This article will take you through how to perform ping, netstat & traceroute tests on Windows & Mac devices.
Just pick your operating system below and follow the steps.
Windows
The following 3 tests are performed in the 'command prompt' application.
To launch command prompt:
- Click the 'start' menu in the bottom left-hand corner of your screen
- Type 'cmd' and press enter
- This will open the command prompt application
Ping test
The ping test is designed to show how your connection & device is communicating with a server. Essentially, it tracks the sending and return of information, or 'packets', and shows how long information is taking to be sent and received. The test also shows if any of this information is being lost, and can help diagnose problems.
To perform a ping test:
- In the command prompt application, type 'Ping -n 100 www.google.com', and press enter
- Once the test has finished, highlight and copy the summary of results, and paste them into a word document
Netstat-a test
The netstat test shows outgoing and incoming connections on your network - it can help identify if there are particular devices or software causing slow problems.
To perform a netstat-a test:
- In the command prompt application, type 'netstat -a', and press enter
- Once the test has finished, highlight and copy the results, and paste them into a word document
Traceroute test
The traceroute test shows the specific path that data is taking when leaving your connection. It can help show if there is a routing problem causing slow speeds.
To perform a traceroute test:
- In the command prompt application, type 'tracert www.google.com', and press enter
- Once the test has finished highlight and copy the results, and paste them into a word document
These tests are also used by the wholesaler to investigate slow speeds on a network level - unfortunately, we are unable to use screenshots of the results, they must be copied and pasted into a word document and sent to us.
Mac
The following 3 tests are performed in the 'network utility' application on your Mac - you can search for this application in spotlight.
In the network utility application, the menu bar at the top shows options for 'Netstat', 'Ping' & 'Traceroute'
Ping test
The ping test is designed to show how your connection & device is communicating with a server. Essentially, it tracks the sending and return of information, or 'packets', and shows how long information is taking to be sent and received. The test shows if any of this information is being lost, and can help diagnose speed problems.
To perform the Ping test;
- Click the 'Ping' tab at the top of the network utility application
- In 'please enter the network address to ping', type 'www.google.com'
- Choose 'send only', and type '100'
- Once the test has finished highlight and copy the results, and paste them into a word document
Netstat-a test
The netstat test shows outgoing and incoming connections on your network - it can help identify if there are particular devices or software causing slow speed problems.
To perform the Netstat test:
- Click the 'Netstat' tab at the top of the network utility application
- Select 'Display routing table information'
- Click 'Netstat'
- Once the test has finished highlight and copy the results, and paste them into a word document
Traceroute test
The traceroute test shows the specific path that data is taking when leaving your connection. It can help show if there is a routing problem causing slow speeds.
To perform a Traceroute test:
- Click the 'Traceroute' tab at the top of the network utility application
- In 'Enter the network address to trace an internet route to', enter 'www.google.com'
- Click 'Trace'
- Once the test has finished highlight and copy the results, and paste them into a word document
