Tracert consistently shows packet loss at same router hop

I read that a * means a packet loss in the tracert output. I ran the same command on the same IP 3 times and can consistently see a * on the same hop.


C:\Users\jpnin>tracert sea.valve.net

Tracing route to sea.valve.net [205.196.6.129]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1     1 ms     1 ms     1 ms  dlinkrouter.Dlink [192.168.0.1]
  2     4 ms     2 ms     4 ms  10.226.0.1
  3   451 ms   742 ms   696 ms  10.200.150.36
  4     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  5     4 ms     3 ms     3 ms  121.242.155.181.static-chennai.vsnl.net.in [121.242.155.181]
  6    27 ms    26 ms    26 ms  172.25.81.134
  7    24 ms    22 ms    23 ms  ix-ae-0-100.tcore1.mlv-mumbai.as6453.net [180.87.38.5]
  8   215 ms     *      215 ms  if-ae-5-2.tcore1.wyn-marseille.as6453.net [80.231.217.29]
  9   208 ms   210 ms   207 ms  if-ae-2-3.tcore2.wyn-marseille.as6453.net [80.231.217.51]
 10   214 ms   213 ms   213 ms  if-ae-9-2.tcore2.l78-london.as6453.net [80.231.200.14]
 11   210 ms   205 ms   205 ms  if-ae-2-2.tcore1.l78-london.as6453.net [80.231.131.2]
 12   219 ms   222 ms   218 ms  if-ae-15-5.tcore3.njy-newark.as6453.net [80.231.130.102]
 13   214 ms   210 ms   210 ms  if-ae-1-3.tcore4.njy-newark.as6453.net [216.6.57.6]
 14   204 ms   203 ms   202 ms  if-ae-34-15.tcore3.nto-newyork.as6453.net [66.198.111.59]
 15     *        *      206 ms  if-be-2-2.ecore1.n75-newyork.as6453.net [66.110.96.62]
 16   206 ms   206 ms   202 ms  if-ae-57-2.tcore1.n75-newyork.as6453.net [66.110.96.58]
 17   207 ms   207 ms   209 ms  66.110.96.114
 18   205 ms   206 ms   205 ms  be-3312-cs03.newyork.ny.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.34.41]
 19   218 ms   214 ms   214 ms  be-1311-cr11.newyork.ny.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.35.122]
 20   226 ms   226 ms   225 ms  be-302-cr12.350ecermak.il.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.38.69]
 21   223 ms   223 ms   222 ms  be-1112-cs01.350ecermak.il.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.35.17]
 22   228 ms   228 ms     *     be-1111-cr11.350ecermak.il.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.35.2]
 23   244 ms   245 ms   245 ms  be-304-cr11.1601milehigh.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.37.158]
 24   249 ms   247 ms   246 ms  be-1311-cs03.1601milehigh.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.39.73]
 25   259 ms   257 ms   256 ms  be-1313-cr13.1601milehigh.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.39.106]
 26   248 ms   250 ms   248 ms  be-303-cr13.champa.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.36.201]
 27   248 ms   248 ms   248 ms  be-1413-cs04.champa.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.37.237]
 28   244 ms   244 ms   244 ms  be-1411-cr11.champa.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.37.206]
 29   269 ms   269 ms   269 ms  be-302-cr11.seattle.wa.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.36.214]
 30   269 ms   269 ms   272 ms  be-1311-cs03.seattle.wa.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.47.201]

Trace complete.

C:\Users\jpnin>tracert sea.valve.net

Tracing route to sea.valve.net [205.196.6.129]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1     1 ms     1 ms     1 ms  dlinkrouter.Dlink [192.168.0.1]
  2     3 ms     2 ms     2 ms  10.226.0.1
  3   523 ms   415 ms   223 ms  10.200.150.36
  4     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  5     3 ms     2 ms     5 ms  121.242.155.181.static-chennai.vsnl.net.in [121.242.155.181]
  6    26 ms    28 ms    28 ms  172.25.81.134
  7    21 ms    21 ms    21 ms  ix-ae-0-100.tcore1.mlv-mumbai.as6453.net [180.87.38.5]
  8     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  9   208 ms   213 ms   212 ms  if-ae-2-3.tcore2.wyn-marseille.as6453.net [80.231.217.51]
 10   215 ms   213 ms   213 ms  if-ae-9-2.tcore2.l78-london.as6453.net [80.231.200.14]
 11   208 ms   205 ms   209 ms  if-ae-2-2.tcore1.l78-london.as6453.net [80.231.131.2]
 12   224 ms   218 ms   220 ms  if-ae-15-5.tcore3.njy-newark.as6453.net [80.231.130.102]
 13   211 ms   211 ms   214 ms  if-ae-1-3.tcore4.njy-newark.as6453.net [216.6.57.6]
 14   202 ms   205 ms   203 ms  if-ae-34-15.tcore3.nto-newyork.as6453.net [66.198.111.59]
 15   207 ms   207 ms   208 ms  if-be-2-2.ecore1.n75-newyork.as6453.net [66.110.96.62]
 16   212 ms   204 ms   205 ms  if-ae-57-2.tcore1.n75-newyork.as6453.net [66.110.96.58]
 17   208 ms   207 ms   207 ms  66.110.96.114
 18   205 ms   206 ms   209 ms  be-3312-cs03.newyork.ny.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.34.41]
 19   214 ms   214 ms   216 ms  be-1311-cr11.newyork.ny.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.35.122]
 20   227 ms   226 ms   228 ms  be-302-cr12.350ecermak.il.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.38.69]
 21   222 ms   223 ms   222 ms  be-1112-cs01.350ecermak.il.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.35.17]
 22   226 ms   228 ms     *     be-1111-cr11.350ecermak.il.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.35.2]
 23   246 ms   243 ms   245 ms  be-304-cr11.1601milehigh.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.37.158]
 24   247 ms   253 ms   251 ms  be-1311-cs03.1601milehigh.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.39.73]
 25   257 ms   258 ms   260 ms  be-1313-cr13.1601milehigh.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.39.106]
 26   248 ms   251 ms   251 ms  be-303-cr13.champa.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.36.201]
 27   248 ms   247 ms   251 ms  be-1413-cs04.champa.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.37.237]
 28   246 ms   245 ms   244 ms  be-1411-cr11.champa.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.37.206]
 29   269 ms   270 ms   270 ms  be-302-cr11.seattle.wa.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.36.214]
 30   270 ms   269 ms   271 ms  be-1311-cs03.seattle.wa.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.47.201]

