by Charles Miller

By now readers who read my columns on a regular basis may have noticed that also on a fairly regular basis there is one important skill I have explained here. Some readers may be starting to get annoyed that they now have to use not only all their fingers but also toes to count the number of times I have addressed today's topic. I have explained the "trace route" utility that many times in this column, and do so again because this is absolutely the most important tool anyone who uses the internet needs to learn how to use.

I received an email from a good friend who was traveling in Europe, in it he complained about the lousy internet service he was using there, and asking if I had any suggestions as to how to improve his lot. He sent along a screen shot showing the results of the trace route test he had performed using his computer, and asked if that provided any clues.

First, it is important to understand internet connections are not direct. Whenever you connect your computer or mobile device to a site such as Facebook, you never connect directly to facebook.com; you must go through a series of servers to get there. The first server would be in Mexico, that server connects to another one, possibly in Texas, and there could be several others before finally connecting to the destination server, possibly in California, where facebook.com resides. If you are unable to connect to Facebook, the problem could be any of the servers in the chain, and understanding which one can be the first step in resolving the problem.

In the case of my friend traveling in Europe, the trace route test results he sent me showed that his local Wi-Fi connection to the hotel server was poor. The connection from his laptop to the hotel Wi-Fi Access Point was taking up to 250 milliseconds which is slow, 20 times longer than it should take. This could a lot of radio interference, too many other guests using the Wi-Fi, or some other local problem. The important take-away was knowing that the problem was the hotel Wi-Fi I suggested he try using Wi-Fi at a coffee shop. Problem solved, at least sort of.

Another friend phoned me complaining that her internet was not working. I asked if she could perform the trace route test to determine the location of the problem. She responded "There's five green lights on the modem and two of them are flickering!" I asked her again if she could perform the test. She responded "I've already unplugged everything and plugged it back in. It still doesn't work!" I tried a third time asking her if she could please do the trace route test. She responded "Facebook's working on my phone but the computer won't connect!" Needless to say, I was not able to help her much over the phone based on the information she was giving me.

The trace route test is something you are able to do using any computer or smart phone, and is a basic skill everyone who uses the internet needs to learn. While your internet is working, and before it fails, the smart move is to search for "trace route tutorial" to learn this simple and important skill.

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Charles Miller is a freelance computer consultant with decades of IT experience and a Texan with a lifetime love for Mexico. The opinions expressed are his own. He may be contacted at 415-101-8528 or email FAQ8 (at) SMAguru.com.

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