Ping a Website in CMD

Ping is a basic Internet program that allows a user to verify that a particular IP address exists and can accept requests.

Ping is used diagnostically to ensure that a host computer the user is trying to reach is actually operating. Ping works by sending an Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo Request to a specified interface on the network and waiting for a reply. Ping can be used for troubleshooting to test connectivity and determine response time

This article will help you to ping your internet connection.

Instructions

1. Open the computer's command prompt. Open the "Start" menu, click on "All Programs," then click on "Accessories" and finally click on "Command Prompt." If you see a black box with a blinking cursor, you have successfully opened the command prompt.
    
2. Run the ping command. Type "ping," then a single space and then the name of any website or IP address. It is not necessary to include "http://" at the beginning of the address, but you should include the "www" portion of the address. A good ping command should read as follows:
   
   "ping www.example.com"
   
   Check for any typing errors and press the "Enter" key.
   
3. Evaluate the ping. If it is unable to ping the server, the output will read "ping request could not find host." If the command pings the server successfully, the output will look like this:
   
   Pinging www.l.example.com [12.34.567.890] with 32 bytes of data:
   
   Reply from 12.34.567.890: bytes=32 time=41ms TTL=54
   Reply from 12.34.567.890: bytes=32 time=40ms TTL=54
   Reply from 12.34.567.890: bytes=32 time=39ms TTL=54
   Reply from 12.34.567.890: bytes=32 time=39ms TTL=54
   
   Ping statistics for 12.34.567.890:
   Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
   Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
   Minimum = 39ms, Maximum = 41ms, Average = 39ms

The key part of the output is the "ping statistics" section at the bottom. A standard Windows ping command sends out four packets of information. The statistics tell you how many of the packets were received by the server or site you are pinging, and the percentage of packet loss the command registered.

Ideally, for a healthy Internet connection, you want to see four packets sent, four packets received, and 0% packet loss. In most cases, this will indicate that your computer's Internet connection is working fine. Any packet loss could be an indication of a connection problem.