Packets Received Rate
Per-second rate of RTP packet reception — drops in this rate are immediate indicators of network loss or sender issues.
Packets Received Rate
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Key | packets_recv_rate_ps |
| Unit | Packets per second (pps) |
| Type | Gauge |
| Direction | Receive |
| RFC | RFC 3550 |
What It Measures
Packets Received Rate measures how many RTP packets the endpoint receives per second from the remote sender. It is the real-time reception rate that shows exactly how much media data is arriving at any given moment.
If the remote sender is transmitting 50 packets per second and the receiver sees 50 pps, the network is delivering everything. If the receiver sees only 45 pps, approximately 10% of packets are being lost or delayed beyond the measurement window.
Why It Matters
The receive rate is one of the most direct indicators of network health during a call:
- Real-time loss detection — A drop in receive rate that does not correspond to a change in send rate means packets are being lost right now.
- Burst loss visibility — Brief drops to zero followed by recovery show burst loss events that may be hidden in averaged loss statistics.
- Congestion patterns — Periodic dips in receive rate often correlate with network congestion cycles, especially on shared links.
- Remote sender health — If the receive rate drops and the remote sender's rate also drops, the issue is at the source, not the network.
How CallMeter Measures It
CallMeter calculates the packet receive rate by counting the number of RTP packets received during each one-second measurement window. This produces a real-time gauge that responds immediately to changes in network delivery.
Thresholds
This metric does not have fixed thresholds. Compare against the remote sender's Packets Sent Rate to determine the delivery ratio.
What Causes Unexpected Values
- Rate below sender's rate — Packets are being lost in transit. The gap between send rate and receive rate equals the loss rate.
- Rate drops to zero — Complete network interruption, remote sender stopped transmitting, or a firewall is blocking traffic.
- Rate fluctuates — Variable network conditions (congestion, path changes) or the sender is using VAD/silence suppression.
- Rate exceeds sender's rate — Duplicate packets arriving via multiple paths. Check Duplicate Packets.
How to Fix It
- Compare send and receive rates. If the sender's rate is steady but the receiver's rate is lower, the problem is in the network path.
- Look for patterns. Periodic drops suggest congestion cycles. Random drops suggest intermittent issues like WiFi interference or firewall flapping.
- Check for burst events. Brief drops to zero in an otherwise healthy stream may indicate route flaps or brief congestion events. Correlate with Sequence Gaps for burst loss magnitude.
Related Metrics
- Packets Received — Cumulative counter this rate is derived from
- Packets Sent Rate — The sender's transmission rate for comparison
- Packet Loss Rate — Loss expressed as a percentage
- Receive Bitrate — Bandwidth equivalent of this packet rate