Ping and Traceroute
Ping a public host for loss and latency, or trace the route to it hop by hop.
Related tools
- Port ScannerCheck which TCP ports on a public host accept connections, and read what each open port means on that host and what to do about it.
- IP IntelligenceLook up an IP address's network, ASN, reverse DNS, registry allocation and abuse contact, or show your own.
- DNS LookupLook up DNS records by type, including reverse (PTR) lookups for IP addresses.
- Blacklist CheckerCheck whether an IP address or a domain's mail server is listed on DNS blocklists.
About this tool
Ping sends ICMP echo requests to a host and measures whether it answers and how long each round trip takes. XGM sends ten packets from its server and reports packet loss, minimum, average and maximum latency. Traceroute lists the routers on the way.
The ping runs from the XGM server - always the same single location, which is named on the result - with IPv4 preferred: 10 ICMP echo requests half a second apart, each waiting up to 2 seconds for a reply. The hostname is resolved once and the check is pinned to that address, so DNS changes during the run cannot redirect it. Round-trip times from one probe say nothing about the latency your own users see.
How to use it
- Enter a public hostname or IP address, for example example.com or 1.1.1.1.
- Run the ping and wait about six seconds for ten packets, or switch to traceroute.
- Read packet loss and latency. Loss above 0% points to congestion or filtering.
- If there are no replies, test the service itself with the port scanner or HTTP tools, because many hosts block ICMP.
FAQ
Where does the ping run from?
From the XGM server in a single location. Results show latency between that server and the host, not from your own network.
Why does a working website show 100% packet loss?
Many firewalls and cloud providers drop ICMP echo requests on purpose. The host can still serve web or mail traffic, so check the relevant TCP port instead.
Can I ping a private or local address?
No. Private, loopback, link-local and internal addresses are refused to protect internal networks. Only public hosts can be checked.
What does jitter (mdev) mean?
It is the mean deviation of the round-trip times. A high value means latency varies a lot between packets, which affects calls and games more than page loads.
Why do some traceroute hops show “no reply”, and why does the list stop at 12?
XGM runs the trace with a hop limit of 12 and a two second wait per probe, so a destination further away than twelve routers is simply not reached within the listing. A silent hop in the middle is normal: routers commonly rate-limit or ignore the probe packets while forwarding traffic perfectly. Only persistent loss from one hop all the way to the destination points at a real fault.