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BF4 packet loss: How to test and get rid of it?
4 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Key notes
BF4, short forBattlefield 4, is a popularfirst-persongamedeveloped by EA DICE. Thisgamewas released in late 2013 and followed the 2011Battlefield3 title.
Maybe the most popular trait ofBattlefield4 was, and still is, its multiplayer mode. As far as its singleplayer campaign goes, it wasn’t so well received by the series’ fans.
That’s why it’s safe to say thatBF4was heavily-focused on online playing. While that’s not inherently bad, thegamewas and still is subject to a series of technical challenges that many other online services face.
Namely, these issues are high ping,jitter, network congestion, and the dreaded packet loss.
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What is packet loss in BF4?
Packet lossis the same regardless of where you encounter it. It occurs whenever data packets you transmit (send/receive) never make it to their destination.
As a result, it triggers other issues such as rubberbanding, slowdowns, and even connection timeouts.
InBattlefield 4, packet loss can make the difference between glorious victory and crushing defeat.
You might be familiar with placing your enemy right in the middle of your crosshairs and pulling the trigger, only to discover it rubberbanded and you missed the shot.
That can be frustrating or downright infuriating. More often than not it’s caused by packet loss. This issue is usually caused bynetwork congestion, which means that the best way to fix it is often waiting for it to pass or avoiding peak hours.
How to test for packet loss in BF4?
This test will run a traceroute to the BF4 server while also pinging each hop along the way and returning the values back to you, along with packet loss percentage.
If you want to log the results to a file on your PC instead of displaying them within the CMD window, simply add> C:packetloss.txt(replace packetloss with a file name of your choice) at the end of the pathping command.
Thus, the full command should look like this:
pathping x.x.x.x > C:packetloss.txt
How to get rid of packet loss in BF4?
1. Use a VPN service
Private Internet Access is an excellent VPN service brought to you by Kape Technologies. It can cover a lot of ground regarding connectivity issues, ranging from reducing packet loss, to even improving ping or eliminating jitter.
However, it can take care of even more such as safekeeping your privacy, securing your connection, or helping youcircumvent geoblocking.
Private Internet Access
Note that using aVPNmight not work every time. In fact, if you leak packets on your end, or the game server does, using aVPNwon’t do any good.
Therefore, for this fix to work, the packet loss must occur on your ISP’s side (bandwidth throttling or improper routing).
2. Troubleshoot your connection manually
BF4 packet loss can be improved
All things considered, even using aVPNcan improve packet loss, but only if the issue is on your ISP’s side. Other times it might just be the byproduct ofnetwork congestionand fixes by itself.
Last, but not least, you might want to try some of our manual troubleshooting suggestions.
They might not help you improve packet loss all of the time (especially if the leaks occur on your ISP’s side or the game server’s), but keeping your home network in top shape never harmed anyone.
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More about the topics:battlefield 4,Fix network issues,packet loss,VPN
Vlad Constantinescu
Vlad might have a degree in Animal Husbandry and Livestock Management, but he’s currently rocking anything software related, ranging from testing programs to writing in-depth reviews about them.
He spent 3-4 years as a software editor at Softpedia and another year as a VPN specialist before he landed his current job as an author at Windows Report.
In his free time, Vlad enjoys playing guitar, doing jigsaw puzzles, researching cybersecurity, and even having a good read on rainy days.
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