What Is MTR?
MTR (My Traceroute) combines the functionality of traceroute and ping into a single network diagnostic tool. It continuously sends packets and reports per-hop statistics including latency, jitter (standard deviation), and packet loss — making it invaluable for diagnosing intermittent network issues.
Understanding MTR Results
- Loss% — Percentage of packets lost at each hop; any loss indicates a problem
- Avg/Best/Worst — Latency statistics in milliseconds for each hop
- StDev — Standard deviation showing jitter; high values mean inconsistent latency
- Hops with 100% loss but subsequent hops responding are usually ICMP-filtered routers
- Increasing latency across hops is normal; sudden jumps indicate bottlenecks