CDN Path Analysis
Trace the delivery path from CDN edge servers to probes. Identify which peering partners and routes deliver the best quality for each service.
CDN Performance Analysis
Know exactly how your CDN delivers — measured from the user perspective, not the server side.
For ISPs, CDN operators, and content providers who need to understand how content delivery networks perform in real-world conditions. Test actual OTT services and compare CDN quality across regions, peering partners, and time of day.
The Challenge
CDN dashboards show server metrics, not user experience
Your CDN reports show cache hit ratios and origin response times, but they cannot tell you if customers experience stalling, long loading delays, or quality drops. When video complaints spike in a region, you lack the data to determine whether the issue is your network, the CDN peering, or the content provider's encoding.
Our Approach
End-to-end CDN quality testing with real OTT services
Surfmeter probes test actual streaming services through your CDN infrastructure, measuring the complete delivery chain from CDN edge to the user's screen. By correlating video QoE scores with traceroute data, you can pinpoint whether degradation occurs at peering points, within the CDN, or in the last mile.
Award-winning solution
Recognized with the 2026 Streaming Media European Innovation Award
Surfmeter was named winner in the QoS/QoE Platform/Service category — reflecting the same end-to-end visibility that powers our CDN performance analysis solution.
Key Capabilities
Compare CDN delivery and pinpoint weak routes
Multi-CDN Comparison
Compare delivery quality across CDN providers objectively. Measure the same services through different CDN paths to make data-driven selection decisions.
Regional Quality Mapping
Understand CDN performance across your geographic footprint. Identify regions where specific CDNs or peering arrangements underperform.
Continuous Monitoring & Alerts
Run 24/7 CDN quality tests and get alerted when delivery quality drops below thresholds — before customers notice.
CDN Attribution
See Which CDNs Actually Deliver the Traffic
Surfmeter attributes measurements to the CDN that served the content and shows how the delivery mix changes over time. Separate in-network caches, internet exchanges, and multi-CDN paths before comparing their performance.
Viewer Experience
Compare Perceived Video Quality by CDN
Response time alone does not describe the viewing experience. Compare ITU-T P.1203 Overall MOS across delivery providers to reveal CDN paths that consistently lower quality or degrade only during specific periods.
Proven in Practice
CDN Delivery Optimization
“We're using Surfmeter to gain unprecedented visibility into our network performance through automated, active measurements that simulate actual streaming video quality, exactly as end-users experience it”
Gcore, operating a global CDN with 210 points of presence across six continents, needed deeper insights into the interactions between streaming applications and their edge network. Traditional server-side monitoring couldn’t capture what end-users actually experience. With Surfmeter, Gcore gained real-world QoE visibility by measuring actual video streams from the same platforms and players that end-users rely on.
Results
- Deployed Surfmeter probes at CDN edge nodes and end-user locations
- Pinpointed performance issues across CDN, peering, and server-side layers
- Enabled competitive benchmarking against other CDN and network providers
- Unified video QoE, ping, and traceroute data through a single API
WDR, one of Germany’s largest public broadcasters, uses Surfmeter to monitor the delivery quality of their streaming services from the viewer’s perspective. Beyond continuous CDN performance monitoring, WDR uses Surfmeter to validate new player versions, compare stream configurations, and verify that encoding changes deliver the expected quality improvements before rolling them out to millions of viewers.
Results
- Continuous monitoring of CDN delivery quality for WDR’s streaming services
- Validated new player versions and stream configurations before rollout
- Compared encoding settings and verified quality improvements objectively
- Identified delivery issues across different ISPs and regions
Ready to see it in action?
Get a personalized demo and see how Surfmeter fits your use case. It only takes 30 minutes.
Business Benefits
Real outcomes for your business
Independent third-party measurement
Check CDN performance with neutral data
AVEQ has no stake in which CDN you use. We measure delivery from the user side with Surfmeter and the same tests for every provider. You can check SLAs and compare CDNs on equal terms.
- Verify agreed CDN SLAs with your own data
- Compare CDNs neutrally on identical tests
- Share documented results with your providers
Proven at World Cup Scale
Gcore and AVEQ Break Down CDN Quality at Scale
In a live webinar with Gcore and Faultline, AVEQ CEO Werner Robitza and Gcore's lead streaming architect Dmitry Kashin discussed the 2026 World Cup: how a green CDN dashboard can still hide a bad viewer experience, and why independent, end-to-end QoE measurement caught what server-side metrics alone would have missed.
How CDNs Shape Streaming and Web Quality
Watch our Network X 2026 talk
Video playing in picture-in-picture
How It Works
CDN analysis in 4 steps
Deploy probes at strategic network locations to measure CDN delivery quality from the subscriber's perspective.
1
Place probes at network edges
Deploy Surfmeter probes at PoPs, exchanges, and subscriber-like locations to test CDN delivery from multiple vantage points.
2
Test real OTT services
Schedule automated tests against Netflix, YouTube, Amazon, and other services. Surfmeter uses the actual streaming protocols and players, not synthetic traffic.
3
Correlate QoE with network paths
Combine P.1203 MOS scores with traceroute and DNS data to identify exactly where in the CDN delivery chain quality degrades.
4
Compare and optimize
Use regional and temporal breakdowns to compare CDN providers, peering arrangements, and delivery paths. Feed findings into network planning decisions.
Data & KPIs
CDN-specific data and metrics
Netflix YouTube Amazon Prime Video Disney+ DAZN ARD Mediathek ZDF Mediathek and more
Video Delivery Quality
- P.1203 Overall MOSPerceptual quality score (1–5)
- Initial Loading DelayTime until video starts playing
- Stalling Events & DurationStalling count and total duration
- Average Delivered BitrateAverage bitrate delivered by CDN
- Resolution ProfileVideo resolution over time
CDN Path Data
- Traceroute to CDN EdgeNetwork hops to CDN edge server
- CDN Server IdentificationEdge server hostname and IP
- DNS Resolution PathDNS lookup chain and timing
- Time to First Byte (CDN)CDN edge response time
Network Context
- Latency to CDN EdgeRound-trip delay to CDN edge
- ThroughputSustained data transfer rate
- JitterVariation in packet arrival times
- Packet LossPercentage of data packets lost
How is this different from the reports my CDN provider gives me?
CDN reports show server-side metrics such as cache hit ratios and origin response times. Surfmeter probes test real streaming services from the user side and measure what viewers actually see: loading delay, stalling, and quality drops, scored with the ITU-T P.1203 MOS.
Can I compare several CDN providers with Surfmeter?
Yes. Surfmeter attributes each measurement to the CDN that served the content, for example Google, Netflix Open Connect, Akamai, or a multi-CDN setup. You can then compare response time and P.1203 MOS across providers, regions, peering partners, and time of day.
How do I find out where in the delivery chain quality drops?
Surfmeter probes also run traceroute, DNS, and ping tests. Compare them with the P.1203 MOS results to see whether degradation happens at peering points, within the CDN, or in the last mile.
Which streaming services can be tested?
Surfmeter tests real OTT services such as Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, DAZN, ARD, and ZDF, using their actual streaming protocols and players instead of synthetic traffic.
Where do the probes run?
You place Surfmeter probes at PoPs, internet exchanges, and subscriber-like locations. Tests run 24/7, and you get alerts when delivery quality deviates from its usual level.
Stop Guessing. Start Measuring.
See how CDN performance analysis can improve your content delivery. Get in touch for a demo.
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