---
title: "How to test packet loss on a Mac with ping · Kilobat Guides"
url: "https://kilobat.app/guides/packet-loss-mac"
description: "Measure packet loss and latency on a Mac with ping, find whether the loss is on Wi-Fi, the router or the internet, and know which results to trust."
---

Websites and speed

# Test for packet loss on a Mac with ping

Packet loss makes calls break up and pages stall. Use `ping` to measure loss to the router and to the internet, and compare them.

Applies to: All current macOS versions. · Checked: 29 October 2026

## Symptoms

- Audio in calls breaks up or sounds robotic.
- Games show lag or rubber-banding.
- Pages stop and then continue.

## Likely causes

- **A weak or noisy Wi-Fi link.** Radio interference and distance make packets fail on the link.
- **A busy router or network.** Full queues drop packets.
- **Problems past the router.** The provider's network or the route can drop packets.
- **Rate limits on ping replies.** Some routers and servers answer only some ping requests. That looks like loss, but it is not.

## How to check

1. Find the address of your router. It is the `gateway` line.

   ```
   route -n get default
   ```
2. Send 100 pings to the router. Replace the address with your gateway address.

   ```
   ping -c 100 192.168.1.1
   ```

   Output A summary line with packets transmitted, packets received and the percentage of packet loss.
3. Send 100 pings to a server on the internet.

   ```
   ping -c 100 1.1.1.1
   ```
4. Compare the two loss values. Loss to the router points to Wi-Fi or the router.
5. Loss only to the internet server points past the router.
6. Repeat the test over Ethernet, if you can. Loss that stops on Ethernet comes from Wi-Fi.
7. To see where loss starts on the path, read [Find where a connection slows down with traceroute](https://kilobat.app/guides/traceroute-mac).

## How to fix it

1. If the loss is on Wi-Fi, move closer to the router or use a less crowded channel. See [Weak Wi-Fi signal on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/weak-wifi-signal-mac).
2. If the loss appears only while the network is busy, read [Bufferbloat: calls lag when the network is busy](https://kilobat.app/guides/bufferbloat-mac).
3. Restart the router and the modem.
4. If the loss is past the router, contact your provider. Give them the ping results with dates and times.

## With Kilobat

1. `kilobat diagnose` measures router and internet latency, jitter and loss in one run.

   ```
   kilobat diagnose
   ```
2. The stutter test pings the router every 50 ms for 20 seconds. It marks routers that answer only some fast pings, so you do not count that as loss.

   ```
   kilobat stutter
   ```
3. In the app, the Health tab shows the stutter test. It is free.

## Questions

**How much packet loss is too much?**

Any steady loss is worth a check. Kilobat's call check warns at more than 2% loss to the internet.

**Why do I see loss only in a fast ping test?**

Many routers limit how many ping requests they answer each second. Use the default interval of one second for a fair result.

## Sources

- ping(8), man page installed with macOS 27.2
- route(8), man page installed with macOS 27.2
- traceroute(8), man page installed with macOS 27.2

Sources checked on 29 October 2026. Man pages are the ones installed with macOS; open one with `man <name>` in Terminal.

## Related guides

- [Find where a connection slows down with traceroute](https://kilobat.app/guides/traceroute-mac): traceroute shows each router on the path from your Mac to a host, with the time each one takes to answer.
- [Slow internet on a Mac: find which part is slow](https://kilobat.app/guides/slow-internet-mac-cause): A slow connection has many possible causes.
- [Video calls stutter or freeze on a Mac](https://kilobat.app/guides/video-call-stutter-mac): Calls need steady latency and steady upload more than high speed.
- [Test for call stutter](https://kilobat.app/guides/recipes/test-call-stutter): A speed test averages its pings, so short spikes disappear.