+++
title = "When the network doesn't work"
description = "Find out where it stops, from the device itself: the Wi-Fi, the gateway, the names, the port, the route, the tunnel."
weight = 12
[extra]
tag = "Network"
+++

Open the [Shell](/guide/shell/) and go down this list. Each step says what a good answer looks like; the first bad one is where the trouble is.

1. **`ifconfig`**: is there an address, and where does traffic go?

   ```
   ifconfig: vpn 10.9.0.2/32 mtu 1420, up, default route
   ifconfig: wifi 172.16.42.25/21 gw 172.16.42.1 mtu 1500, up
   ifconfig: dns 10.9.0.1
   ```

   No `wifi` line, or `down`: it is the Wi-Fi itself ([Settings](/guide/settings/#wi-fi)). "default route" says which way everything leaves: on `vpn`, everything goes through the tunnel.

2. **`ping` the gateway** (the `gw` address): is the local network there?

   ```
   ping: 4/4 back, 0% lost, 3/3/4 ms
   ```

   Nothing back: `arp` shows whether the gateway was ever heard.

3. **`ping 9.9.9.9`**: is the internet there, without names? If the gateway answers and this doesn't, the trouble is beyond your network, or in the tunnel.

4. **`nslookup roro9stack.net`**: do names resolve?

   ```
   nslookup: 10.9.0.1 answered in 6 ms
   nslookup: 65.21.233.110
   ```

   "no answer from": that DNS server is unreachable. Try another to compare: `nslookup roro9stack.net 9.9.9.9`. If that one answers, change the servers ([DNS and NTP](/guide/settings/#dns-and-ntp)).

5. **`port <host> <port>`**: is the service there? `open` is good. `refused` means the machine is up and nothing listens on that port. "no answer" means it is down, or a firewall drops it.

6. **`traceroute <host>`**: where does it stop? The last router that answers is the last one that works.

7. **`tls <host>`**: a secure connection fails ("TLS error")? This shows the certificate and the verdict:

   ```
   tls: git.twis.la:443 answered in 709 ms
   tls: for git.twis.la, by YE2
   tls: valid 2026-09-15 to 2026-12-14, 67 days left
   tls: this device trusts it
   ```

   "NOT trusted here" comes with the reason: **expired**, **not for that name**, or **not signed by a root this device has**. The last is normal for a Gemini capsule, which signs its own certificate, and a problem for an update server. It needs about 70 KB of free memory: close IRC first if it says so.

8. **`ntp`**: is the clock right? A clock that is wrong by more than a few minutes breaks secure connections and the VPN.

   ```
   ntp: pool.ntp.org (195.72.61.39), stratum 2, 50 ms away
   ntp: this clock is right, to 0.1 s
   ```

## What is the device itself offering?

`netstat` lists what it listens on, and who is connected:

```
netstat: tcp 3232 listens (updates)
netstat: tcp 2323 listens (Debug Console)
netstat: tcp 172.16.42.25:2323 - 172.16.42.249:51858
```

The update port is always there (updates are signed). The Debug Console and sharing appear only while you have them on.

## With the VPN up

- `ifconfig` shows the `vpn` line, and "default route" on it if everything goes through.
- `ping` the server's tunnel address first: that is the tunnel itself.
- **Finding the tunnel's real packet size:** `ping 9.9.9.9 2 1392` (1392 bytes, plus 28 of headers, is 1420: WireGuard's usual). If that comes back and 1393 doesn't, the tunnel carries 1420. If 1392 doesn't come back either, try smaller: something on the way allows less, and the server's configuration wants a lower `MTU`.

## Good to know

- `cancel` stops a `ping` or a `traceroute`.
- Some hosts and routers don't answer pings or traceroutes at all; a silent hop (`*`) in the middle of a route that goes on is normal.
- The same commands work over the [Debug Console](/dev/debug/).