Ping and traceroute explained: find where the delay is

Ping tells you how long a round trip to one server takes. Traceroute shows every stop, or hop, your data passes on the way there, with a time for each. Together they help you see whether delay starts on your own Wi-Fi, at your provider, or far away near the server.

What is ping?

Ping sends a small test message to a server and waits for the reply. The time it takes, in milliseconds (ms), is called latency. It also tells you if any messages went missing, which is called packet loss.

As a rough guide:

• Under about 20 ms to your own router is normal on Wi-Fi.
• Under about 50 ms to a nearby server feels quick for games and calls.
• Several hundred milliseconds to a server on another continent is expected, because data cannot travel faster than the cables allow.

Ping is a quick health check. If ping to your router is high or drops messages, the problem is in your home. If ping to your router is fine but ping to the internet is bad, the problem is further out. For more on the related numbers, see download, upload, ping and jitter explained.

What is traceroute?

Traceroute maps the path between your device and a server. The internet is a chain of routers. Your data hops from your home router to your provider, through a few networks, and finally to the server. A traceroute lists each hop in order, with how long it took to reach it.

It works by sending messages that are set to expire after one hop, then two, then three, and so on. Each router that discards an expired message sends back a short note, which reveals where it is and how long it took.

How to read a traceroute

A typical result is a numbered list. Each line is one hop, and usually shows:

• The hop number.
• An address or name for that router.
• One to three times in milliseconds.

Here is how to read it:

1. Hop 1 is usually your router. Its time should be low. If it is high, your Wi-Fi is the problem.
2. The next few hops are your provider. Times rise a little as you go.
3. Look for a jump that stays. If times leap at one hop, and every hop after it stays high, the delay starts there.
4. Ignore a single slow hop in the middle. Many routers treat traceroute replies as low priority. A hop that looks slow, followed by faster hops, is usually not a real problem.
5. Asterisks are often normal. A line of stars means that router did not reply. Many routers are set up not to answer. If later hops reply, the path is fine.
6. Check the last hop. If the final hop never replies, the server may block traceroute, or there may be a real break.

A worked example

Imagine you lag in a game. You run a traceroute to the game's server:

• Hop 1, your router: a few milliseconds. Home Wi-Fi is fine.
• Hops 2 to 4, your provider: modest and rising slowly. Fine.
• Hop 5: jumps sharply, and every hop after stays high.

That tells you the delay begins at hop 5, which is likely where traffic leaves your provider's network or crosses to another region. Moving closer to the router will not help. You could try a different game server region, or report the pattern to your provider, with the traceroute as evidence. Our guide on when to call your internet provider shows what to tell them.

How to use ping and traceroute together

1. Ping your router. If it is slow or loses messages, fix Wi-Fi first.
2. Ping a well-known website. If that is slow but the router is fine, the problem is outside your home.
3. Run a traceroute to the server you care about, such as a game server or video call service.
4. Find the first hop where times jump and stay high.
5. Repeat at a different time of day. Problems that appear only in the evening often point to congestion.
6. Save the results if you plan to contact your provider.

Things that look scary but are not

• Different times on the same hop. Small variation is normal.
• Private addresses in the first hops. Addresses starting with 192.168 or 10 are local or provider-internal.
• Hops with long, odd names. These are just router labels, often hinting at a city or network.
• A traceroute that differs each time. Internet paths can change from minute to minute.

Traceroute also works well alongside a DNS check, since slow lookups feel like delay but do not show up in a traceroute. See what DNS is and how a slow DNS feels.

How CellRadar helps

CellRadar includes ping and traceroute among its network tools, along with DNS lookup and port check. If you would rather not read the raw numbers, the Network Doctor runs step-by-step checks and gives a plain-language verdict on why the connection feels slow. It measures and explains the delay; it cannot remove it.

Frequently asked questions

Why do some traceroute hops show only stars?

Those routers did not reply to traceroute messages, which is common and often deliberate. If later hops reply normally, there is no problem.

Can traceroute tell me if my provider is to blame?

It can suggest it. If delay starts in the first few hops after your router and stays high, the issue is likely in your provider's network.

What is a good ping to my router?

On Wi-Fi, a few milliseconds up to about 20 ms is typical. Much higher, or lost messages, points to weak Wi-Fi or interference.

Is traceroute safe to run?

Yes. It only sends small test messages and reads the replies. It does not change anything on your network.