Ping Tool

Ping (Packet Internet Groper) is a computer network administration software utility that is used to test the reachability of a host on an IP (Internet Protocol) network.

In other words, Ping is a tool used to measure how long the Internet on a device takes to get to a server (called latency), and check if a device can get to a server. For example, you can use Ping to check how long it takes to open Google on your iPhone.

Ping is available on any operating system (OS) with network connectivity (such as MAC, Windows, Linux).

Here is an example of the result of a Ping request using the Fing Desktop to the location www.amazon.com.

How to perform a Ping

Windows

Type 'cmd' to bring up the Command Prompt
Open the Command Prompt
Type 'ping' followed by the 'destination'. The destination is either a Domain Name (the address of a website) or IP address (a unique set of numbers on your network device e.g. XXX.XXX.X.X)

MAC

Press the Command key and the A key at the same time
Open the Utilities Folder
Open the Terminal app
Type 'ping' followed by the 'destination'. The destination is either a Domain Name (the address of a website) or IP address (a unique set of numbers on your network device)

How a Ping works

Pinging works by sending a request from one device (called an ICMP echo request*) over the network to another device, and waiting for a reply (called an ICMP echo reply).

The request is a device sending small units of data called packets to another device. The other device replies by sending the packets of data back to the first device. A successful ping is when all packets send from the originating device are received by the other device.

This process (the ping) tells you that the devices are on, there is a connection between the two devices, and how long it takes the devices to connect.

If a ping has a long response time, there may be a routing, network speed, or congestion issue.

*Internet Control Message Protocol

An example of a Ping looks like the following:

Command: ping www.google.com

Command: ping 192.168.1.2

Here is an example of the result of a Ping request to the location www.amazon.com.

Use Ping to troubleshoot your network: Fing Mobile App or Fing Mobile App Controlled Agent or Monitoring Unit

To resolve a network connection problem, use the Ping tool on the Fing Mobile App to check if a website is down or if there is another root issue.

To check if a website is reachable:

Click Tools on the toolbar at the bottom of the page
Scroll down and click Ping
Enter a domain name (the name of a website) that you cannot reach
Click the blue Ping button

You can also use the Ping tool to ping any device to check if it is connected to your network. To do this:

Click Tools on the toolbar at the bottom of the page
Scroll down and click Ping
Select the device from the dropdown or enter the selected device's IP address
Click the blue Ping button

You can change the Number of pings from 10 to 100. A ping is a single test, but if you want to detect anomalies, you can run a series of tests to get the average. Inputting any figure over 100 will result in an error.

You can also adjust the Ping delay. The ping delay (latency) is the time it takes for your device to connect to another device or website.

Use Ping to troubleshoot your network: Fing Desktop

To resolve a network connection problem, use the Ping tool on the Fing Desktop App to check if a website is down or if there is another root issue.

Click the Tools tab in the left sidebar
Scroll down and click the Ping widget (under the heading Troubleshoot your network)
Enter a domain name (the name of a website) that you cannot reach
Press the blue Start button

You can also use the Ping tool to ping any device to check if it is connected to your network. To do this:

Click Tools on the bottom toolbar
Scroll down and click Ping
Select the device from the dropdown or enter the selected device's IP address
Click the blue Ping button

You can change the Number of pings from 10 to 100. A ping is a single test, but if you want to detect anomalies, you can run a series of tests to get the average. Inputting any figure over 100 will result in an error.

You can also adjust the Ping delay. The ping delay (latency) is the time it takes for your device to connect to another device or website.

What do the Ping results mean?

You will get the following results from a successful ping test: average, minimum, maximum, packet loss, received, Std. Dev (standard deviation) and jitter.

Average: The average amount of time it takes your device to connect to another device or website.
Minimum Ping: The shortest amount of time it takes your device to connect to another device or website.
Maximum Ping: The longest amount of time it takes to connect to a device or website.
Packet Loss: A successful ping is when all packets send from the originating device are received by the other device, or 0% packet loss. By contrast, the higher the number of packet loss the more likely you have a network problem or the website you are trying to reach is down/not operating as expected. Packets travelling through a network medium get 'knocked off' before reaching their destination.
Received: The number of packets that have been received.
Std. Dev (Standard Deviation): How consistent the connection is.
Jitter: The variation in how long you can connect to another device or website.

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