A traceroute maps how internet data travels from your computer to your intended destination. The traceroute documents the intermediary devices and measures how long it takes for data to travel from your computer to each point. When looking at the results of a traceroute, you're determining not just what the problem is, but where on your system it is. The advantage of using a traceroute is that it can tell you where a problem exists - whether it's your ISP, your service provider, or your own equipment that's responsible.