Ping
ping is a software utility used to test the reach-ability of hosts. It is available for virtually all operating systems, including most embedded network administration software.
Ping measures the round-trip time for messages sent from the originating host to a destination computer that are echoed back to the source. The name comes from active sonar terminology that sends a pulse of sound and listens for the echo to detect objects under water. The program reports errors, packet loss, and a summary of the results, typically with the minimum, maximum, the mean round-trip times.
Ping Test Instructions
Open Command Prompt
To run ping tests from a computer, you need to open a command prompt, or terminal, where you can run the tests. Typically, this is a window with a black background and this allows you to type commands and see the results.
If using Windows, hold the windows key and press r to open the "run" window, then type cmd and press Enter to open a command prompt.
On Mac, click the Launchpad icon in the Dock, type terminal in the search field, then click Terminal.
On Linux, open the launcher menu and type terminal to find a terminal program and open it.
Run a Ping Test
To run a ping test, type the word ping followed by a space, and then the address you want to try pinging. For example, type ping google.ca to test if you can reach Google. This should send 4 pings, and show how long each reply took to receive. If your connection is working well, you should see 4 replies and each should have a time less than 30 ms.
Ping an IP
If you are unable to reach a domain like google.ca, try pinging an IP address such as 1.1.1.1 (CloudFlare). If you can ping the IP but not domain names, this indicates a problem with resolving domain names, which may be fixed by using a different DNS server (for example, you can set your DNS server to 1.1.1.1 to use CloudFlare).
Ping Gateway
The connection between your computer and router/modem can be tested by pinging the gateway. You can find the IP of your gateway in your connection info, for example it could be 192.168.1.1 in which case you can ping it by running ping 192.168.1.1.