Your ISP’s modem has a hidden status page, and it tells you exactly why your internet keeps dropping. The problem is that the page is a snapshot: it doesn’t log. To prove to your ISP that the connection drops every night at 9pm, you need a logging tool running on a desktop that sees the drops for you. The best apps for tracking internet drops on desktop turn a hunch into a chart your ISP can’t wave away.
We tested seven picks on Windows, macOS, and Linux, mostly on a home network behind a run-of-the-mill DSL modem. Two are the standard picks for showing packet loss over time. One is what network engineers actually reach for. Two are free open-source alternatives. Two are broader tools that happen to solve this well.
What to look for
An internet-drop logger needs a few specific things:
- Continuous ping or MTR to a stable target (Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 is the default).
- Long-window logging so you can go back a week, not five minutes.
- Packet-loss chart, not just latency: outages show as loss, not slowness.
- Traceroute per sample, so you can tell whether the drop was your modem, your ISP’s first hop, or upstream.
- Exportable evidence (CSV, PNG, or PDF) you can attach to a support ticket.
- Runs headless so it can log overnight without a monitor on.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free plan | Starting price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PingPlotter | The default logger with graphs | Windows, macOS | Yes | $8/mo Standard | 4.7 |
| SmokePing | Long-term latency history | Linux, FreeBSD | Yes | Free | 4.5 |
| PRTG Network Monitor | Full-stack monitoring | Windows | Trial | Free (100 sensors) | 4.6 |
| OpenSpeedTest Server | Local speedtest with logging | Cross-platform | Yes | Free | 4.4 |
| MTR | The classic combined ping-traceroute | Linux, macOS, Windows | Yes | Free | 4.6 |
| Netdata | Real-time streaming graphs | Linux, macOS, FreeBSD | Yes | Free tier | 4.5 |
| NetSpot | Wi-Fi survey + latency | Windows, macOS | Yes | $49/yr | 4.3 |
1. PingPlotter – Best default logger with graphs
PingPlotter is the tool most people reach for first. It combines ping, traceroute, and whois in one view, graphs packet loss and latency over time, and lets you set an alert when loss crosses a threshold. The free version limits history and target count; the Standard tier removes both.
Where it falls short: Free tier caps sessions at four hours of history. The paid Standard tier is a monthly subscription rather than one-time.
Pricing:
- Free: Yes, with limits.
- Paid: Standard at $8 monthly, Professional at $23 monthly for unlimited history and multiple simultaneous traces.
Platforms: Windows, macOS, iOS.
Download: pingplotter.com
Bottom line: The default pick when you want a chart to send to your ISP tomorrow morning.
2. SmokePing – Best for long-term latency history
SmokePing is the free, open-source deluxe latency measurement tool that has been logging networks for over 20 years. It measures, stores, and displays latency, latency distribution, and packet loss with a distinctive “smoke” chart. Runs on Linux or FreeBSD, ideally on a home NAS or Raspberry Pi.
Where it falls short: Setup is not one-command. You are configuring Perl, RRDtool, and a web server. No Windows or macOS native install.
Pricing:
- Free: Yes, everything.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Linux, FreeBSD.
Download: oss.oetiker.ch/smokeping
Bottom line: Best pick if you have a Raspberry Pi and want a year of latency history rather than a week.
3. PRTG Network Monitor – Best for full-stack monitoring
PRTG Network Monitor from Paessler is the pick when the internet-drop tracker is one part of a broader home-network monitor. Ping sensors, HTTP checks, SNMP, and NetFlow all live in one dashboard. The free tier allows 100 sensors, which is plenty for a home network.
Where it falls short: Windows-only for the server. Interface is dense compared to PingPlotter’s single-purpose view.
Pricing:
- Free: Up to 100 sensors (a home-network scale).
- Paid: Commercial tiers from around $2,000, priced for businesses.
Platforms: Windows Server for the collector, any browser for the UI.
Download: paessler.com
Bottom line: Best pick if you already monitor a home lab and want internet-drop tracking as one panel.
4. OpenSpeedTest Server – Best for local speedtest with logging
OpenSpeedTest Server is the free self-hosted speedtest that runs in your browser and lets you schedule tests every few minutes on desktop. Combined with a simple log-scraping script, it gives you a bandwidth timeline alongside your PingPlotter loss chart.
