How to check network and internet latency on Microsoft Windows

Nothing is more frustrating than browsing the internet while waiting for the browser to reload or a page to fully load. This delay is caused by internet latency, which is the time it takes for a data packet to travel from the source (web server) to the destination (your computer). The following steps will guide you in using both web-based tools and computer utilities to identify where the delay occurs in the transmission process.

Select a website that offers a latency test service. Numerous websites provide network testing tools, and your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may even have tools available on their site. Speakeasy and DSLReports are among the well-known ones. The following steps use DSLreports’ tools, which include a comprehensive diagnostic suite.

• Go to www.dslreports.com.
• Select Tools from the menu at the top.

Stop others from using your network. If other users are connected to your personal network, your speed test results may be affected by this resource sharing.

• Talk to the other users and ask them to disconnect from the network until you've finished testing the connection issues.
• If you're experiencing connection issues while running these tests, instead of using Wi-Fi, try connecting your computer directly to the router via an Ethernet cable to better isolate the problem.

Run a Speed Test. This test measures your actual upload and download speeds between your computer and the website providing the test, allowing you to compare them with the speeds promised in your ISP contract.

• Click the start button on the right of the Speed Test box. The speed test will begin.
• Select your connection type. On the test provider's site, choose your connection type from the list: Gigabit/Fiber, Cable, DSL, Satellite, WISP, or other.
• Run the test. The test will begin, checking your upload speed, download speed, and reporting on network latency.

Run a Ping Test. This test measures the time it takes for a data packet to travel from your computer to a remote server and back. It tests multiple servers at once, providing an overall assessment of your transmission capacity. For different connection types, typical latency ranges from 5–40ms for cable modems, 10–70ms for DSL, 100–220ms for dial-up, and 200–600ms for mobile connections. Distance to remote servers also increases latency: for every 100km data travels, latency increases by about 1ms.

• Run the Ping Test. On the tool page, click Start in the Ping Test (Real Time) box. You’ll be redirected to a page listing servers that will be pinged twice every second. Your connection will be assessed on a scale from A to F every 30 seconds.
• Click Start. A radar chart will display with the server locations, their IP addresses, and real-time latency statistics.
• Read the report. As the test runs, your connection's grade will appear on the left column and update every 30 seconds. Once the test finishes, you can review and share your results.

Find your IP address. While not a real test, the “What is my IP address” tool shows the public IP address that your computer can be identified by. If you’re using a proxy service provided by your router, this will not be your actual IP address. The tool also lists common IP addresses for components of your network, which can help you use Windows utilities to diagnose network or internet latency issues if needed.

• Run What is my IP address. Click start in the What is my IP address box. You’ll be taken to a page displaying your IP address and other related sites for your computer.
• Save your IP address. If you're planning to run further diagnostic tests on your network or internet connection, write down the displayed IP address and any common IP addresses listed below.

Access the Command Line Prompt. You can directly enter network and internet latency commands in the command line.

• Click Start, then select Run.
• Type cmd and press OK. A command window will appear, allowing you to enter commands to perform the test. Alternatively, you can search for cmd.exe in the Windows search program.

Run a Ping Loopback Test. This checks the connection of your computer to identify if any local hardware issues are causing network or internet latency.

• Type “Ping 127.0.0.1 -n 20”. This is the IP address used for nearly all network connections, with the “-n 20” parameter sending 20 data packets before ending the test. If you forget the “-n 20” parameter, you can cancel the test by pressing Ctrl+C.
• Review the statistics. The internal travel time of the data packets should be less than 5ms, and no data packets should be lost.

Ping a Remote Server. Once the local network port is confirmed to be functioning well, you can Ping a remote server to test latency. Depending on the connection type, typical latency ranges from 5 - 40ms for cable modems, 10 - 70ms for DSL, 100 to 220ms for dial-up connections, and 200 - 600ms for mobile connections. The distance to the remote server also affects latency, adding approximately 1ms for every 100km the data travels.

• Type “Ping”, followed by the IP address or URL of the site you want to ping, and hit enter. Start with the ISP's URL, then proceed to frequently visited websites.
• Read the report. Since you’re pinging a remote address, the test will display results with the final number after “time = ” representing the round-trip time in milliseconds for the data to reach the remote site and return. Note: this command uses the “-n 20” parameter. If forgotten, press “Ctrl+C”.

Run a Traceroute Test. This test shows the route taken by data from your computer to a remote server and the latency along the way. It is helpful in identifying the causes of network or internet latency.

• Type “tracert” followed by the IP address or URL of the site you want to send the request to and press enter.
• Examine the results. The test will display each address the data passes through, the time it takes for each data packet to travel, and the acknowledgment of data received at each “hop” along the route. The more “hops” or devices the data passes through, the higher the latency.

Access Network Utility. You can find the necessary software tool to check network and internet latency in the Network Utility app on Mac OSX.

• Open Finder and navigate to Applications.
• Go to the Utilities folder.
• Find and click on the Network Utility icon to launch the app.

Select your network connection. The network utility allows you to check your connection through Ethernet (wired), Airport (wireless), Firewall, or Bluetooth.

• In the Info tab, select the connection from the dropdown menu.
• Verify that you’ve selected the active connection. The active connection will display information in the hardware address, IP address, and Link Speed fields. Additionally, the Link Status field will show 'Active.' A non-active connection will only display information in the hardware address field, with 'Inactive' in the Link Status field.

Run a Ping test. The Ping test in Network Utility lets you input an address and the number of pings you want to send. Latency varies by connection type: 5-40ms for cable modems, 10-70ms for DSL, 100-220ms for dial-up, and 200-600ms for mobile connections. The distance to a remote server also adds latency: every 100km of data travel increases the delay by about 1ms.

• Select the Ping tab in Network Utility.
• Enter the IP address or URL of the site you want to ping. Start with your ISP’s URL, then move to other frequently visited sites.
• Enter the number of pings (10 is the default).
• Click the Ping button.
• Review the results. The test will display the final time after the 'time = ' message, showing how long it took, in milliseconds, for the data packet to travel to the remote server and return to your computer.

Run a Traceroute test. This test reveals the path data takes from your computer to a remote server, and the latency at each step, helping you identify the cause of network or internet delays.

• Select the Traceroute tab in Network Utility.
• Enter the IP address or URL of the destination server.
• Click the Traceroute button.
• Review the results. As the test traces the data’s path, it will show each address the data passes through, the time it takes for the data to move, and the reception time at each 'hop.' The more hops or devices the data passes through, the higher the latency.