Trace complete.

C:\Users\jpnin>tracert sea.valve.net

Tracing route to sea.valve.net [205.196.6.129]
over a maximum of 30 hops:

  1     5 ms     5 ms     1 ms  dlinkrouter.Dlink [192.168.0.1]
  2     3 ms     3 ms     1 ms  10.226.0.1
  3    30 ms    57 ms   151 ms  10.200.150.36
  4     *        *        *     Request timed out.
  5     2 ms     2 ms     2 ms  121.242.155.181.static-chennai.vsnl.net.in [121.242.155.181]
  6    27 ms    29 ms    28 ms  172.25.81.134
  7    21 ms    25 ms    31 ms  ix-ae-0-100.tcore1.mlv-mumbai.as6453.net [180.87.38.5]
  8   216 ms   216 ms   216 ms  if-ae-5-2.tcore1.wyn-marseille.as6453.net [80.231.217.29]
  9   208 ms   207 ms   211 ms  if-ae-2-3.tcore2.wyn-marseille.as6453.net [80.231.217.51]
 10   213 ms   218 ms   213 ms  if-ae-9-2.tcore2.l78-london.as6453.net [80.231.200.14]
 11   234 ms   205 ms   204 ms  if-ae-2-2.tcore1.l78-london.as6453.net [80.231.131.2]
 12   226 ms   219 ms   218 ms  if-ae-15-5.tcore3.njy-newark.as6453.net [80.231.130.102]
 13   211 ms   214 ms   213 ms  if-ae-1-3.tcore4.njy-newark.as6453.net [216.6.57.6]
 14   203 ms   202 ms   207 ms  if-ae-34-15.tcore3.nto-newyork.as6453.net [66.198.111.59]
 15   207 ms   207 ms   211 ms  if-be-2-2.ecore1.n75-newyork.as6453.net [66.110.96.62]
 16   206 ms   201 ms   205 ms  if-ae-57-2.tcore1.n75-newyork.as6453.net [66.110.96.58]
 17   210 ms   207 ms   211 ms  66.110.96.114
 18   206 ms   205 ms   209 ms  be-3312-cs03.newyork.ny.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.34.41]
 19   215 ms   214 ms   214 ms  be-1311-cr11.newyork.ny.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.35.122]
 20   226 ms   226 ms   228 ms  be-302-cr12.350ecermak.il.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.38.69]
 21   223 ms   226 ms   223 ms  be-1112-cs01.350ecermak.il.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.35.17]
 22   226 ms   228 ms   225 ms  be-1111-cr11.350ecermak.il.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.35.2]
 23   260 ms   243 ms   243 ms  be-304-cr11.1601milehigh.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.37.158]
 24   251 ms   247 ms   247 ms  be-1311-cs03.1601milehigh.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.39.73]
 25   257 ms   258 ms   256 ms  be-1313-cr13.1601milehigh.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.39.106]
 26   251 ms   248 ms   248 ms  be-303-cr13.champa.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.36.201]
 27   248 ms   250 ms   247 ms  be-1413-cs04.champa.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.37.237]
 28   246 ms   244 ms   243 ms  be-1411-cr11.champa.co.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.37.206]
 29   270 ms   270 ms   273 ms  be-302-cr11.seattle.wa.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.36.214]
 30   270 ms   271 ms   269 ms  be-1311-cs03.seattle.wa.ibone.comcast.net [96.110.47.201]

Trace complete.

Is this safe to assume that there is an issue in the router on the 4th hop since it consistently shows no response. I am planning to use these results to contact my ISP. So just confimring that I am reading this in the right way. Thanks in advance.


Is this safe to assume that there is an issue in the router on the 4th hop since it consistently shows no response.

No. The job of a router is to route traffic, not respond to ICMP. The router at hop 4 is likely dropping the tracert ICMP traffic purposefully (meaning that it's been programmed to do so). The fact that your tracert arrives at the destination is clear evidence that the router at hop 4 is routing traffic as it should be. It's merely dropping/ignoring the tracert directed to itself. Other than that, it's passing your tracert on to the next hop in the path. If it weren't then every hop afterward would also time out.