PortDock

PortDock Hardware Tester Guide

Wi-Fi and internet drop/latency recorder with a Bluetooth connection log

About this program

PortDock Hardware Tester records «my Wi-Fi keeps dropping», «my Bluetooth earbuds keep disconnecting» and «the sound switched to call quality» so you can see where to look, on Windows.

Read-only, without administrator rights. It does not change settings, drivers or connections and does not «fix» anything. Results go only as far as «Nothing stood out (while recording) / Worth a look / Too short to tell».

The only traffic it sends is the pings and DNS lookups while the drop log is recording (the targets are always shown). Problem reports and usage statistics work as in the other PortDock programs (chosen in settings).

Getting started

  • 1. In «Wi-Fi / internet drop log» on the left, choose the internet target (1.1.1.1 by default, 8.8.8.8 or your own), the name to look up (example.com by default) and the interval (1 s by default).
  • 2. Press «Start recording» and leave it until the drops happen. While recording, the PC does not go to sleep (the screen may turn off).
  • 3. Read «Summary» and the chart: router side or beyond the router. «Save CSV…» keeps the record and «Copy summary» goes into a support request.
  • If Bluetooth drops too, also turn on «Bluetooth connection log».

Wi-Fi / internet drop log

  • Pings go side by side, on the same beat, to the gateway (router) and the internet target. The gateway is the next hop toward the internet target (Windows routing table), found at start; if it changes after a reconnect it is logged under «Events».
  • The interval cannot be shorter than once per second. One recording stops by itself after 24 hours.
  • DNS: every 5 s one name is looked up at the DNS server, skipping the Windows DNS cache and hosts file. Leave it empty to skip.
  • Wi-Fi connects and disconnects: the WLAN-AutoConfig log Windows keeps (8001 connect, 8003 disconnect) is read every 5 s and shown as vertical lines on the chart (red drop, green connect) and as Windows' reason wording under «Events». The Wi-Fi name is not read.
  • Chart: lines = reply time (ms), red marks in the top band = no reply in that beat, squares = DNS. Pick the visible length (1 min, 5 min, 30 min, all).
  • Summary (after 20 samples): gateway loss 2% or more → «router side (this PC's Wi-Fi or the router)»; gateway fine but internet loss 2% or more → «beyond the router (line, ISP or target)». Gateway 95th-percentile latency over 50 ms, internet average more than 100 ms above the gateway, DNS average over 200 ms or 20% failures, and Wi-Fi drops while recording are also marked «Worth a look».
  • Limits: routers and ISPs may give pings low priority, which can look like loss. Windows' disconnect reasons may be symptoms. It shows where to look, not the cause.
  • CSV: time,gateway_ms,internet_ms,dns_ms,event — lost = no reply, empty = not measured in that beat. The first # line holds the gateway and target addresses.

Wi-Fi signal and channel

  • Only while «Show signal» is on, every 2 s it reads signal quality (%), strength (dBm), link speed, standard, band and channel, and how many nearby Wi-Fi networks use each channel. It reads the list Windows already has and does not scan.
  • From Windows 11 24H2 these values need location permission. If it was declined or location services are off, the screen shows where to turn it on. You can leave it off; the other tabs still work.
  • Signal at or below -67 dBm is «Worth a look»; at or below -75 dBm is called weak.
  • Wi-Fi names (SSID) and access point addresses (BSSID) are never read, shown or saved (counts only).
  • On PCs without the wireless LAN service (servers) it shows «No wireless LAN service on this PC» and the program keeps working.

Bluetooth connection log

  • While recording, every 2 s it reads the «Connected» state of paired devices (the value in Device Manager → Properties → Details) and logs when it changes. Windows keeps no such log itself.
  • Each device gets a «Device N» number. Names are shown only on the screen; copies and saved files contain numbers only.
  • It does not search for, connect or disconnect devices. If drops are frequent, also check the mode under «Bluetooth audio» and PortDock Port Inspector's «Wireless» tab (power saving, USB path, driver, services).

Bluetooth audio

  • If the default output device is Bluetooth, it shows whether it is «Stereo (A2DP)» or «Hands-free (calls)». Hands-free is a mono, lower-quality mode used with the microphone, so it is marked «Worth a look».
  • Left, right and both play a 1-second 440 Hz tone on the current default output device. With headphones, lower the level first.

Test on the web

  • Keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, microphone and webcam are under «Test on the web ↗» on the left. Each one shows a link to the portdock.dev web tool of the same name (right in the browser, nothing to install). These checks are not built into this app for now.

