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Run a Ping test from macOS
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Run a Ping test from macOS

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In this video we take a look at a macOS terminal command, that will allow us to run a Ping test from our Apple computer. A Ping test is a handy troubleshooting tool, that can help you to determine if a device is connected to your home network. It does this by transmitting data packets to a specific IP address to confirm or deny that there is a connection between two networked devices.

Note: In this video we make reference to Time to Live (TTL) as a method that can help you determine the operating system of the device you have pinged. The following link lists the TTL value for individual operating systems or devices. https://subinsb.com/default-device-ttl-values/

Quick reference notes
  • From your macOS desktop, select Spotlight Search.
  • Within Spotlight Search type Terminal and press Enter on your keyboard
  • To perform a Ping test, at the command prompt type.
Ping [ipaddress or hostname]
  • When you press Enter on the keyboard you computer will continually ping that device, until you tell it to stop.
  • To stop your ping test press Ctrl + C.
  • To Ping a device a specific number of time:
ping -c 5 [ipaddress or hostname]
  • When you press Enter on the keyboard your computer will send 5 pings

Note: You can change the number of pings by using a higher or lower number. This is very handy if you need to monitor a device on your network as it reboots.

  • To gracefully close your current Terminal session type:
exit
  • When you press Enter on your keyboard the Terminal session will end and you can close the Terminal application.
Reference Material

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