Compare destination behavior with intermediate replies before deciding where a connection fails.
Choose the source and destination
Open Looking Glass, enter the public address or hostname and select Traceroute or MTR. Record the actual source location, resolved destination address and IP version with the result. For a hostname, different address families or DNS observations can lead to different targets.
Missing replies are not zero latency
A nonresponding hop has no measured round-trip time. Routers can limit ICMP error generation while continuing to forward traffic. For example, if an intermediate hop misses many probes but later hops and the destination answer consistently, investigate reply handling before declaring equivalent transit packet loss.
Look for a continuing pattern
Loss or latency that appears at one point and persists through the destination is more relevant than an isolated intermediate result, but still needs corroboration. Compare another source, repeat a bounded test and check the application symptom. MTR summarizes multiple samples; a short run is not a long-term availability study.
Round trips and names
The reported time includes the reply path. It is not a direct measurement of the one-way link between adjacent displayed hops. PTR names may offer useful labels but do not prove physical location. An ASN annotation identifies routing evidence for the hop address, not necessarily the owner of a physical router.
Keep BGP separate
Compare the relevant prefix’s BGP observations when routing context is needed. A collector’s AS path is not a substitute for this measurement. Save source, time and limitations with the copied result instead of sharing an unexplained sequence of asterisks.