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Identifying and resolving network latency or packet loss issues.

S
Written by Support
Updated over a week ago

👋 Hi there! If you're experiencing slow speeds, lag during gaming, or buffering while streaming, this guide will help you use a free tool called PingPlotter to check for latency or connection problems. Running this test gives us valuable insight, so we can diagnose and fix the issue faster on our end.

⚠️ Important: Please Use Only the Share Link

To keep things safe and secure for both you and our team:

🔒 Please do not attach any files (such as .pp2 exports or screenshots) to your email or support request.

Instead, use the Share Link feature built into PingPlotter. It creates a secure, read-only link that gives our network engineers everything they need to diagnose the issue — without requiring any downloads or attachments.

📎 We will not open or process any file attachments for security reasons.

The Share Link includes:

  • A visual timeline of your connection path

  • Latency and packet loss details

Just follow the steps in Step 5 to generate the link, then copy and paste it into your message. That’s all we need to help investigate the issue!

✅ Step 1: Download and Install PingPlotter

  1. Go to the official website: https://www.pingplotter.com/download/

  2. Download the Free Edition for Windows or Mac.

  3. Once downloaded, open the file and follow the instructions to install.

🔍 Step 2: Open PingPlotter and Set a Target

  1. Open the PingPlotter application.

  2. At the top of the window, you'll see a field labeled "Target Name or IP." This is where you tell PingPlotter what destination to test.

  3. You can enter any website or IP address here — we recommend using:

    • A popular and reliable address like 8.8.8.8 (Google DNS) or 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare DNS)

    • Or the address of a site or service where you're experiencing problems, like:

      • www.youtube.com (if videos buffer)

      • www.steam.com or your game server’s IP (if gaming is laggy)

      • yourworkvpn.company.com (if remote work tools are slow)

  4. Once entered, set the interval (how often it tests) to 2.5 seconds — you’ll find this option just beside the "Start" button.

This will allow PingPlotter to start checking your connection to that specific service, helping us understand where the slowdown is happening.

▶️ Step 3: Start the Test

  1. Click the Start button to begin testing.

  2. Let the test run for at least 1 hour, or longer if you can. This gives us a better view of any issues over time.

  3. If your issue only happens at certain times (like evenings), try running PingPlotter during that time.

📊 Step 4: Watch for Key Indicators

Once the test is running, PingPlotter will show a graph and a list of "hops" — these are the different points your data passes through on its way to the destination.

Here’s what to look for:

  • Latency (ms): This shows the time it takes for data to travel. Higher numbers mean more delay or lag.

  • Packet Loss (%): This tells you if data is being lost along the way. Any loss could indicate a problem.

🔎 Pay attention to:

  • The first hop — This is usually your home router. If you see packet loss here, it could mean a problem with your internal network (like Wi-Fi issues or cabling).

  • The final hop — This is the destination you entered (e.g., Google DNS, a website, or game server). If there’s packet loss or high latency here, it often means there’s an issue with your internet connection or further along the route.

⚠️ Red bars in the graph

Red bars below the chart indicate lost packets — these can help pinpoint when and where problems are happening over time.

Don't worry if a few middle hops show loss, but the final hop looks healthy — that’s usually not a concern. We focus on consistent issues at the first or final hop.

🔗 Step 5: Create a Share Link to Send Us

Once you've run the test for at least 1 hour and you've noticed signs of high latency or packet loss, you can easily share the results with us using a PingPlotter Share Link:

📤 Here's how to create it:

  1. With the test still running (or after stopping it), click the Share button in the top-right corner of the PingPlotter window.

  2. Select "Create a Share Page" from the dropdown.

  3. PingPlotter will generate a link (URL) to your test results online.

  4. Copy that link and paste it into an email or support ticket.

📨 When sending the link, please include:

  • Your name and account number (if available)

  • A brief note describing the issue:

    • When does the problem happen? (e.g., evenings, during video calls, while gaming)

    • What were you doing when the issue occurred?

This lets our support team quickly review the data and start troubleshooting your connection right away.


🧠 Why This Test Matters

Running a PingPlotter test helps us see exactly where along the internet path your connection is slowing down or losing data. Your internet traffic doesn’t go straight from your device to a website — it travels through multiple "hops" (routers and servers), like checkpoints along a route.

Sometimes, problems aren’t with your home setup but somewhere along that path — like a slow segment on the highway between your house and your destination.

By running this test, you’re helping our network engineers identify:

  • Where the problem starts — whether it’s inside your home, with our network, or somewhere beyond

  • How severe the issue is — such as high latency (lag) or packet loss (missing data)

  • When the issue happens — like during peak usage times or only when gaming/streaming

This data gives us a clear map of your connection route, making it faster and easier to get to the root of the issue — and fix it.

Even if the problem seems random or temporary, this test helps us catch what’s happening behind the scenes.

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