Just a heads-up, we’ll focus solely on the Internet part. As with any other ISP, MediaCom customers may experience various technical issues, such as packet loss, from time to time. Packet loss is a common phenomenon regardless of location, and it can be triggered by a lot of factors. In this guide, we’ll teach you more about packet loss, what can cause it, and how to fix it effectively as a MediaCom customer.

What is packet loss?

We can’t stress this enough: packet loss is not a MediaCom-specific issue. It can happen everywhere as long as you have an Internet connection. To put it simply, packet loss occurs whenever packets of data get lost along the way and never reach their destination. That destination could be either you or a remote server you’re sending/receiving information to/from. As a result, you may experience various annoying issues, such as:

An unresponsive connection Stuttering during VoIP calls Jitter Sluggish video streaming Unplayable online games Unresponsive menus in games Rubberbanding (still talking about games)

What causes packet loss?

Unfortunately, there are several things that can cause packet loss, whether you’re a MediaCom customer or not.

Network congestion (this is the most common reason) Poor ISP traffic management (causes network congestion) Not maintaining your connection properly Using Wi-Fi instead of a wired connection Cheap Internet plan (not enough bandwidth) Obsolete hardware (including routers, cables) Router running on an older firmware version Out-of-date drivers on your system ISP throttling your bandwidth

With these potential causes in mind, it’s not difficult to see why packet loss isn’t exactly easy to spot and troubleshoot. As you can see, some of these factors are directly your ISP’s (MediaCom) responsibility, while others are up for you to handle.

How can I fix MediaCom packet loss?

Conclusion

To wrap it up, if you’re a MediaCom customer and are experiencing packet loss, there are many things you can try to alleviate the situation. You just fire it up and connect to a server; moments later you can already see the improvements. However, there’s also a solid chance that this fix won’t work as intended. Remember when we said that some of the main causes of packet loss are directly tied to your ISP (MediaCom)? Well, a VPN can take care of those by re-routing your connection through a secure, well-maintained, unrestricted tunnel. Therefore, if the issue occurs on your side for whatever reason, a VPN could only make things worse. The same goes if the remote server (e.g. streaming server, game server) has technical difficulties and discards packets. The main reason why we recommend Private Internet Access (PIA) from the list of best VPN for Mediacom is that it has a huge network of over 22,000 servers (and counting). Thus, even if you’ve picked a server that doesn’t seem to work well, you can simply choose another one. You have plenty of elbow room. Check out PIA’s main features:

Zero-logging policy More than 22,000 high-speed servers Built-in VPN kill switch PIA MACE that blocks ads and malware domains Split tunneling Unblocks various geo-restricted services Supports OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols

Much like many other types of data, your system can cache DNS information, and these data build-ups can have a negative impact on your connection. For that reason, flushing your DNS could really improve your connection, especially if you have never done it before, or didn’t do it in a long time. Here’s how you can flush your DNS on your Windows 10 PC: After your PC restarts, check if your packet loss issue still persists. For that reason, we’ve prepared a brief list of things you can do to make sure your connection is in top shape.

Restart your computer, your router, and your modem Check if your router is running on the latest firmware version Update all drivers on your system, especially network adapter drivers Try to disable your VPN temporarily Check if your security software (e.g. firewall, antivirus) restricts the service where you experience packet loss Disable your firewall/antivirus temporarily Upgrade your MediaCom Internet plan if you can (especially if your plan has insufficient bandwidth) Force-stop any bandwidth-hungry app or service on your PC Switch your wireless router’s broadcast channel Always use a wired connection instead of Wi-Fi, if possible (Wi-Fi packet loss happens more frequently) Try to avoid peak hours to bypass network congestion (or use a VPN) Call MediaCom and ask them if they can look into the issue if you keep experiencing it Make sure your cables aren’t damaged at all and replace them if necessary Upgrade your cables if they’re outdated/obsolete (e.g. CAT5 to CAT6)

Although these suggestions may not get you rid of packet loss 100%, they can surely help you keep it to a minimum. Note that most of our suggestions aim at your end of the connection, which MediaCom might not be responsible for. For example, an old, chewed-out Ethernet cable could definitely mean packet loss, and MediaCom wouldn’t be to blame. With that in mind, try as many of our suggestions as you can before blaming your ISP for your packet loss situation. Although using a VPN can usually take care of this problem, it will only work if the issue is caused by MediaCom (e.g. throttling, improper traffic management). However, there’s a good chance that there’s something wrong on your side of the connection, and that’s when you should try troubleshooting the issue manually.

We recommend Private Internet Access, a VPN with a no-log policy, open source code, ad blocking and much more; now 79% off. Name * Email * Commenting as . Not you? Save information for future comments
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