A ping test sends information over the Internet to a computer that you specify, and then returns information about how long it took to contact that computer. If you are able to ping a Web page, you can prove that you have an active connection to the Internet.

Try the ping test on a known Web page, such as www.verizon.net. You can also ping computers on the Internet using an IP address rather than a domain name (for example, 206.46.189.11).

To run a ping test on Windows^®:

1. Open the Command Prompt or MSDOS prompt dialog box (Start, Programs, Accessories, Command Prompt).
2. Type ping www.verizon.net or ping 206.46.189.11.
3. Press [Enter].
   
   Note: Some computers will not respond to the ping test for security reasons. If a Web page or server doesn't respond to ping, try a different one.
4. Ping results display in the Command Prompt window. The ping test was successful if you see results similar to this:
   
   Reply from 206.46.189.11: bytes=32 time=40ms TTL=249
   Reply from 206.46.189.11: bytes=32 time=30ms TTL=249
   Reply from 206.46.189.11: bytes=32 time=30ms TTL=249
   Reply from 206.46.189.11: bytes=32 time=30ms TTL=249
   
   If you get the following results, the ping test was not successful:
   
   Request timed out.
   Request timed out.
   Request timed out.
   Request timed out.

If the ping test works, you have an active Internet connection. If it still does not work, contact Verizon Technical Support.

To run a ping test on Mac^® OS X:

Note: Earlier versions of Mac^® OS don't have a built-in ping application. You can find Mac^®-compliant ping freeware and add-ons on the Web, or you can upgrade to OS X.

1. From the Applications > Utility folder, double-click Network Utility.
2. Select the Ping tab.
3. Type the URL you want to ping.

Choose Ping. The results of the ping test display in the dialog box