Ping

What is a ping?

The name comes from sonar. The tool uses the Internet Control Message Protocol, defined in RFC 792, which includes an "echo request" and an "echo reply." You run it by typing the word ping and a name such as hdiss.net in the Command Prompt on Windows or Terminal on a Mac. Each line of output shows the time in milliseconds, and the summary shows how many replies came back.

Gamers use "ping" loosely to mean latency. In a game lobby the number shown is usually the same measurement.

What does a ping tell you on a wireless link?

Three things. If the replies arrive, the path from your computer to that server works. If they arrive at similar times, the link is steady. If some never arrive, you have packet loss. If the times swing widely, you have jitter.

Ping does not tell you speed. A link can ping fast and still download slowly, or the reverse. Some servers also deprioritize ping replies, so one slow answer from one server is not proof of a problem. Try two or three destinations and compare. High Desert publishes no ping or latency figure for its service, so there is no printed number to measure yourself against; what matters is that your own results stay steady across the day.

What should I do with the results?

Plug a computer into the router by Ethernet, run ping for a minute or two, and note the lowest, highest and the count of lost replies. Do it again in the evening. Wi-Fi adds its own delay, so wired results show the connection itself.

If the numbers look poor, restart the equipment in the order shown on restart your equipment, and then call 775-575-9593 with your notes. Support staff can use them. The ping test for support article walks through a test to read to a technician.