Ping

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ping?

Ping is a common term found primarily in internet speed test results. It is used to check whether there is a problem with the connection or not.

The ping rate, or latency, is measured in milliseconds (ms). This is the time the data packets take to travel from one device to another in a network.

This metric measures the performance of the connection between devices and how much delay time is involved in the process.

Note that unlike upload and download speeds, measured in Mbps, the ping rate, also known as latency, is measured in milliseconds (ms).

For example, if we want to know the maximum possible ping rate, we can say it is 1000 ms. If we want to know the average ping rate, we can, for example, say that the average ping rate is 300 ms.

The data transmission is high-speed if the ping rate is less than 200 ms. Conversely, if the ping rate exceeds 500 ms, the data transmission becomes slow.

What is a good ping test result?

Ping is one of the primary elements of an online speed test. When you run a speed test, you measure how fast data travels across the Internet. This includes both the upload and download speeds. In addition to those numbers, you also receive a ping rate. This number represents how long a packet travels from your computer to the server where the speed test resides.

A high ping rate indicates slow connection speeds. On average, most people get a ping rate of around 50 ms to 200 ms. Anything above 300 ms usually signals poor connectivity. Conversely, a low ping rate suggests faster connection speeds.

Why is the ping rate important?

The ping rate is critical because it affects the overall performance of your connection. If you are experiencing a slower ping rate, you may notice some problems while browsing the web. For example, loading times may take longer than usual, images might load slowly, and videos might buffer. These issues could lead to frustration and even abandonment of specific tasks.

You can check the ping rate if you want to know whether you have a reliable connection. You can do this by running a speed test. You can use our free tool to test this.

What is a good ping time for gaming?

You can tell if the connection is reliable enough for gaming by looking at the ping rate on speed test results, but there are several variables to consider. For example, the ping rate varies depending on your game. You'll need a lower ping rate if you play first-person shooter games like Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, Battlefield, etc. On the other side, you should keep your ping rate in the 20ms range when playing MMO games like World of Warcraft, Diablo 3, Eve Online, etc. Here are some ping rate ranges that show how much ping Virginmedia considers appropriate for online gaming.

10 ms (0.01 second) ping rate a competent ping

A good ping lasts less than 20 milliseconds (0.02 seconds).

What do "low ping" and "high ping" mean?

Ping refers to the time it takes for information to travel over the Internet. Low ping indicates that the data travels quickly. In contrast, high ping means the information takes longer to reach the destination. So when you hear people talking about "low pings," they're referring to the speed of the connection being fast enough to allow, for example, an online game player to play smoothly without experiencing lag.

In gaming, any amounts below 20 milliseconds are considered exceptional, and 'low ping' amounts between 50 ms and 100 ms range from very good to acceptable, while a ping of 200 ms or more is less desirable.

For instance, a low ping is preferable in first-person shooters (FPS), real-time strategy games, and racing games because it allows players to move around quicker and react faster to events. Conversely, high pings indicate slower movement and, therefore, lower responsiveness.

What does lag mean?

Lag is another word used interchangeably with ping. Unfortunately, both terms are often confused because they sound similar. But while lag is most commonly associated with slow internet connections, ping measures how fast a network connection responds to a request.

How to measure ping speed

Ping stands for packet interval, and it measures how long it takes data packets to travel across a network. Ping tests are easy to set up and free to use. Just use our tool and enter the URL of the site you want to test. The tool will return the status, response time, and response status code.

The average ping time for the United States is about 14 ms. A ping under 20 ms is considered excellent, while anything above 150 ms could indicate significant lag.

How to use ping in troubleshooting?

Echo requests and echo responses form part of the standard for troubleshooting Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP). This protocol allows computers to communicate across networks without having a physical connection. A typical ping uses ICMP echo request packets to test whether a computer is online. For example, an IP address can be pinged by entering it in our tool. If the ping is successful, it means that the machine is up and running.

In addition to being used for troubleshooting, ping is also useful for testing connectivity. To test the functionality of a device that does not respond to a web server, you can use ping with the -c option. For example, if you wanted to check how many people are logged on to a site, you could do something like this:

$ ping -c 5 www.example.com

This command sends out five ping requests to www.example.com. Each request takes some milliseconds to complete.

If you want to know the latency between two points on a network, you can use the -w option. For example:

$ ping -w 3 www.example.com

When are ping and jitter important?

Ping and jitter aren't just numbers. They're metrics used to measure the performance of a network connection. For example, a ping test sends out a packet of information and waits for a reply. If it doesn't receive one within a certain amount of time, that indicates either a problem with the server or the client.

The same goes for jitter. When packets arrive too quickly or slowly, it affects the overall experience. For example, if the latency is high enough, it could cause stuttering while playing video games or watching movies. On the other hand, low jitter can make VoIP calls sound choppy.