Network Diagnostics Dialog¶
Use this page to monitor the live network link between AetherSDR and your FLEX-8600, confirm connection addresses, inspect per-stream data rates, and review filtered log output.
Before you start¶
- AetherSDR must be running. The dialog does not require an active radio connection, but most fields and graphs will show meaningful values only after a connection attempt has been made.
Opening the dialog¶
- Click
Settings > Network.... - The Network Diagnostics dialog opens. It defaults to the Overview tab.
Tab overview¶
The dialog is organized into seven tabs. Select the tab that matches what you need to inspect.
| Tab | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Overview | Four health cards (Status, Latency, Packet Loss, Audio Buffer) and four time-series graphs (Latency and Jitter, Recent Packet Loss, Total Stream Rates, Audio Buffer). |
| Details | Scrollable grid with labeled values for Network Status, Incoming Stream Rates, Packet Loss, and Audio Playback groups. |
| Latency | Full-width time-series graph of RTT, arrival gap, and jitter in ms. |
| Rates | Full-width log-scale time-series graph of per-stream incoming bitrates (RX total, Audio, FFT, Waterfall, Meters, DAX) in kbps. |
| Packet Loss | Full-width time-series graph of packet loss % per stream category. |
| Audio | Full-width time-series graph of playback buffer fill (ms) and underruns/s. |
| Logs | Live tail of the AetherSDR log file, filtered by category checkboxes. Syntax-highlighted by log level and category name. |
Verify the radio's IP and local bind address¶
- Open the Network Diagnostics dialog as described above.
- Select the Details tab.
- Locate the Network Status group.
- Read Target Radio IP β this shows the IP address of the radio AetherSDR connected to. If no connection has been made, the field displays
Not connected. - Read Selected Source β this shows the local network interface or bind path AetherSDR used to reach the radio.
- Read Local TCP and Local UDP to see the exact local endpoints for each protocol.
- Click Close when done.
Control the chart timeframe¶
The Timeframe combo box in the top-right corner of the tab bar sets how far back all time-series charts display history. It is hidden while the Logs tab is active.
| Value |
|---|
| 1 minute |
| 5 minutes (default) |
| 15 minutes |
| 1 hour |
| 1 day |
| 1 week |
Select a value from the Timeframe drop-down. All visible charts update immediately.
Use the Logs tab¶
- Select the Logs tab.
- The Log path label at the top of the tab shows the full path of the log file being tailed.
- Use the Filter Categories (Logs) checkboxes to show or hide individual log categories. The list includes a General category (shown by default) plus every category registered with LogManager.
- Click Select All (Logs) to enable all categories at once.
- Click Deselect All (Logs) to hide all categories at once.
- The Live / Paused toggle button controls auto-scrolling:
- Live β the viewer auto-scrolls to the newest output as log lines arrive.
- Paused β scrolling is stopped so you can read earlier lines. Scroll up at any time to auto-pause.
- Click Live to resume and jump back to the tail.
- Log lines are syntax-highlighted by log level (DBG, INF, WRN, CRT, FTL) and by category name.
Note: The Timeframe selector is hidden while the Logs tab is active. Switch to any other tab to restore it.
What each indicator means¶
| Indicator | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Status | Overall link quality, color-coded from green (Excellent) to red (Poor). States: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor. |
| Target Radio IP | IP address of the connected radio. Displays Not connected if no connection is active. |
| Selected Source | Local NIC or bind path used to reach the radio. |
| Local TCP | Local TCP endpoint (address and port). |
| Local UDP | Local UDP endpoint (address and port). |
| First UDP Packet | Whether the first UDP packet has been received since connect (Yes / No). |
| Latency (RTT) | Current round-trip time. |
| Max Latency (RTT) | Highest RTT seen since connect. |
| Audio / FFT / Waterfall / Meters / DAX rates | Per-category ingress rate in kbps. |
| Total RX / Total TX | Aggregate bytes per second in each direction. |
| Audio / FFT / Waterfall / Meters / DAX drops | Per-category dropped-packet counts and percentage. |
| RX Buffer Now / Peak | Current and peak audio buffer fill in bytes and ms. |
| Underruns (total / last sec) | Audio underrun counters. |
| Audio Arrival Gap / Max Arrival Gap | Inter-packet arrival timing. |
| Network Jitter | Smoothed jitter estimate of the audio stream in ms. |
| Log path label | Full path of the log file being tailed (visible on the Logs tab). |
Controls reference¶
| Control | Type | Default | Behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timeframe | Combo box | 5 minutes | Selects how far back the time-series charts display history. Hidden when the Logs tab is active. |
| Filter Categories (Logs) | Checkboxes | β | Per-category checkboxes filter the log view. Includes a General category plus all registered LogManager categories. |
| Select All (Logs) | Button | β | Shows all log categories in the viewer. |
| Deselect All (Logs) | Button | β | Hides all log categories from the viewer. |
| Live / Paused (Logs) | Toggle button | Live | When Live, the viewer auto-scrolls to newest output. Scrolling up auto-pauses; clicking Live resumes and jumps to the tail. |
| Close | Button | β | Closes the dialog. |
Tips¶
- The dialog refreshes all values once per second. If you have just connected, wait a moment for the fields to populate.
- Selected Source is useful when the host has multiple network interfaces. Confirm it shows the interface on the same subnet as the radio, not a VPN or secondary adapter.
- The Rates tab uses a logarithmic y-axis, which makes it easier to compare high-bandwidth streams (such as total RX at several Mbps) alongside low-bandwidth streams (such as Meters at a few kbps) on the same chart.
- On the Logs tab, scrolling up automatically switches the toggle to Paused. Click Live to jump back to the current tail.
Troubleshooting¶
- Target Radio IP shows
Not connectedβ No connection to the radio is active. UseSettings > Connect to Radio...to discover and connect to your FLEX-8600, then reopen the dialog. - Selected Source shows an unexpected interface β Your operating system routed the connection through a different NIC than intended. Check your routing table or disable unused network interfaces, then reconnect.
- Status card shows Poor or Fair β Check the Latency and Packet Loss tabs for the affected time range. High jitter or sustained packet loss on the Audio stream usually points to network congestion or Wi-Fi interference.
- Logs tab shows no output β All category checkboxes may be deselected. Click Select All (Logs) to restore visibility.