---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The comparison between the previous two…"
description: "\"“The comparison between the previous two figures shows one of the most classic mistakes when troubleshooting networks. Sometimes, the temptation is to ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/wendell-odom-19707_troubleshooting-netw_the-comparison-between-the-previous-two_2690099.jpg"
---

#  The comparison between the previous two figures shows one…

![“The comparison between the previous two figures shows one of the most classic mistakes when troubleshooting networks. Sometimes, the temptation is to connect to a router and ping the host on the attached LAN, and it works. So, the engineer moves on, thinking that the network layer issues between…” quote by Wendell Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/wendell-odom-19707_troubleshooting-netw_the-comparison-between-the-previous-two_2690099.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/wendell-odom-19707_troubleshooting-netw_the-comparison-between-the-previous-two_2690099.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/wendell-odom-19707_troubleshooting-netw_the-comparison-between-the-previous-two_2690099.jpg)

> ““The comparison between the previous two figures shows one of the most classic mistakes when troubleshooting networks. Sometimes, the temptation is to connect to a router and ping the host on the attached LAN, and it works. So, the engineer moves on, thinking that the network layer issues between the router and host work fine, when the problem still exists with the host’s default router setting.””

[Wendell Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Network issues often stem from default router settings, not just connectivity, leading to misdiagnosis.

**In simple terms:** Check router defaults before assuming network is fine.

Key Takeaway

Verify router settings early in troubleshooting.

Themes

network troubleshooting diagnostic errors default settings

Mood

analytical cautious

Type

technical educational

When to use this quote

- IT support
- home networking
- enterprise IT
- training sessions

Key Concepts

IP configuration network layers

Questions to Reflect On

- What steps can prevent overlooking router defaults?
- How to teach proper troubleshooting habits?

A Different Perspective

Assuming connectivity works can mask deeper configuration problems.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Issues Router](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues-router-2651734/) [Network Layer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/network-layer-2651731/) [Ping Host](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ping-host-2651733/) [Router Host](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/router-host-2651732/) [Troubleshooting Networks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/troubleshooting-networks-2651730/)

## Related quotes

> [“172.16.1.51 and vice versa. You can reasonably assume that the switches learned the MAC addresses of the router and the host, adding those to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/172-16-1-51-and-vice-versa-you-can-reasonably-assume-that-the/)

[Wendell Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/)

> [“It’s important for you to understand that routers, which work at the Network layer, don’t care about where a particular host is located. They’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-lammle/it-s-important-for-you-to-understand-that-routers-which-work-at-the/)

[Todd Lammle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-lammle/)

## More by Wendell Odom

> [“Host B can send ICMP echo reply messages to R1’s 172.16.4.1 IP address (hosts send echo reply messages to the IP address from which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/host-b-can-send-icmp-echo-reply-messages-to-r1-s-172-16-4-1-ip/)

[Wendell Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/)

> [“NTP Using a Loopback Interface for Better Availability An NTP server will accept NTP messages arriving to any of its IPv4 addresses by default.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/ntp-using-a-loopback-interface-for-better-availability-an-ntp-server/)

[Wendell Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/)

> [“Storing Log Messages for Later Review With logging to the console and to terminals, an event happens, IOS sends the messages to the console…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/storing-log-messages-for-later-review-with-logging-to-the-console-and/)

[Wendell Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/)

> [“Sending Messages in Real Time to Current Users Cisco IOS running on a device at least tries to allow current users to see log…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/sending-messages-in-real-time-to-current-users-cisco-ios-running-on-a/)

[Wendell Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/)

> [“System Message Logging (Syslog) It is amazing just how helpful Cisco devices try to be to their administrators. When major (and even not-so-major) events…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/system-message-logging-syslog-it-is-amazing-just-how-helpful-cisco/)

[Wendell Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/)

> [“172.16.1.51 and vice versa. You can reasonably assume that the switches learned the MAC addresses of the router and the host, adding those to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/172-16-1-51-and-vice-versa-you-can-reasonably-assume-that-the/)

[Wendell Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/)

> [“Configuring and Verifying System Logging With the information in Table 33-2, configuring syslog in a Cisco IOS router or switch should be relatively straightforward.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/configuring-and-verifying-system-logging-with-the-information-in/)

[Wendell Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/)

> [“sending of log messages to all logged users. However, that default configuration is not enough to allow the user to see the log messages.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/sending-of-log-messages-to-all-logged-users-however-that-default/)

[Wendell Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/)

> [“First, note that the example configures the same message level at the console and for terminal monitoring (level 7, or debug), and the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/first-note-that-the-example-configures-the-same-message-level-at-the/)

[Wendell Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/)

> [“First, to understand why the standard and extended ping results have different effects, consider first the standard ping 172.16.1.51 command on R1, as shown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/first-to-understand-why-the-standard-and-extended-ping-results-have/)

[Wendell Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/)

> [“root cause of the problem may be happening, further isolating the problem. This section begins with a brief explanation of how ping works. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/root-cause-of-the-problem-may-be-happening-further-isolating-the/)

[Wendell Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/)

> [“For instance, consider the topology in Figure 33-6, with Router R4 on the right acting as NTP server and the other routers acting as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/for-instance-consider-the-topology-in-figure-33-6-with-router-r4-on/)

[Wendell Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/)

> [“If the ping works, it confirms the following, which rules out some potential issues: The host with address 172.16.1.51 replied. The LAN can pass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/if-the-ping-works-it-confirms-the-following-which-rules-out-some/)

[Wendell Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/)

> [“Log Message Format IOS defines the format of log messages. The message begins with some data fields about the message, followed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/log-message-format-ios-defines-the-format-of-log-messages-the-message/)

[Wendell Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/)

> [“First, take a moment to review the output of the first IOS ping command. By default, the Cisco IOS ping command sends five echo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/first-take-a-moment-to-review-the-output-of-the-first-ios-ping/)

[Wendell Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/)

[Explore all 32 Wendell Odom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The comparison between the previous two figures shows one of the most classic mistakes when troubleshooting networks. Sometimes, the temptation is to connect to a router and ping the host on the attached LAN, and it works. So, the engineer moves on, thinking that the network layer issues between the router and host work fine, when the problem still exists with the host’s default router setting.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Wendell Odom"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/the-comparison-between-the-previous-two-figures-shows-one-of-the-most/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Troubleshooting Networks"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/the-comparison-between-the-previous-two-figures-shows-one-of-the-most/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/wendell-odom-19707_troubleshooting-netw_the-comparison-between-the-previous-two_2690099.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/wendell-odom-19707_troubleshooting-netw_the-comparison-between-the-previous-two_2690099.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/752/wendell-odom-19707_troubleshooting-netw_the-comparison-between-the-previous-two_2690099.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The comparison between the previous two figures shows one of the most classic mistakes when troubleshooting…” — Wendell Odom",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Wendell Odom",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-odom/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The comparison between the previous two...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/the-comparison-between-the-previous-two-figures-shows-one-of-the-most/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-odom/the-comparison-between-the-previous-two-figures-shows-one-of-the-most/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
