You can save time and resources by pinging multiple IP addresses simultaneously with the codes I’ll discuss in this guide.
This allows you to test the viability and reachability of these servers, audit the devices on a network, or identify devices that have a fixed DHCP address.
This guide takes a straightforward approach to successfully pinging a range of IP addresses on any network or server.
Can You Ping a Range of IP Addresses?
You can ping a range of IP addresses simultaneously instead of pinging one address per time. This helps save time and eliminates errors in covering the entire network.
Furthermore, you can customize your ping sweep to determine how many IP packets are sent to every address, the wait time for a response, and how many times the test should run, among other things.
However, you need to know the exact range of IP addresses within your subnet to shorten this process and have cleaner ping results.
Otherwise, you could start with the first three sets of octet values and leave the last octet to range between the values 1 and 255.
Ping vs. Ping Sweep: Why Ping an IP Range Instead of a Single IP Address?
Pinging an IP range instantly lets you determine whether the IP addresses within that range are available and reachable on the server.
It also shows you which IPs are connected to a device or what device is connected to thklat IP.
Typically, pinging a device or host allows you to determine whether that device or host exists or is reachable on a server.
Doing so relies on knowing the exact IP address of the device you’re pinging.
When this exact address is unknown, but you know the range within which the device’s IP address should lie, a ping sweep becomes more effective.
Rather than manually testing every IP by changing the decimal figures, pinging a range tests all IP addresses within that border to find the device/host you’re looking for.
Furthermore, pinging a range of IP addresses allows you to
- Improve and maintain network security by rooting out unauthorized devices on the same IP range or host.
- Find all the dead hosts on your network for troubleshooting or possible clean-up.
- Check that the IP addresses and their registered devices match the network documentation.
- Find anomalies in the host network.
While all of these are possible with a simple ping tool, it takes a lot of manual time and effort to get done. Besides saving a lot of time, ping sweeps also eliminate human errors when manually replacing IP address numbers over a host.
How Do I Ping Multiple Devices at Once?
The best way to ping multiple devices is to run a custom ping script if the devices are on the same subnet. This ensures they have identical octet states for the first three values with changing values for the last octet.
However, a cleaner approach is executing a successful script that only turns out successful results. Otherwise, the script returns up to 254 results, of which only a few could be the pinged devices.
Alternatively, multiple devices not on the same network subnet can be pinged simultaneously with a ping sweep tool.
These tools broaden the ping scope and eliminate time spent manually fetching and inputting each IP address. Ping sweep tools also work for multiple devices on the same subnet. Still, they’re better recommended for devices on multiple subnets or a large number of devices/hosts.
6 Methods to Ping a Range of IP Addresses
I’ve collated and described six of the most effective methods to perform a ping sweep on Mac, Windows, and Linux. I also include a guide on pinging a range of IP addresses via Cisco.
How to Ping IP Range Using CMD on Windows?
Requirements: Windows 7 or later.
Here’s how to ping an IP range using CMD on your Windows PC:
- Launch the Start Menu or press the Windows key.
- Search for “cmd” or “command prompt.”
- Hit “Enter” or navigate to the “Command Prompt” program and open it.
- First, we test that your CMD works fine. Type “ping [IP address]” without the quotation or brackets. I tried the IP addresses 192.168.1.101 (which I didn’t have access to on my network) and 192.168.0.1 (which is my router’s IP that I have access to).
- The above results show that your CMD works fine.
- Enter the following command into your Command Prompt. You can replace the IP address with the range you’re concerned with.
for /l %i in (1,1,254) do @ping 192.168.0.%i -w 10 -n 1 | find “Reply”
- This command pings all addresses between 192.168.0.1 and 192.168.0.254 once with a wait time of 10ms before determining whether that host/device is active on the IP range.
| Variables | Meaning | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 192.168.0. | IP address | You can change the three initial octets to reflect the IP address range you need to test. |
| -w 10 | Wait time | Change the number here to determine how long (in milliseconds) the ping should wait for a reply from each device/host/server it pings. Increase or remove the number for slow networks. |
| (1,1,254) | IP range | Edit the last number in the bracket (254) to define a custom end range. This can’t be more than 255. |
| -n 1 | Ping packets | Increase the number to determine how many ping packets are sent to each device/host on the network. |
How to Ping an IP Range Using PowerShell on Windows?
Requirements: Windows 10
Windows PowerShell is also an interesting tool to ping a range of IP addresses. You’ll need a PC running Windows 10 for this. Here’s how to do it:
- Launch the start menu or press the Windows key.
- Search for “PowerShell” and launch the app.
- Let’s test if the ping function works with a single IP address you have access to. Use the function “ping [IP address]” without the quotes and brackets.
- If it works, enter the two-line code below into your Windows PowerShell:
$ping = New-Object System.Net.Networkinformation.Ping
1..254 | % { $ping.send(“192.168.0.$_”) | select address, status }
- The script scans and tests all the IP addresses in this range.
You’ll notice that this code scans a single IP address multiple times. That’s just the PowerShell script checking through the other IP addresses to see if there’s any with a successful outcome besides your computer.
For example, the screenshot below shows you what happens when it finds another successful IP address on the network.
| Variables | Meaning | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 1..254 | IP range | Change the start (1) or end (254) to the IP range you want to ping on the network. Note that the last octet figure can’t exceed 255. |
| 192.168.0. | IP octet | This should be replaced with the first three octet values for your IP address range. |
$ping = New-Object System.Net.Networkinformation.Ping
1..254 | % { $ping.send(“192.168.1.$_”) | where {$_.status -eq “Success”} | select address, status }
How to Ping an IP Address Range on Linux?
