Ping

What Is Ping

Ping is like an “echo” in the Internet world. Imagine that you are shouting into the mountains: if the answer came quickly, it means that you are nearby; if it is delayed, it means that you are far away or something is in the way. This is how it works: it checks if there is a connection between your device and the server, and how long it takes to “respond”.

The term “ping” itself was born not in IT, but in military technology — this is the sound that the radar made when the signal was reflected from the target. Programmers borrowed this principle: a computer “pings” another node on the network to see if it “hears” it.

Today, ping is a universal indicator of the network’s response speed. It is used by gamers to get rid of lags; system administrators — to understand where the connection has disappeared; and ordinary users — to check if the network is “alive” at all.

How Ping Works — The Science Behind It

There is a rather elegant mechanism behind the simple word. When you “ping” a website, your computer sends a tiny ICMP packet, an Echo Request. If everything is in order, the server responds with the same Echo Reply package. The time between sending and responding is your ping, measured in milliseconds (ms).

For example, ping at 20-30 ms is considered excellent, which means that the connection is fast and stable. 100-200 ms is already a noticeable delay, especially in online games. And if ping goes through the roof in 300 ms or is “lost” altogether, there are clearly problems somewhere along the way.

Ping is essentially a thermometer for your network. It shows not only the response speed, but also the presence of obstacles: overloaded routers, poor Wi-Fi, or a server that is too far away. The less it is, the more “alive” your Internet is.

What High and Low Ping Mean

Ping shows how fast your request “gets” to the server and back.
To understand its meaning, it is enough to remember a simple scale:

Low (up to 50 ms):

• Fast and stable connection.
• Ideal for online gaming, video calls and streaming.
• There is almost no delay — everything works “in real time”.

Average (50-150 ms):

• Minor delays are possible.
• Suitable for surfing and movies, but there may be “suspensions” in games.

High (150-300+ ms):

• The network response is noticeably slower.
• Video calls hang up, streams slow down, and commands in games arrive late.

Why is it changing:

• The distance to the server (the further away, the higher).
• Overloaded routers or poor Wi-Fi connection.
• Using a VPN or unstable communication channels.

A low ping is a fast, “live” connection; a high one is like a conversation over a satellite line: the response comes late. If you are using proxy – be sure to use a good one, feel free to check our top 20 proxy providers list.

How to Check Your Ping

There are several simple ways to test ping, from basic to advanced:

1. From the command prompt:
   • Enter ping google.com (or any website) and get the response time.
2. Suitable for quick network diagnostics.
   • Through online services:
     • Sites like pingtest.net or speedtest.net they show not only ping, but also Internet speed.
     • You can choose a server closer to you for a more accurate result.
3. Inside games or VPN applications:
   • Many online games display it directly in the server list.
   • VPNs show ping for each location — focus on the lowest value.
4. Compare the results:
   • Check several servers — near, medium, and far.
   • This will help you understand exactly where the delays start.

Ping verification is like the pulse of the Internet: the fewer milliseconds, the healthier your connection is.

Common Causes of High Ping and How to Fix Them

A high ping is like a traffic jam on the Internet: the signal arrives, but with a delay. The reasons can be very different, and almost every one of them can be solved.

The main causes of high ping:

• Overloaded Wi-Fi. If phones, TVs, laptops, and even smart light bulbs are connected to the router, the signal is shared between everyone.
• Weak signal. The further away you are from the router, the higher the delay.
• Old equipment. Outdated routers cannot cope with modern speeds.
• Remote server. The further away the server is physically, the longer the packets “travel”.
• VPN or proxy. Each “jump” through the intermediate server adds milliseconds.
• Background downloads. Updates, cloud syncing, and streaming are all bandwidth—consuming.

How to reduce ping:

• Connect the device via cable — this removes the influence of Wi-Fi.
• Restart the router and close unnecessary applications.
• Select a server closer to your region.
• Disable the VPN if you don’t need it.

High ping is most often treated not by magic, but by simple actions — a clear signal and a stable connection work wonders. Using high quality VPNs with good ping can be a challenge, thats why we created our top 10 free VPN services.