Screen layout

  • Left: the checks. A check that is recording shows «rec». The two recordings (drops and Bluetooth) can run together.
  • Middle: the chosen check's toolbar, chart and tables.
  • 📌 in the header: always on top — keeps this window above others (same as «Always on top» in Settings).
  • The window title shows the current state (e.g. «COM3 115200 8N1 · Connected ● REC — PortDock Serial»), so you can tell windows apart on the taskbar.
  • At 900 px wide or less (e.g. half-screen snap) the left panel folds away and a summary line with «⚙ Connection» (Port Inspector: «⚙ Ports», Net Scan: «⚙ Scan settings», Hardware Tester: «⚙ Checks») and the connect button appears. The language, 📌, !, AI, ? and ⚙ buttons move to the right end of that line. «⚙ …» opens the panel; ✕ or clicking outside closes it.
  • AI in the header: Copy for asking AI — builds text for an AI chat with a question template («list likely causes and the order to check them»): program, version, connection settings, errors in this session and recent traffic (HEX, text and note lines; check results in Port Inspector and Hardware Tester, found devices in Net Scan). The template fits the app: device and wiring for the communication apps, PC and wireless setup for Hardware Tester, finding network devices for Net Scan, ports and drivers for Port Inspector. Review the preview and «Copy» — it only goes to the clipboard. Above 8,000 characters the oldest traffic lines are removed and the count is noted. User folders, default Windows PC names (DESKTOP-… etc.), the last 3 bytes of MAC addresses and public IPs are hidden; private IPs are kept by default because causes such as different subnets need them («Hide private IPs too» hides them).
  • Whatever you paste goes to that AI service. Check device and company details before pasting.
  • Text size: Ctrl+mouse wheel or Ctrl+= / Ctrl+- makes it larger or smaller, and Ctrl+0 returns to the default (13 px). It is the same value as «Font size» in Settings, so it is kept next time.

Settings

  • ⚙ sets language, theme, font size, «Always on top» and problem reporting.
  • «Always on top»: keeps this window above other windows (same as 📌 in the header).
  • «Expand all (expert view)»: shows the groups that are normally collapsed (advanced connection, receive settings, fault injection, statistics, scan options, triggers, auto-reply …) open. Folding one while it is on lasts only for this run. Turning it off returns each group to its remembered state.
  • «Send usage statistics» (off by default): when on, the program sends an anonymous summary to Aptabase (EU) once, as you close the window — how many times each feature was used (connect, send, read … — counts only), minutes open, program/Windows version, display language and installed/portable edition. Traffic, IP addresses, ports, COM names, file paths and PC/user/device names are never sent. You're asked once on first run (closing the prompt without choosing means no), and you can turn it off here at any time. If you're offline or sending fails, the data is dropped. Builds without this option never send statistics.
  • Once you answer the usage-statistics question in one PortDock app (the prompt or this option), other PortDock apps on this PC that have not asked yet use that answer as their starting value instead of asking again (portable copies: those in the same folder). Each app can still change it here, and an imported settings file never turns it on. Only «asked» and your choice are stored (installed: %LOCALAPPDATA%\dev.portdock\shared-consent.json, portable: portdock-data\shared-consent.json).
  • «Check for new versions (once a day)» (off by default): when on, the program asks GitHub (api.github.com) once a day for PortDock's latest release only. If a newer version exists, a notice bar with a «Release page» button appears at the bottom of the window. No data is sent and nothing is downloaded or installed. «Don't remind me about this version» silences that version. The «Check for updates» button under «About» still just opens the release page.

Shortcuts

  • Ctrl+S: save the current tab's record (drop log CSV, Bluetooth log text).
  • F1 or the ? button: this help. Close it with Esc.

Troubleshooting

  • A «No gateway found» event: there is no connection, or the internet target is on the same subnet. Only the internet target is measured then — check the Wi-Fi / cable and press «Start recording» again.
  • Only the internet target is always «no reply»: company and school networks may block outgoing ping. Try 8.8.8.8 or another address inside the network.
  • Only DNS always fails: a company DNS may not answer outside names. Ask for a name inside the network, or clear the field to turn it off.
  • «Wi-Fi signal and channel» is empty or asks for location permission: from Windows 11 24H2 these values need location permission. Turn it on as the screen explains, or use the other tabs without it.
  • A Bluetooth device is missing: only devices paired with this PC are listed. Pair it in Windows Bluetooth settings first.
  • The test tone is silent: the default output may be somewhere else (monitor speakers etc.). Check the output device from the taskbar sound icon.
  • The summary says «Too short to tell»: it summarises after 20 or more samples. If drops are rare, record longer.

Terms

  • Gateway: The first device this PC goes through to reach outside — usually the router.
  • Ping: A small packet (ICMP) asking whether a host is there. Some devices and networks block it.
  • 95th percentile: 95 of every 100 measured replies are at or below this — it shows the occasional slow spike.
  • Jitter ms: The average difference between consecutive reply times. Larger means less steady.
  • Longest loss run: The longest streak of missed replies, in ticks. A long run means the link was down for that time.