/ɛm-ti-ɑr/
noun — "the network tool that tells you exactly where your packets are getting lost… and judges your ISP silently."
MTR, My Traceroute, is a network diagnostic tool that combines the functionality of Ping and Traceroute to analyze the path packets take from one host to another. It continuously monitors the round-trip time (RTT) and packet loss for each hop along the route, providing a real-time view of network performance and identifying problematic routers or links. Unlike static traceroute snapshots, MTR updates dynamically, making it easier to spot intermittent network issues.
Technically, MTR involves:
- Measuring latency — monitoring RTT for each network hop.
- Tracking packet loss — detecting where packets are dropped along the path.
- Dynamic reporting — continuously updating results for ongoing network analysis.
Examples of MTR usage include:
- Diagnosing slow connections by pinpointing high-latency hops.
- Detecting routing issues or intermittent packet loss in complex networks.
- Monitoring network reliability over time for critical services.
Conceptually, MTR is about giving IT professionals a live, granular view of how data travels across networks. It bridges the gap between simple reachability tests and comprehensive performance analysis, helping maintain reliable connections and troubleshoot issues efficiently.
In practice, MTR is used by system administrators, network engineers, and IT support teams to diagnose routing problems, monitor service availability, and ensure networks operate smoothly.
See Ping, Traceroute, Latency, Packet Loss, Network Monitoring.