Where it falls short: Not a drop-detector directly. You need to correlate its speed dips with actual loss events.
Pricing:
- Free: Yes.
- Paid: Enterprise support licenses.
Platforms: Cross-platform. Runs anywhere Node.js runs; web UI in any browser.
Download: openspeedtest.com
Bottom line: Pair with a real drop-logger when your ISP asks for both drop timestamps and bandwidth.
5. MTR – Best classic combined ping-traceroute
MTR (My Traceroute) is the CLI tool that combines ping and traceroute into a single continuous view. Every hop between you and the target updates its loss percentage every second. On desktop it’s the fastest way to see which hop is bad without waiting for a GUI.
Where it falls short: CLI only. No native long-term logging (you pipe output to a file).
Pricing:
- Free: Yes.
- Paid: None.
Platforms: Linux, macOS (via Homebrew), Windows (via WinMTR fork).
Download: github.com/traviscross/mtr · WinMTR at github.com/White-Tiger/WinMTR
Bottom line: The tool network engineers actually reach for. Free, fast, and answers “where’s the loss” in ten seconds.
6. Netdata – Best for real-time streaming graphs
Netdata streams hundreds of network metrics per second, including ping latency, packet drops on each interface, and Wi-Fi signal quality if you’re on wireless. Its free per-node install runs locally and never phones home unless you opt in to the cloud tier.
Where it falls short: Default polling is aggressive; disable modules you don’t need on a low-power host.
Pricing:
- Free: Full local install.
- Paid: Netdata Cloud for team dashboards, free tier plus paid tiers.
Platforms: Linux, macOS, FreeBSD.
Download: netdata.cloud
Bottom line: Best pick when you want live-streaming drop visualization plus everything else on the host.
7. NetSpot – Best Wi-Fi survey plus latency
NetSpot is a Wi-Fi survey tool that also does latency monitoring. If your “drops” turn out to be Wi-Fi congestion rather than the WAN link, NetSpot’s heatmap shows you which room lost signal.
Where it falls short: Wi-Fi focused. Not the tool for pure WAN drop tracking.
Pricing:
- Free: Basic surveys.
- Paid: Personal license around $49/year.
Platforms: Windows, macOS.
Download: netspotapp.com
Bottom line: Reach for this when the drops look worse on Wi-Fi than on Ethernet.
How to pick the right one
- If you need a chart to send to your ISP tomorrow: PingPlotter (free tier is enough for a single evening’s evidence).
- If you have a Raspberry Pi and want a year of history: SmokePing.
- If you already run a home lab: PRTG Network Monitor’s free 100-sensor tier.
- If you want the fastest CLI diagnosis: MTR (or WinMTR on Windows).
- If you want a live dashboard on the host: Netdata.
- If your problem is Wi-Fi, not the ISP: NetSpot for the survey side, plus MTR or PingPlotter on the wired side to prove which is which.
- If your ISP asks for both drop timestamps and speed history: OpenSpeedTest Server on schedule, alongside PingPlotter for the loss data.
FAQ
How do I prove my internet keeps dropping to my ISP?
Run PingPlotter or SmokePing pointed at 1.1.1.1 for at least 48 hours, then export the packet-loss chart. That is the evidence ISPs’ network operations teams will actually act on.
What is the best free tool to monitor internet uptime?
SmokePing on Linux for long-term history. PingPlotter’s free tier on Windows or macOS for quick sessions. MTR for one-off diagnosis.
How do I check if my ISP is throttling me?
A logging tool alone won’t prove throttling. Pair it with periodic speed tests (OpenSpeedTest Server) at the same target and look for consistent bandwidth dips outside of drop events.
Does PingPlotter work on Linux?
Officially no. Use SmokePing, MTR, or Netdata on Linux for the same job.
Can I monitor a Wi-Fi drop separately from a WAN drop?
Yes. Point one tool at your router’s LAN IP (Wi-Fi hop only) and a second tool at 1.1.1.1 (full path). If the router-side ping is clean during a drop, the problem is upstream of your router; if it’s noisy, it’s Wi-Fi.
