Use traceroute for a quick snapshot of the route to a host, then use MTR when you need repeated measurements during a slowdown or outage. The decisive evidence is not an alarming number on one intermediate hop: a fault is more credible when increased loss or latency begins at a hop and continues through every later hop, including the destination.
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This guide shows the commands for Linux and Windows, explains what each column means, and gives a workflow for separating real forwarding problems from routers that merely rate-limit diagnostic replies.
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Traceroute and MTR answer different questions
Traceroute asks, “Which routers does traffic appear to cross, and how long did each probe take to receive a reply?” It sends probes with progressively larger time-to-live (TTL) values. A packet whose TTL reaches zero causes the intermediate router to return an ICMP Time Exceeded message. Traceroute records that router and the probe’s round-trip time (RTT), increases the TTL, and continues until the destination responds or the trace stops. Cloudflare describes traceroute as a tool for diagnosing problems in a network path.
MTR asks, “Does this path continue to show loss or delay when measured repeatedly?” It combines traceroute’s route discovery with ping-style sampling. Instead of one short set of probes, MTR keeps collecting observations and reports sent packets, loss percentage, last response, average RTT, best and worst RTT, and standard deviation for each hop.
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| Tool | Measurement model | Best use | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traceroute | One path snapshot with probe RTTs at each TTL | Quickly locating where a path changes, stops, or becomes slower | A small number of probes can miss intermittent trouble; replies may be filtered |
| MTR | Repeated route and latency/loss samples over time | Intermittent problems, trend evidence, and a report you can share with a network operator | Results still describe only the tested source, destination, protocol, port, and measurement period |
Run a baseline traceroute
Linux and macOS-style command
traceroute example.comReplace example.com with the exact hostname that is slow or unreachable. If you already know the destination address, test that address as well; this removes DNS changes from the comparison.
Windows command
tracert example.comWindows calls the program tracert. The output is still read one row per hop, with the responding address or hostname followed by probe RTTs.
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traceroute -6 example.comtracert -6 example.comUse the IPv6 form only when the application is actually using IPv6. A healthy IPv4 route does not prove that the IPv6 route is healthy, and vice versa. If a hostname has both address families, record which one the affected connection selected.
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How to read traceroute output
Each numbered row is a TTL step. The address or hostname is the device that returned the diagnostic response, and the millisecond figures are RTTs for the probes sent at that step. A higher value at one hop is not automatically a delay imposed on all traffic: routers often prioritize forwarding packets over generating diagnostic replies.
What * * * means
An asterisk means that traceroute did not display a response for that probe before its timeout. Possible causes include a router filtering the probe, disabled ICMP error messages, response rate limiting, or a mismatch between the probe protocol and what the network permits. It does not, by itself, prove that the router is dropping transit traffic.
Look at the rows after the asterisks and at the final destination. If later hops respond normally and the destination is reachable with ordinary performance, the unnamed hop is usually a control-plane response issue. If the trace ends there and the destination also fails, the missing response deserves further testing, but ownership or blame cannot be inferred from the blank row alone.
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Latency spikes versus sustained increases
Compare the pattern across subsequent hops rather than reacting to one millisecond value. A spike that appears at one router and returns to the previous level on the next rows commonly reflects reply prioritization. A step up that remains elevated for every later hop can reflect additional path distance, a provider transition, or congestion beginning near that point. Traceroute is a snapshot, so repeat it when the symptom is intermittent.
Use MTR for repeated evidence
Standard Linux report
mtr -rw example.comThe -r option produces report mode output instead of an interactive screen, and -w uses a wider layout so hostnames and statistics are less likely to be truncated. To test a literal address, use:
mtr -rw 1.1.1.1Let the test run long enough to include the period in which users observe the failure. A short run can show a clean path simply because no bad interval occurred while it was collecting samples.
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MTR columns
- Loss% is the proportion of probes for which that hop did not return a reply.
- Snt is the number of probes sent to that hop.
- Last is the most recent RTT received.
- Avg is the average RTT of received replies.
- Best and Wrst show the lowest and highest observed RTTs.
- StDev shows how widely the observed RTTs vary around the average.
These figures describe responses to MTR’s probes, not a direct meter of every application packet. Interpret a row in relation to later rows and the destination.
A practical diagnosis workflow
- Define the endpoint and symptom. Write down the exact hostname or IP, whether the problem is slow loading, timeouts, disconnects, or packet loss, and whether it is constant or intermittent. Note the approximate start and end time in UTC.
- Capture a baseline traceroute. Run the platform-appropriate command while the connection is working and again during the fault. Save complete output rather than copying only the suspicious row. If DNS can return different addresses, repeat the test against each address observed by the affected client.
- Run MTR during the symptom. Use report mode and allow enough cycles to cover the bad interval. Record the source network, destination, protocol, port, and test time with the report.
- Find the first change. Scan from the first hop toward the destination. Mark the first hop where loss rises materially or RTT steps upward, then inspect every later row.
- Check persistence. Loss or delay that appears on one intermediate row but disappears on the next rows is weak evidence of a forwarding fault. Loss that starts at a hop and remains at similar levels through all subsequent hops and the destination is stronger evidence of a problem on that link or segment.
- Repeat from another vantage point. If possible, run the same test from a second network or from the destination side. A path problem that follows one access network but not another narrows the likely segment; a destination-wide problem will usually appear from multiple sources.
- Escalate reproducible evidence. Send the complete traceroute or MTR report, source location and network, destination, UTC timestamp, command and options, protocol and port, and the number of samples. Do not send a conclusion based solely on an isolated asterisk.
