Surely, on more than one occasion, you have heard of ‘ping’ . In computer terms, it is known as a network diagnostic utility that allows you to check the status of communication between computers. However, we also hear it in the environment of our Android mobiles.
Many users claim that the ‘ping’ command has its origin in the sonars of submarines that send acoustic signals to detect obstacles or map the seabed. When the signal bounces back, that is, it returns, it means that there is some body or barrier in the path of the signal emitted by the sonar.
Ping = response time
In this way you can calculate the distance of the obstacle by the time it takes for the signal to return. In the same way, pinging from a computer or Android mobile allows us to send a signal (in the form of data) from our computer to a server or website to see how long it takes to receive the response.
Generally the response time will be measured in ‘milliseconds’, while if no response is received, there is some kind of connection problem between the device and the server.
For example, this feature is especially important in those situations where we need to know if we have the best connection to be able to communicate with a server . One of the needs that has arisen the most in recent times is due to the world of video games. More than anything, because if your ping is high you will have lag and it will take longer to load the online screen of the game. And it will be more noticeable in those shooting or driving titles.
The response time in milliseconds is considered the ‘ ping ‘ we have, and how valued it is (lower) in online games. Although, it is clear that there are many more reasons why we need to do it from our Android mobile, especially when we do not have a computer at hand. On some occasions it can be used to know if the problem of not entering a website or excessive slowness in browsing is ours or the server to which we want to connect.
How is it done?
There are several tools on Google Play to be able to get it from our mobile, but perhaps the most popular and that accumulates millions of downloads is ‘Terminal Emulator for Android’, which has the advantage of being a free tool, which works with phones with the system Google’s operating system from the prehistoric version 1.6 (known under the name Donut) to the most modern ones and which also occupies only 551k of memory, that is, half a mega. Although, it will not be the only way that we can have at our disposal to achieve it from our device.
with an emulator
To achieve this, we must have the app installed. After downloading it to the device, all we have to do is run it. Then, we will have before us a command console, with which we can do it to any website from our smartphone. In this console we will have to write ping –cX ‘name of the web’ and press Enter.
In our case, we’ll do it to our site . For this reason, the command would be the following: ping –c3 movilzona.es.
The number refers to the number of times we want to ‘ping’ to check reception. If instead of a low number we enter a very high number, for example 500 or 1,000, we will be able to monitor this data in real time towards a specific website.
from a computer
If we have noticed that our Android mobile has different problems connecting to the Internet or is slower than normal, then it is time to check from any Windows computer what its connection to the network is. To do this, we will use the PC command system . Although, before that, we must know the IP address of the phone.
To see that device data, we will have to go to Settings > enter the About phone section > look for the IP address section. It will usually come along with MAC, Bluetooth and uptime. Although, depending on the customization layer of our mobile, we may have to enter another section called Status to see this information.
Then, go to your Windows PC and in the search bar type ‘ CMD ‘ > tap on Command Prompt . At that moment, a tool will open (as we can see in the following image) that will help us to enter a series of commands, in our case we will have to write the word ‘Ping’ next to the IP address of the smartphone and press Enter. Finally, the connection data will appear on the PC screen.
With the Ping app
Although, as we have seen before, we recommend using the method to ping from Android with a terminal emulator, since it is the most reliable. More than anything because we know what commands are being entered. However, if you want to do it from a simpler interface and without having to enter different specific commands, then your best option will be to install the following application:
This software is very simple, plus it has no ads and is totally free. Therefore, to use this application, we must follow these steps: Open the app on your phone> In the bar that allows us to enter text, which is next to the word Host, write the IP address > Tap on Start.
Finally, when you want to stop doing it, we just have to click on the Stop button. In this way, we will be able to ping an Android phone. In addition, this app also has other simple features that will help us analyze the quality of our Internet connection.
Are ping and lag the same thing?
It is clear that in our day to day we may think that these two terms are practically the same, and the truth is that there is some difference than another. More than anything, the Ping refers to the time it takes for a device, in this case our mobile, to communicate with the server to which it wants to connect . For example, if we start playing online from the phone, our Wi-Fi modem will communicate with those who provide that service online.
Instead, lag is applied when the delay in that connection is long enough to make interaction difficult, in this case in an online game on our phone. This means that the first term is basically the response time, and depending on whether it is high or low, we may experience the famous ‘ jerks ‘.
In addition, with a high number in the response time, what we will expect will be lag, while with a low latency, we will not suffer this connection problem at any time.
Can it be reduced?
Once we know that a high figure can lead us down the path of bitterness, don’t worry, because it is also possible to improve the smartphone’s connection to the Internet. It is clear that the best option will be to have stable connectivity to the network or to be close to the router to which we have connected. However, we will not always be lucky enough to have these two factors.
For this reason, we can choose to download an application from Google Play that helps us in a certain way to reduce this number. In this way, we could stabilize the ping on an Android mobile . For example, one of the options most used by users, which has a significant number of positive reviews and a good rating, is the following app:
This tool called ‘ Ping Mobile Games: Anti Lag ‘, offers us the possibility of lowering this number. Although, it is mainly designed for the gaming world. However, we can also choose to lower the graphics of the game as it greatly helps to reduce lags.