Forensic Tools

Clearing (flushing) your DNS cache resolves issues where you can't access a website that recently changed IPs.

Windows: Open Command Prompt as Admin and run ipconfig /flushdns.
macOS: Open Terminal and run sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder.
Linux: Run sudo systemd-resolve --flush-caches.

NAT is a method used by routers to map multiple local private IP addresses to a single public IP address before transferring the information to the internet. It allows all devices in your home (phones, laptops, TV) to share one internet connection from your ISP.

Port Forwarding (or mapping) directs traffic coming from the internet on a specific port to a specific device on your local network. It is required if you want to host a game server, web server, or security camera at home so people outside your Wi-Fi can access it.

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is reliable; it ensures all data arrives in order and error-free (used for web browsing, email). UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is faster but unreliable; it sends data without checking if it arrived (used for streaming, gaming, VoIP) where speed matters more than perfection.

Bandwidth (download speed) and Latency (ping) are different. You can have a "wide pipe" (fast download) but a "long pipe" (high ping). High ping is usually caused by physical distance to the server, routing inefficiencies, or network congestion, even if your fiber connection supports high speeds.

CIDR (Classless Inter-Domain Routing) is a compact method for representing IP addresses and their routing prefix. It uses the format IP/Prefix, where the prefix tells you how many bits are used for the network ID. For example, 192.168.1.0/24 means the first 24 bits are the network, leaving 256 addresses for hosts.

When you update DNS records for a domain, the changes don't update instantly worldwide. It takes time (up to 48 hours) for the new information to spread to all DNS servers globally. This delay is called DNS propagation. You can check the status using our DNS Lookup Tool.

Packet loss occurs when data packets traveling across a network fail to reach their destination. It causes lag in games and stuttering in video calls. It is typically caused by network congestion, faulty hardware (cables/routers), or Wi-Fi interference.

MTU is the largest size of a data packet (in bytes) that can be transmitted over a network. The standard internet MTU is 1500 bytes. If a packet is larger than the MTU, it must be fragmented (broken up), which slows down the connection.

There are 65,535 TCP ports and 65,535 UDP ports available for use. Ports 0-1023 are 'System Ports' (reserved for standard services like HTTP/80), 1024-49151 are 'User Ports', and 49152-65535 are 'Dynamic/Private Ports'.