How to Test Network and Internet Latency

How to Test Network and Internet Latency (Lag) in Microsoft Windows

Edited by Nick Nicholls, Marie, Jack Herrick, Zach and 26 others

Have you just connected a Windows PC to a network or the Internet? Want to know the easiest way to check connectivity? Both the "ping" and "tracert" commands will help you measure latency, also known as "lag." Follow these steps to test your internet latency.

Steps

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   Go to Start > Run and type cmd. You can also search for cmd.exe in the Windows Search function.
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   Press OK to launch Windows Command. This is the default command-line interface for Windows.
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   Test the loop-back address.
   • Type ping 127.0.0.1 (it is the same for every computer, so you do not need to change this). This will test your computer's network chip, not your modem, router, or Internet connection.
     
   • Press Enter to begin pinging.
     
   • Place -t at the end of the command to perform continuous testing.
     
   • To exit continuous testing, press Ctrl+C.
     
   • Place -n 20 at the end of the command to send 20 pings. Replace the number 20 with any value (the value will be limited to a 32-bit or 64-bit integer).
     
   • If everything is correct, you will see something like:
     
   • Look at the ping statistics. They should report a 0% loss.
     
   • Keep an eye on the response time, as it represents the connection's latency between you and the server. Double digit values (such as 50ms, or lower) are very good. This varies drastically depending upon where the server is in relation to your computer. Generally, most connections should have latency less than a few hundred milliseconds. If there is no network connection, you will see the output "Request timed out" repeated.
     
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   Test your local gateway. Find your default gateway's IP address:
   
   
   • Type ipconfig in the command prompt window.
     
   • Press Enter. The command prompt will then display the output from the ipconfig command.
     
   • Find the listing for "Default Gateway". This is the IP you can use in a ping to test the connection between your computer and your router or ISP.
     
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   Test beyond your local network. Test the connectivity of your modem, router, network, or internet connection by using an IP address on the Internet.
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   Check domain name resolution. Instead of an IP address, type in a site's domain name, such as www.google.com. Pinging a domain name tests your computer and network's ability to resolve network names (translating them to IP addresses).
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   Measure network and internet performance (Windows NT, 2000, XP, and Vista only). Use the tracert command to measure the response of each hop in a network path. Your connection to any one server will require multiple "hops" between other servers and networking components. The fewer number of hops, the better. Most connections to a server on the Internet will include at least a dozen hops. To test:
   
   
   • With the command prompt open, type tracert xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx, replacing xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx with an IP address on the internet.
     
   • Press Enter and watch as each hop is pinged and logged. The first ping should be your computer, modem, or router, and the last ping should be your target address.
     
   • Notice that the response time for points farther away from you will be greater than those closer to you.