Network & QoS
Packet Loss
By Myroslav Orshak · operates licensed carrier infrastructure · Updated September 2026
Packet loss is when some of the small chunks of data carrying your voice never arrive at the other end — heard on calls as dropped syllables, robotic stretches, or words that simply vanish.
How it works
Internet audio travels as thousands of little packets, each carrying about a fiftieth of a second of sound. When a network link is congested, a Wi-Fi signal is weak, or equipment is failing, some packets get dropped along the way. For a download that's harmless — the file just re-requests the missing piece. A live conversation has no time for that: by the time a lost packet could be re-sent, the moment it belonged to has already passed. The call plays on with a hole in it.
Phone systems paper over small holes — the audio software conceals a lone missing packet so well you'll never notice. The trouble starts when losses cluster: at around 1% loss the seams start to show, and past 3% the concealment gives up and you get the classic underwater-robot call.
Why it matters
Packet loss is the number-one reason internet phone calls sound bad — ahead of provider choice, plan price, or anything else you can buy your way out of. It's also invisible on a speed test: a connection can score hundreds of megabits and still drop the 0.5% of packets that wreck a sales call. That's why we grade connections on loss, not speed, and why fixing it is usually a router-and-Wi-Fi project, not an internet upgrade.
Work through the fixes in this order. Test on a wired connection first; if the loss disappears, the problem is your Wi-Fi. Pause backups and streaming. Turn on your router's voice priority setting (QoS). Check cables and aging equipment. Only then take the evidence to your internet provider.
Under 1% loss, calls sound clean — the audio software conceals stray gaps. Between 1–3%, callers hear artifacts and clipped words. Past 3%, conversation becomes genuinely hard to follow. Business target: zero measurable loss on a wired office connection.
Related terms
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Test your connection for packet loss now →Frequently asked questions
What causes packet loss?
For a small office, the usual causes in rough order are Wi-Fi interference and weak signal, an overloaded internet connection (backups, video, big uploads), overworked or aging routers and modems, and damaged cables. Least often, but hardest to fix, is a problem on your internet provider's side. The order matters because it's also the cheapest-first fix list.
What's an acceptable packet loss for calls?
Under 1% for business-quality calls, and zero is the right expectation on a wired office connection. Gamers tolerate a little more; a customer hearing every third word missing does not. Run the test a few times across the day — loss is usually intermittent, and one clean midnight result proves nothing about the 10 a.m. rush.
Why do I have packet loss on Wi-Fi but not wired?
Because radio is a shared, messy medium — walls, distance, microwaves, and the neighbors' networks all eat packets before your traffic ever reaches the internet. That result is actually good news: your internet service is fine, and the fix is Wi-Fi work (position, channels, better access points) or a cable to the phones that matter — no provider call required.
Can my internet provider fix packet loss?
If it persists on a wired, quiet connection, yes — that points upstream to their equipment or lines. Come armed: run the test several times at different hours and note the numbers. A report with measurements gets escalated to someone technical; 'my calls sound bad' gets the restart-your-router script.