Android Apps, May 2021

Ping and Net, a Diagnostic Toolkit in One Application

Ping and Net collects a wide set of network diagnostic tools into a single Android application, covering reachability, name resolution, path measurement, port and transport checks, and certificate inspection.

The breadth is the reason to use it rather than a criticism, because diagnosis is sequential and each answer determines the next question, so switching applications between steps is where the time goes. It performs ICMP over both address families and also over TCP, which matters because a network that blocks ICMP will make a reachable host appear dead while a TCP probe to an open port succeeds. Name resolution runs in both directions, WHOIS answers who holds an address or domain, and traceroute establishes where along a path the trouble begins. Beyond the basics it inspects HTTP responses, scans ports, reports which TLS versions and ciphers a server will negotiate, and performs path MTU discovery, which is the check that identifies the specific and confusing fault where small exchanges succeed and large transfers stall. Wake on LAN and an interface monitor that alerts on state changes extend it from diagnosis into light operations.

Nothing here is unavailable elsewhere and the value is in the collection rather than any single tool. On a small screen the density is a real cost, and reading a wide output requires patience.

Link: Ping and Net on Google Play