If there is one network test as ubiquitous as ping, it’s traceroute. However, there is another option that addresses many of ping’s issues.sort of.
It’s these shortcomings that make ping-only tools a hard sell. Is it the sort of pitchfork mob-inducing issue people make it out to be online? Nah.
There's a lot to unpack with that, but here's the short version: Some routers and firewalls turn down or ignore ping packets to keep evil ne’er-do-wells from breaking stuff. Ping is like a firefighter who just tells you your house is on fire - important information, but not very helpful for, you know, making things not on fire.Īnother issue is tied to ICMP packets themselves and how some devices and firewalls handle your pinging. While knowing latency and packet loss frequency is useful in identifying the existence of a problem, that’s all it does. Whether your packet made it to its destination (or the response made it back to you).When you send an ICMP echo request packet to an endpoint, you learn two things: Consider the data ping actually collects. For starters, pinging a server can tell you a lot, but it falls short for identifying the location of any issues en route. The data you see is accurate and actionable.Īs helpful as it is, ping isn’t perfect far from it. Ping sends test packets from the source: your device. A lot of web-based tools try to diagnose issues from the outside in, which can be wildly inaccurate. Since ICMP packets are so small, they don’t eat up bandwidth and are quickly exchanged, making them a great vehicle for simple things like, say, figuring out how long it takes to send a chunk of data to and from a location.Īnother great thing about ping is how it originates from the host, providing the correct perspective on your network condition. Instead, it carries error messages and other control information between devices to communicate things like redirects and domain name requests. It uses (by default) a dedicated type of packet called ICMP, which, unlike other packet types, isn’t used to transport traditional data.
Ping is lightweight and efficient - the mark of any great tool. Gettin’ ping-y with itįirst, let’s get one thing straight: Ping kicks ass. Sticking only to ping won’t cut it, which is why finding a tool that does more is almost always the best choice.
There are more factors to network problems than just latency. In most cases, you might think you’re looking for a ping tool, but you’re actually looking for something else - something that can tell you why your network is having issues. Thinking only about ping is one of the most common mistakes people make when it comes to monitoring or troubleshooting a network, no matter your experience level. Ping alone is rarely enough to get you the information you need to fix things. Ping’s a big deal, but it isn’t the whole story. So, when your connection turns to crap, what’s the best ping tool for the job? It’s also the first place everyone goes when there’s a problem: “If my network’s busted, I need to ping it.” Ping - it’s one of, if not the most important and widely used network performance tests out there.
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