Here are some decent tools I've found handy in measuring my internet connection - especially when using VOIP.
InternetFrogPingPlotterThe internet frog VOIP test not only measures up/down speeds, but also measures dropped packets and latency in the connection. PingPlotter provides tracert statistics over a period of time. PingPlotter is a download with a free trial period.
Finally,
Wikimapia.org is a very nice tie-in to google maps.