Your command prompt portal is a good bet for pinging a range of IP addresses for users on the Linux operating system.
Do these:
- Sign in to your Linux server.
- Open a command prompt window.
- Enter the ping command below and hit enter.
for ip in $(seq 1 254); do ping -c 1 192.168.1.$ip; done
- You should now have a list of all the valid IP addresses.
| Variables | Meaning | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| (seq 1 254) | IP range | Change this sequence to inform the command prompt of what IP addresses to ping. It can range from 0 to 255. |
| -c 1 | Response count | This defines how many responses you get on ping requests. You can increase this to get more responses per IP address. |
| 192.168.1 | IP address octet | Change the first three octets of the IP address shown here to represent the network you’re testing. |
How to Ping a Range of IP Addresses on Mac?
Mac devices can ping a range of IP addresses using just the built-in terminal window. Here’s how I’d do that with a Mac.
- Open the Terminal Window on your Mac unit.
- Enter the command below and hit the Enter key.
for i in {1..254}; do ping -c 2 190.168.2.$i | grep ‘bytes’ ; done
- You’ll get successful responses from the live hosts, and IP addresses your computer was able to reach on the network.
| Variables | Meaning | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| {1..254} | IP range | If you're sure, you can limit this to the IP addresses in your DHCP range. Otherwise, leave it broad to cover all devices on the network. |
| -c 2 | Response count | This defines how many responses you get per pinged IP address. Right now, we get two, but you can increase/decrease that. |
| 190.168.2. | IP address | This should be the IP address of the network/host you’re testing. Replace this before running a test. |
Use Ping Sweep Tools to Ping a Range of IP Addresses
You can use ping tools to manage a range of IP addresses without writing any code. This is an acceptable option if you’re in charge of many devices on an IP range and don’t want to risk missing any.
Ping sweep tools are also great for when you don’t like to get into the technical aspect of writing code. Although, you only have to copy and paste the codes here – tweaking them where need be.
Some of the most effective ping sweep tools on the market are:
- SolarWinds IP Address Manager – Great for scanning through static and DHCP systems, setting up IP conflict alerts, and troubleshooting IP-related issues on a host.
- ManageEngine OpManager – Pings a range of IP addresses, tracking host accessibility, resolving hostname, and monitoring packet losses in real-time.
- Advanced IP Scanner – Scans a network range with detailed information on the hostname, MAC address, device’s presumed address, response time, and network interface vendor name of devices.
These tools do the same essential task of scanning and pinging a range of IP addresses, but they add some useful extras. Make sure to get one that’s better tailored to your network management needs for better overall value.
How to Ping a Range of IP Addresses in Cisco?
You can ping all the IP addresses on your router or internal network subnet on the Cisco operating system.
As I mentioned earlier, this is an excellent way to find all the inactive IP addresses and dead hosts and improve network allocation to each device on that host.
You can also root out rogue units connected to your router or network.
Here’s what to do in this case:
- Launch the Cisco Packet Tracker program.
- Click on the device you’d like to ping from and open its console. This could be a router, network switch, or other networking devices.
- Enter the code below.
tclsh
for {set i 1} {$i <= 254} {incr i} {
set var 190.168.0.
append var $i
ping $var rep 3 time 1}
- The console now pings all IP addresses within the 190.168.0.1 – 190.168.0.254 range and returns the values for each.
| Variables | Meaning | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| {$i <= 254} | Maximum IP final octet value. | Change this value to custom define the range of your particular IP address. Value can’t exceed 255. |
| {set i 1} | Minimum IP final octet value. | Change this to define the starting IP address for the devices you have on your subnet. |
| 190.168.0. | IP address | Change this to reflect the first three octet value sets for your IP addresses. |
Your router or network configuration needs to support TCL scripting for this to work.
Otherwise, you can’t enter the lines of code above and won’t be able to ping the IP network range this way. Therefore, a suitable alternative would be to use a ping sweep tool instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is There a Script to Ping a Range of IP Addresses?
There are custom scripts to ping IP address ranges.
These scripts will differ by operating system (Mac, Windows, Linux, Cisco), the program used (Windows PowerShell, CMD, etc.), and the intended outcome of the ping.
Likewise, the open-source scripts are also open-ended enough to allow customizations for more targeted results and closer packet inspection of any range of IPs.
What Is the Ping Range of IP Command-Line?
An IP command line can only ping addresses between the values of 1 and 255 on the last octet. The final values in a script or manual pinging test are usually set at 254 since the actual final value of 255 is a reserved IP on most, if not all, networks.
How Do I Ping an Entire Network?
Ping an entire network by resolving the hostname into a unique IP address, then pinging the whole IP range that such a network occupies.
The results of this ping show you what IP addresses are assigned to devices on the network and where network dead spots exist.
Likewise, you get crucial information for better management of devices on the network and the elimination of rogue devices leeching off the network’s resources.
Ping Any IP Range Successfully
Now that you can ping an IP range successfully, you can perform better diagnostics or obtain relevant information about your internal networks.
Interestingly, you don’t have to be connected to the network you want to ping before running this kind of diagnostics, allowing you to ping even a remote server.
Alternatively, you can connect to a remote server securely using a VPN that encrypts your IP data packets, so no one ever intercepts them.
If you find this piece helpful, I recommend you share it with your friends and colleagues who may also be having a hard time pinging an IP address range or would appreciate alternative (and more efficient) methods.
