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Packet Loss: Difference between revisions
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→What is Packet Loss?: clean up, typos fixed: FaceBook → Facebook
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Derived from the [http://revk.www.me.uk/2014/02/what-is-packet-loss.html Director's Blog]
The Internet uses a system of packets to send information. This means that whatever you are doing, whether accessing [[Facebook
Each of these packets carries some addressing information, and some data. The fact that packets are used means it is possible to have lots of things happening at once, with bits of one thing in one packet followed by bits of something else in another packet and so on, mixing up multiple things on one Internet connection. This is how it is possible for lots of people to use an Internet connection at once. The addressing data in the packet makes sure the right things go to the right place and are put back together at the far end.
This means that even low levels of random packet loss can massively slow down a data transfers.
The best measure of loss as a simple percentage is the loss when sending full size packets (1500 bytes) which is what the data transfer protocols (like TCP) use. Even a 1% or 2% of loss of such packets can cause TCP to slow down massively. It does not work like taking away a couple of percent of speed - the data transfers keep slowing down as they keep thinking the line must be full.
[[File:CQM-heavyloss.png|Heavy packetloss.]]
Packet loss on an idle line is always bad news...
[[File:CQM-lowloss.png|border|An FTTC line with 1-3% loss
...even if only 1% (one red dot at the top is 1%)
==2% loss is not like 98% working speed==
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