Using Windows Command Prompt to Test Internet Connection

Vocabulary

Ping Statistics:

Sent: This is the amount of packets ping sent to the address you typed in the prompt. The default is four.

Received: This is the amount of packets that returned from the address you typed in the prompt. Ideally, this should equal the amount sent.

Lost: This is the amount of packets that did not return from the address you typed. Ideally, this should be zero.

Approximate Round Trip Times:

Minimum: This is the shortest time (in milliseconds) that it took for a packet to be sent to the address you typed and returned back to your computer. That is the “Round Trip” it is talking about.

Maximum: This is the longest time (in milliseconds) that it took for a packet to be sent to the address you typed and returned back to your computer.

Average: This is the average round trip time of all the packets sent. Ideally, this should be as low as possible. In the picture from the last step, the average was 3ms, which is very good. The larger the number here, the worse your connection is.

What this all means

If you get a really long average trip time, or a large percentage of packet loss, this signifies that your network connection is experiencing some issues. Commonly the issues are either due to a poorly functioning router or modem which can be solved with a simple reset most of the time. Other times the issue is due to a large volume of traffic on your network causing “collisions” which is when two or more computers try to use the network at the same instant. This is commonly seen in enterprise networks, like schools and businesses during peak hours when everyone is trying to connect to the internet.

Another cause for a high average trip time or packet loss could have nothing to do with your network. It could be that the website you are trying to reach is unable to handle the volume of traffic. This is unlikely, especially with websites like Google.com or Facebook.com which have the resources necessary to service high volumes. An example would be when a small website unexpectedly experiences high volume. In any of these cases, there is really nothing you can do but wait it out.