/ Request Timed Out

Request Timed Out

What does “request timed out” mean when I try to ping my host? Celeste Stewart

What is Ping?

Ping is a utility used for testing a network data packet’s transmission from one address to another to make sure that data will arrive over the network as expected. When you ping an IP address, a packet is sent across the network to the IP address. When all goes as expected, the packet arrives at the IP address which then responds back to you with a “pong.” After the exchange is completed successfully, the ping utility calculates the time it took for the packet to make the round trip.

Request Timed Out

When a ping is made, the packet travels across the network, eventually finding the entered IP address. This isn’t necessarily a direct A to B route. The packet makes its way across the network, going through routers, hubs, firewalls, and Internet access points along the way. While a “request timed out” error could mean that your network needs to be tweaked, it could also mean that the packet encountered an issue somewhere along its route.

For example, below are some common potential reasons for a ping request timed out message:

Excessive network congestion (either within your personal network or the Internet)
The destination address is offline
The destination address is not configured properly
A device in between the originating computer and the destination computer is not configured properly
The destination address is an invalid address
The packet took too long to reach the destination address (it may eventually reach it, but hasn’t done so before reaching the time out point)

In short, when you receive a ping request timed out message, it means that the packet originally sent has not been received by the host. In some cases, re-pinging is all that’s necessary. For example, if the request timed out error occurred because of network congestion, the traffic jam will eventually ease and the ping will make its way to the destination and back without a problem. On the other hand, if your firewall or router is not configured properly, re-pinging will not be successful until the underlying problem is corrected. You may need to configure your router or firewall to unblock the IP address.