ARP Ping Tool in NetScanTools Pro

Overview
Purpose
Capabilities
Video
About ARP

The ARP Ping tool uses ARP packets to 'ping' an IPv4 device on your LAN (subnet or network segment). It shows the timing of ARP responses from the device and can tell you if more than one device is sharing the same IP address. IPv4 devices must respond to ARP packets even if the device uses firewalls or other stealthy methods to hide from ICMP or UDP packet based ping tools like our Ping Tool and Ping Scanner.

Related Tools

ARP Scan (MAC Scan) Tool.
ARP Cache.
Packet Generator - has an ARP/RARP packet generating mode.

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Version 11 ARP Ping Tool Slideshow

Important Notes:

Since ARP packets are not routed (they will not go beyond your router), this tool cannot be used Ping a device across the internet. This tool requires the target IP address be on the same network segment or subnet as your computer is currently on.
This tool cannot 'ping' a MAC address and get an IP address back in return -- the ARP protocol does not work that way.

Purpose of this tool:

Tells you if a device is really at that IPv4 address on your LAN.
Shows the response time of a device to an ARP Packet.
Shows the MAC address of the IPv4 interface on the device.
Shows the MAC addresses of devices sharing the same IPv4 address on your LAN.

Tool Capabilities

ARP Ping can ping an IPv4 address on your LAN with a broadcast MAC address ARP packet. If an ARP response packet is received from the device, the software continues to ping with a unicast ARP packet (unicast means a specific MAC address). Response time is shown for each responding ARP ping.
ARP Ping can ping an IPv4 address on your LAN with a broadcast MAC address ARP packet and continue to ping the IP Address with a broadcast ARP packet. Response time is shown for each responding ARP ping.
ARP Ping can search your LAN for duplicate IPv4 addresses using ARP packets sent to a specific IPv4 address. All responding MAC addresses are shown.

A video of the ARP Ping Tool in action!

What is ARP?

ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) is a protocol which associates an IPv4 address with a MAC (Media Access Control) address (xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx) over an ethernet network segment. ARP is normally not routed beyond a network segment. This tool uses WinPcap to generate ARP packets. See also the ARP tool for additional ARP tools including ARP cache control and ARP Scan (also called MAC Scan or ARP Sweep).