{"id":14930,"date":"2022-08-02T09:52:30","date_gmt":"2022-08-01T23:52:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.letsbemates.com.au\/mate\/?p=14930"},"modified":"2025-03-26T10:32:17","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T23:32:17","slug":"how-to-conduct-a-ping-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.letsbemates.com.au\/mate\/how-to-conduct-a-ping-test\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Conduct a Ping Test \u2013 Check your Internet Speed with MATE"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you signed up to a high-speed internet plan<\/a> but still experiencing internet connection issues? Are webpages slow to load? Choppy audio on video calls? Video game lag?<\/p>\n

If this sounds like you, the problem may be with your Ping. But don\u2019t fret if you\u2019re not familiar with the term. In this article, we give you a crash course on what ping is, how to run a ping test<\/a> and what you can do if your ping test results are less than ideal.<\/p>\n

What is ping? What is a ping test?<\/h2>\n

Simply put, \u2018ping\u2019 is a network utility. This software utility acts as a diagnostic tool to test that the destination host computer (maybe hosting a website or video game server) is operating as it should. This diagnostic process is known as a ping network test or ping test for short. Essentially any operating system that possesses networking capabilities should be able to utilise ping, along with most embedded network administration software.<\/p>\n

What do ping tests actually do?<\/h2>\n

A ping test works by sending a small packet of data from your computer to the host computer\/web domain and measuring how long it takes for the data to be returned. This is known as the round-trip time and is measured in milliseconds. In other words, a ping test will tell you the latency (delay) between two computers.<\/p>\n

Low ping means low latency and less delay, which is exactly what you want. High ping on the other hand can cause a stunted online experience. High ping is particularly troublesome for online gaming where users experience lag – the delay between the action of the player and the reaction of the server.<\/p>\n

\"Trace<\/p>\n

How to run a ping test using the ping command prompt<\/h2>\n

Before running a ping test make sure to avoid network congestion by closing all programs such as any video streaming services, online games and file sharing platforms.<\/i><\/p>\n

Ping Test in Windows<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Type \u201ccmd\u201d into the \u2018Search Bar\u2019 of the \u2018Start Menu\u2019 and click \u2018OK\u2019. This will open the command prompt window. This will look like a black box with a blinking cursor.<\/li>\n
  2. In the command prompt window type \u201cping\u201d followed by the space bar then the IP address or domain name you want to ping. Hit \u2018Enter\u2019 and wait for the results<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Ping Test on Mac Devices<\/h3>\n
      \n
    1. Open the \u2018Spotlight\u2019 search tool on the home screen and type \u2018Network Utility\u2019. Double the app.<\/li>\n
    2. Once the Network Utility app is open, click the \u2018Ping\u2019 tab, type the IP address or domain name you\u2019d like to ping into the text box and click \u2018Ping\u2019.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Reading Ping Results<\/h2>\n

      Your ping test results will likely look something like this:<\/p>\n

      C:\\Users\\JohnSmith>ping www.google.com\r\nPinging www.google.com [172.217.167.100] with 32 bytes of data:\r\nReply from 172.217.167.100: bytes=32 time=15ms TTL=119\r\nReply from 172.217.167.100: bytes=32 time=13ms TTL=119\r\nReply from 172.217.167.100: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=119\r\nReply from 172.217.167.100: bytes=32 time=17ms TTL=119\r\nPing statistics for 172.217.167.100:\r\n    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),\r\nApproximate round trip times in milli-seconds:\r\n    Minimum = 13ms, Maximum = 17ms, Average = 15ms\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\n
      This Windows-based Google example shows that all 4 packets of data were sent and received, meaning that the computer had no trouble connecting with the host. It also shows the round-trip times, averaging 15 milliseconds.<\/p>\n
      What\u2019s a good round-trip time?<\/h3>\n