Trace the network route from your location to any server
Traceroute is a network diagnostic tool that tracks the path packets take from your device to a destination server. It shows each hop (router) along the way, including the round-trip time to each hop. This helps identify where delays or packet loss occur in the network path.
High delays at specific hops indicate network congestion or routing issues at that point. Common causes include:
Ping measures the total round-trip time from your device to the destination. Traceroute shows the complete path, revealing which specific hop is causing delays. If ping is slow but traceroute shows normal times at all hops, the destination server itself may be the bottleneck. If a specific hop shows high delays, that's where the problem is.
Ping measures the total round-trip time from your device to the destination. Traceroute shows the complete path, revealing which specific hop is causing delays.
Run a traceroute to the problematic server. Look for hops with unusually high delays or timeouts. The hop where problems start is typically where the bottleneck or routing issue exists.
Some routers are configured to not respond to traceroute probes (ICMP TTL exceeded messages). This is normal and doesn't indicate a problem with the network path.
Traceroute is a network diagnostic utility that displays the path (route) taken by packets from your device to a target server, showing each intermediate hop (router) along the way. It works by sending packets with incrementally increasing TTL (Time To Live) values, forcing each router along the path to respond, revealing its identity and latency.
Traceroute sends a series of packets with increasing TTL values starting at 1. The first packet is dropped by the first router (TTL=1), which sends back an ICMP "Time Exceeded" message. The second packet reaches the second router (TTL=2), and so on. By the time the TTL reaches the destination, the full path is mapped. Each hop shows the router's IP address, hostname (if available), and round-trip time.
Each line in traceroute output represents one hop. The number on the left is the hop count. Three ping attempts are made per hop (shown as three latency values). The final line shows the destination server. If you see "* * *" (all three attempts timeout), that router is not responding to traceroute — this is normal for many ISP routers that block ICMP. Focus on the latency values to identify slow hops.
High latency at a specific hop can indicate: congested network equipment, suboptimal routing (your packets taking a longer path than necessary), cross-border or international routing inefficiencies, or ISP peering issues. If latency spikes at one hop but normalizes later, that specific router or link is congested but not causing lasting issues. If latency stays high until the destination, the entire route has problems.
While traceroute takes a single snapshot of network paths, MTR (My Traceroute) continuously monitors routes over time, providing ongoing statistics about packet loss and latency at each hop. For diagnosing intermittent network issues, MTR provides more comprehensive data, while traceroute is sufficient for identifying routing paths and one-time latency issues.
Game players use traceroute to identify latency bottlenecks on the route to game servers. If traceroute shows high latency at your ISP's edge router, contact your ISP. If latency is high at intermediate hops outside your ISP's network, there's little you can do except use a VPN with gaming-optimized routing or wait for the ISP to improve peering connections.
"Request timed out" (* * *) is common and usually not an issue — many routers silently drop traceroute probes for security. If all three attempts time out consistently at one hop but subsequent hops show latency, the route is still working. If the final destination never responds, check that the target server is reachable via ping first, or the server may be blocking traceroute.
Ping tells you the total latency to a destination but not where delays occur. Traceroute reveals the path and shows latency at each hop, pinpointing exactly where slowdowns happen. Use ping first to confirm high latency exists, then use traceroute to find which network segment is responsible. IPIPAI provides both tools for complete network diagnostics.
When tracerouting to international servers, expect more hops and higher latency. A route from China to the US typically passes through multiple backbone providers and may take 15-25 hops. Transit through congested international links can cause latency spikes. Use IPIPAI's traceroute with different target servers to compare routing paths across regions.
Many routers silently drop traceroute probes for security reasons. This is normal and does not indicate a network problem. If subsequent hops show latency, the route is still working properly.
A typical domestic route has 5-15 hops. International routes may have 15-30 hops. Each hop represents a router the packets pass through. The maximum is 30 hops before TTL expires.
Ping tells you total latency. Traceroute shows the path your packets take and latency at each hop, helping you identify exactly where slowdowns occur in the network path.
Yes, if some hops show latency while others show timeouts, or if you run traceroute multiple times and see inconsistent results, it indicates packet loss at specific network segments. For detailed loss analysis, use MTR instead of traceroute.