no matter where the server is your connections are always effected by the HOPs. You can be in the same city where the datacenter is, if your traffic passes through some bullshit route your server connection is going to suck. Not to mention other factors like latency. <br /><br />I dont use TCP dump often but I think you can look at the amount of HOPs to any node on the internet using it. That or a trace route for sure. If you connection has an odd route you can present this information to your ISP and tell them to change some port cost to correct the route.<br /><br />At the end of the day the more servers the marryer, never forget DooMed Earth in Texas I think those used to be the servers constant action <br /><br />(i was high when I wrote this excuse my grammar and structure but its all fact)