Interpreting common MTR patterns
| Observed pattern | Most defensible interpretation | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| All hops and the destination show 0% loss with stable averages | No path impairment was observed during that run. Small differences in worst or standard-deviation values are normal. | Repeat during the reported failure; a clean run cannot rule out an intermittent issue. |
| One intermediate hop reports loss, but every later hop and the destination do not | The router is likely rate-limiting or filtering replies to diagnostic probes while continuing to forward traffic. | Do not blame that hop. Validate the destination and collect a longer run if the user-visible symptom continues. |
| Loss begins at one hop and remains through every later hop, including the destination | The impairment is consistent with a bad or overloaded link or segment beginning around that point. The MTR manual notes that a sudden increase in packet loss or response time often indicates such a link. | Provide the report to the relevant access provider, transit operator, or host network and include the exact time window. |
| RTT rises at a hop and stays higher afterward, with little loss | The route may have entered a longer geographic or provider segment, or it may be congested. A sustained step is more meaningful than a single peak. | Compare runs at normal and busy times and check application behavior at the destination. |
| Asterisks or an incomplete trace, while direct access still works | Filtering, disabled ICMP errors, rate limiting, or protocol mismatch is more likely than a complete forwarding failure. | Test the destination directly, try the correct IPv4/IPv6 form, and use TCP-mode MTR when the application uses TCP. |
Match the diagnostic protocol to the application
Traceroute and ordinary MTR behavior can be affected by networks that treat ICMP or UDP differently from application traffic. If the failing service is HTTPS, for example, a test that uses a different protocol may encounter filtering that the application does not—or may look healthy while TCP connections fail.
Cloudflare documents this TCP-port MTR form:
mtr -P 443 -T destination-ip-T selects TCP probes and -P 443 selects the destination port. Substitute the service’s actual port and destination address. Use this mode when ICMP/UDP replies are filtered or when you need the test to resemble the affected TCP flow. It still measures only the route from the machine running MTR, at that moment, to that port.
Investigate intermittent problems methodically
Capture before, during, and after
Run one report while the connection is normal, another while users can reproduce the issue, and a final report after recovery. Keep the files separate and label each with UTC time. Comparing the first-hop access segment, the first provider transition, and the destination across those periods helps distinguish a local link fluctuation from a remote service issue.
Use the same destination and address family
Do not compare a hostname-based report that resolved to one address with an address-based report for a different server unless you record that difference. A load-balanced service can send successive tests over different paths. Test the address family used by the failing connection, and note any change in DNS resolution.
Do not average away the event
MTR’s average can look acceptable even when a short outage caused the user-visible failure. Review loss percentage, worst RTT, standard deviation, and the time window, not just the average. An event that affects all later hops and the destination is more significant than a large worst value on a single intermediate row.
Why a trace can disagree with the user experience
- Diagnostic replies are handled differently. Routers may forward transit traffic at line rate while delaying or suppressing TTL-expired and echo-related responses.
- The tested path is not the application path. Different protocols, ports, address families, or destinations can take different routes and encounter different policies.
- Load balancing changes the next hop. Repeated probes may be distributed across parallel links, so a hostname can produce more than one plausible route.
- One snapshot misses short events. A brief queue buildup or link flap can end before a manual traceroute finishes.
- Reverse DNS is incomplete. An IP address without a hostname is not evidence of a failure or of a particular organization’s ownership.
These limitations are why the final destination and persistence across later hops matter more than a dramatic-looking middle row.
When to use traceroute, MTR, or both
| Situation | Recommended first test | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| First report of a slow or unreachable service | Traceroute, then MTR if the symptom is present | Traceroute quickly shows the route; MTR adds duration and loss statistics. |
| Intermittent timeouts or gaming/voice drops | MTR during the event | Repeated samples can capture loss and jitter that a one-time trace misses. |
| Only HTTPS or another TCP service fails | TCP-mode MTR to the service port | It better matches the traffic and avoids over-interpreting ICMP/UDP filtering. |
| IPv4 works but IPv6 fails | Separate IPv4 and IPv6 traceroutes, followed by MTR on the failing family | Each address family can use a different path. |
| Preparing a concise ticket for an operator | Traceroute for context plus a timed MTR report | The trace shows topology; the report documents persistence and statistics. |
Prepare an escalation that can be acted on
A network operator can investigate much faster when the evidence is reproducible. Include:
- Source city or site and the access network or autonomous system, if known.
- Destination hostname and resolved IP address; specify IPv4 or IPv6.
- UTC start and end times, including the user-visible symptom.
- Exact command, options, protocol, and destination port.
- Complete output, not a screenshot of only the suspected hop.
- Number of MTR samples or the report’s sent count.
- Whether the same test from another network showed the issue.
Describe the observation rather than asserting ownership: for example, “loss starts at hop 5 and continues at similar levels through the destination between 14:10 and 14:18 UTC.” This gives the receiving team a testable time window and a clear boundary to examine.
Quick Recap
Quick reference checklist
- Test the exact endpoint users report.
- Record whether the issue is constant or intermittent.
- Run the correct IPv4, IPv6, or Windows/Linux command.
- Save a baseline traceroute.
- Run MTR during the symptom and let it collect enough samples.
- Locate the first persistent increase, not merely the first asterisk.
- Check whether the destination shows the same loss or delay.
- Use TCP mode and the application port when protocol filtering is suspected.
- Repeat from another network when possible.
- Escalate with complete, time-stamped output.
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