VisualRoute 2010: Complete Review and Features Guide

Top 7 Tips and Tricks for VisualRoute 2010 Users

VisualRoute 2010 remains a valuable network diagnostic tool for visualizing traceroutes, diagnosing latency and packet loss, and mapping routes geographically. These seven concise tips will help you get the most from VisualRoute 2010, whether troubleshooting an intermittent slowdown or analyzing long-term network behavior.

1. Start with the Right View: Choose Between Map, Table, and Timeline

• Map view gives an immediate geographic sense of the path and problem hops.
• Table view is best for precise RTT, loss, and hop data you may need to copy or compare.
• Timeline view helps spot when latency or loss began and whether it’s transient or persistent.
  Switch views during a session to move from high-level patterns to exact measurements.

2. Use Continuous Monitoring for Intermittent Problems

• Enable continuous or scheduled tests to collect data over hours or days.
• Save sessions so you can compare periods before and after suspected incidents.
  Continuous monitoring reveals patterns that single traceroutes miss (e.g., nightly backups, peak-hour congestion).

3. Pay Attention to Average vs. Instant RTT

• Instant RTTs can spike briefly and may not indicate persistent problems.
• Use averaged RTT values shown by VisualRoute to judge sustained latency.
  If average RTT rises steadily across hops, the issue is likely network-wide rather than a brief jitter event.

4. Correlate Packet Loss with Hop Locations

• Identify hops that show sustained packet loss; upstream loss often indicates the problem is closer to that hop.
• If packet loss appears only at an intermediate hop but recovery occurs downstream, the loss may be due to ICMP rate-limiting rather than actual transit loss.
  Combine packet-loss patterns with map locations to determine whether issues are in your ISP, a transit provider, or the remote network.

5. Use DNS and Reverse Lookup Smartly

• Enable reverse DNS lookups for clearer router identification when available.
• If names are missing or generic, perform manual whois or ASN lookups on suspect IPs to find the responsible network.
  This helps when geographic labels on the map are ambiguous or absent.

6. Export and Compare Results for Deeper Analysis

• Export traceroutes and test logs (CSV or text) for offline analysis or sharing with peers/ISPs.
• Compare saved runs from different times to identify route changes, persistent congestion, or performance degradation trends.
  Annotated comparisons make it easier to communicate issues to support teams.

7. Combine VisualRoute with Other Tools

• Use ping, MTR, or TCP-based path tests to confirm VisualRoute findings—different tools may reveal complementary information.
• For application-level issues, add HTTP(S) or port checks to verify service reachability beyond raw ICMP/TCP traceroutes.
  Multiple perspectives reduce false positives and lead to faster resolution.

Quick Checklist (for a single troubleshooting session)

• Switch to Timeline to detect when the problem started.
• Run a continuous test during peak hours.
• Note hops with sustained average RTT increase.
• Flag hops with persistent packet loss and perform ASN/whois lookups.
• Export results and, if needed, run complementary tests (MTR, TCP traceroute).
• Share annotated logs with your ISP if the issue lies beyond your network.

Use these tips to turn raw traceroute data into actionable diagnostics quickly and consistently.