Router Testing Tool
By Brandon Pierce
Testing the abilities of your router can help isolate what technologies might be giving your Internet network trouble. Microsoft provides a free router testing tool that evaluates your router on several different topics. The tool is called the Internet Connectivity Evaluation Tool.
How to Acquire It
The Internet Connectivity Evaluation Tool is available from Microsoft at the link in Resources. You must agree to a brief licensing agreement, but no downloading is required. All tests are performed straight from the web page itself. Internet Explorer version 6 or later is required to use the tool.
Simple Tests
The tool starts out by conducting a basic Internet connectivity test. This test must be successful before the other tests can continue. Then the tool tests the router's ability to distribute IP addresses to multiple devices. Next, the tool conducts a traffic congestion test. By using specially designed servers, the tool evaluates the router's ability to deal with high traffic on websites.
Detailed Tests
The second half of the testing identifies key areas of router performance. The TCP high performance test analyzes the router's ability to open and release sockets. The UPnP test evaluates the router's ability to conduct port forwarding. Lastly, it tests to see how well the router can handle multiple connections. It opens over 80 connections at one time to see at what point the router can no longer handle the workload.
Writer Bio
Brandon Pierce has been writing general information articles since 2004. His articles have appeared in magazines such as "Guitar World" and "Acoustic Guitar Magazine." An accomplished musician, Pierce teaches guitar and bass and has written much on the subject. He is also proficient in computer networks and programming. Pierce attended the University of Alabama before entering a career in retail management.