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Getting Started: ISP and IXP Staff

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A guide for ISP engineers, network operators, and IXP staff who want to understand M-Lab data from their networks, host a measurement node, or use M-Lab for network diagnostics and performance benchmarking.

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M-Lab sits at the intersection of your network and the public internet, running standardized tests from measurement points at internet exchange facilities worldwide. For ISPs and IXPs, M-Lab data offers a window into how your customers experience your network — and hosting a node puts that measurement capacity directly in your infrastructure.

This guide covers the three main ways ISP and IXP staff engage with M-Lab: understanding how tests work, reading M-Lab data about your network, and hosting your own node.

Understanding What M-Lab Measures on Your Network

M-Lab runs active measurements — tests that generate real traffic — so the data reflects what your customers actually experience when using M-Lab-based speed tests (which are embedded in many ISP portals, apps, and platforms).

Viewing Your Network’s Data in BigQuery

Every test run against an M-Lab server includes the client’s IP address and ASN annotations. You can filter BigQuery queries to your ASN to see how M-Lab users on your network are performing.

Sample query — performance summary for your ASN:

-- Performance of your ASN 
SELECT
  ROUND(APPROX_QUANTILES(a.MeanThroughputMbps, 100)[OFFSET(50)], 2) AS median_download_mbps,
  ROUND(APPROX_QUANTILES(a.MinRTT, 100)[OFFSET(50)], 2)             AS median_rtt_ms,
  COUNT(*) AS test_count
FROM `measurement-lab.ndt.ndt7`
WHERE date >= DATE_SUB(CURRENT_DATE(), INTERVAL 30 DAY)
  AND client.Network.ASNumber = 12345
  AND a.MeanThroughputMbps > 0

Replace <YOUR_ASN> with your Autonomous System Number.

Network Path Data

M-Lab collects a traceroute from every M-Lab server to every client IP for every test. This gives you data on the routing paths between M-Lab measurement points and your customers:

Traceroute data can help you identify where in the path latency or packet loss is occurring — whether within your network, at a peering point, or beyond.

TCP-Level Diagnostics

  • TCP INFO — M-Lab Core Service — detailed kernel-level TCP socket statistics polled throughout each connection. Useful for diagnosing congestion control behavior, buffer sizing, and retransmit patterns at scale.
  • Packet Headers (PCAP) — M-Lab Core Service — per-flow packet header captures, accessible via GCS by UUID. Useful for deep-dive investigation of specific connections.

Hosting an M-Lab Node (BYOS Program)

The Bring Your Own Server program lets ISPs and IXPs host M-Lab measurement nodes on their own infrastructure. Benefits:

Node hardware minimums: 4 CPU cores, 8 GB RAM, 50 GB SSD, 1 Gbps connectivity. 10 Gbps and 8+ cores recommended for accurate high-speed measurements.

Checking Test Rate Limits

M-Lab enforces rate limits to protect data integrity and prevent bulk automated testing from distorting population statistics:

  • FAQ: Test Rate Limits — current limits and what to do if you need higher throughput for network testing purposes

Understanding WeHe and Traffic Differentiation

WeHe detects application-specific throttling by comparing throughput for real app traffic versus randomized (bit-inverted) traffic. A positive detection requires a statistically significant difference between the two — not just any throughput variation.

WeHe is a client-initiated test run by end users, not by network operators. ISPs cannot run WeHe against their own network. However, understanding WeHe’s methodology helps operators:

  • Distinguish whether legitimate QoS policies (e.g., rate-limiting video at peak hours across all traffic equally) would produce a positive WeHe result (they generally would not, since WeHe compares app traffic vs. bit-inverted traffic of the same size)
  • Understand what customers running WeHe on your network are measuring and how to interpret reported detections

Visualization

  • M-Lab Observatory — pre-built dashboards for ISP comparisons, filterable by ASN and region. No SQL required.

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