Internet Service Provider
ISP (Internet Service Provider) Route Test or Connection Test Tools use Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) with low Time To Live (TTL) values to find and get ping responses from each router or hop between two end points in the Internet. The purpose of these Tools is to detect each router or hop between the two end points and to record the round trip time it takes packets to go to each hop and return.
Route Test Tools gather the collected data into a report. These reports can be used for locating sources of packet loss and latency in an Internet connection. The most effective of these tools, gather data over an extended period of time and detect which hops belong to the ISP servicing the Internet connection. This article explains how to interpret the data to find the source of latency or delay within an Internet connection.
In the test report, look for a column titled “Delay”, “Average Delay” or “ms”. “ms” stands for milliseconds. These reports record round trip times to each hop in milliseconds. Study the Average Delay/ms column for hops where the delay increases significantly compared to the other hops and the delay seems to affect all other hops greater in value. Any change in average delay greater than 5ms is usually significant.
An example would be a report where the average delay jumps from 15ms to 35ms from hops 14 to 15. All hops 16 and above are approximately 35ms or greater. This means a significant delay is induced between hops 14 and 15. Because hops 16 and above stay in the 35ms or greater range, it suggests the increase delay from hops 14 to 15 was not caused by the router’s response to a ping packet. If one of the problems with the Internet connection is delay or latency, then this could be a contributing source.
The purpose of the Time To Live (TTL) value in Internet Protocol (IP) packets is to prevent packets from cycling through the Internet in an endless loop. If router A sends a packet to router B and, through an error in programming, B sends the packet back to A, then that packet can get stuck in an endless loop. Packets in an endless loop will consume bandwidth and eventually cause a network to fail.
Each router within the Internet must subtract 1 from the TTL value before passing a packet on to the next router. If the TTL value goes to zero, the router cannot forward the packet and instead sends an error message back to the packet’s originating IP address giving details of the packet’s demise. This is how route tests and trace routes work.
Some routers take longer to send the error message than to simply forward a packet to the next destination. The reason hop 9 may have a greater delay than say hop 12 in a report is this extra time. For a specific hop to be inducing latency on a route, all hops to follow must have increased round trip times similar to the specific hop in question.
An ISP provider that offers child filters for the internet are great if you have children. Check around because often times ISP providers offer games for kids, links to homework sites, or links to kid friendly fun sites. You should also try to look at one that does not only block sites dangerous to your kids, but also one that has a good SPAM and virus blocker on it. That will save you both time and irritation from SPAM and perhaps loss of files with a virus.
Look for an ISP provider that offers you unlimited usage. It is rare to find ISP providers that limit access today, but they are out there and you want to know what you are getting into before you sign up. Always check out the usage agreements. With email, online shopping, and research a family is likely online enough to justify a monthly unlimited access fee.
You will probably want to pay attention to price as well. ISP providers vary in price, but they also vary in services they provide. So although you will want to consider price, you may want to avoid making it the primary factor in your decision. Just make sure it connects at the speed you want and loads websites quickly and efficiently.
Processing your request, Please wait....
