Ping - Input: IP address or host name.
Sends signals (packets) to another computer on the Internet to see if they send a return or an 'echo.' If all the signals 'timeout' the computer may be disconnected from the Internet or at least unreachable from the Consumer.net server. This feature only checks a computer connected to the Internet, it cannot verify the validity of an e-mail address. It also cannot check a specific web page, but you can check the main server to see if it is connected (www.consumer.net is valid but www.consumer.net/sitemap.htm is not).

Trace - Input: IP address or host name
Traces the route through the Internet from Consumer.net to the destination computer. The signal generally goes from a computer to the Internet Service Provider (ISP) and then to their provider until it reaches a 'backbone' provider. This could take one or many steps. It then eventually transfers to the destination 'backbone' provider and reverses the process to the destination computer. This feature only checks a computer connected to the Internet, it cannot verify the validity of an e-mail address. It also cannot check a specific web page (www.consumer.net is valid but www.consumer.net/sitemap.htm is not). Note that a traceroute may follow a completely different path as compared to downloading web pages or sending e-mail.