Visual Traceroute
Trace the network path to any destination
Frequently Asked Questions
What is traceroute?
How to read results?
Why asterisks?
Why do some traceroute hops show asterisks or timeouts?
How many hops is normal for a traceroute?
What is Traceroute?
Traceroute is a network diagnostic tool that tracks the pathway a packet takes from your computer to a destination. It shows each "hop" along the route and measures the transit delays.
This tool is useful for identifying network bottlenecks, understanding routing paths, and diagnosing connectivity issues.
Understanding Results
Hop Number: The order of routers in the path (1 is closest to you).
IP Address: The network address of each router.
Latency: Round-trip time to that hop in milliseconds.
Timeout (*): The router didn't respond, often due to firewall rules.
Common Issues
High Latency: Indicates congestion or long physical distances.
Timeouts: Many routers block ICMP by default - this is normal.
Routing Loops: Traffic bouncing between routers - indicates configuration issues.