to your loopback address (127.0.0.1).

I hope that helps! Please let us know if there's anything else you'd like a hand with.

Ok, I traced to my router and am definitely getting packet loss. I was playing World of Warships and the packet losses and ping spikes were seen as small (up to 3-4 second) game freezes. When I traced to the NIC I didn't see any problems there. I tried to trace the loopback address, but it only showed 100% packet loss. I'm guessing the router is the source of at least some of the problem.

Hey there Jon,

I'm sorry it took a while for me to get back to you. I did happen to look at your data though!

This amount of packet loss would definitely indicate a problem with your router, especially since there weren't any issues found on the NIC and the loopback address ( it probably wasn't enabled ).

You can try purchasing a new router and try it out, be sure to keep the receipt and check the return policy. Most people need to replace their router after a few years, but you may just need to update the firmware (which is another option you could try out).

I'm glad PingPlotter was able to help you figure out where the problem was though! Let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.