While ping uses ICMP to check host availability, ARP ping (arping on Linux) operates at Layer 2 by sending ARP requests. This is particularly useful when:

• ICMP is blocked by firewalls
• You need MAC address verification
• Troubleshooting local network connectivity issues

Windows doesn't include a direct arping equivalent, but these built-in tools can help:

arp -a

Shows the current ARP cache, but doesn't send new requests.

ping -4 <target>

Will indirectly populate the ARP cache through ICMP.

1. Nmap's nping

Install Nmap and use its nping tool:

nping --arp-type ARP <target>

2. PowerShell Script Solution

Create a custom ARP ping function:

function Invoke-ArpPing {
    param(
        [string]$Target
    )
    
    $arp = New-Object System.Net.NetworkInformation.Ping
    $options = New-Object System.Net.NetworkInformation.PingOptions
    $options.DontFragment = $true
    
    try {
        $reply = $arp.Send($Target, 1000, @(1,2,3,4), $options)
        if ($reply.Status -eq "Success") {
            Get-NetNeighbor -IPAddress $Target | Select-Object IPAddress, LinkLayerAddress, State
        }
    }
    catch {
        Write-Warning "ARP request failed: $_"
    }
}

3. Windows API Implementation (C#)

For developers needing programmatic access:

using System;
using System.Net;
using System.Net.NetworkInformation;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

public class ArpPinger
{
    [DllImport("iphlpapi.dll", ExactSpelling = true)]
    public static extern int SendARP(
        int destIp, int srcIp, byte[] macAddr, ref uint macAddrLen);

    public static PhysicalAddress GetMacAddress(IPAddress address)
    {
        byte[] macAddr = new byte[6];
        uint macAddrLen = (uint)macAddr.Length;
        
        if (SendARP(BitConverter.ToInt32(address.GetAddressBytes(), 0), 0, 
            macAddr, ref macAddrLen) != 0)
        {
            return null;
        }
        
        return new PhysicalAddress(macAddr);
    }
}

For comprehensive ARP monitoring:

netsh trace start scenario=NetConnection capture=yes tracefile=C:\temp\nettrace.etl
# Perform your network operations
netsh trace stop

Analyze the resulting ETL file with Microsoft Message Analyzer or Wireshark.

Method	Advantages	Limitations
ARP -a	Built-in, no installation	Passive only
Nping	Feature-rich	Requires Nmap
PowerShell	Native to Windows	Limited to PowerShell 5.1+
Custom C#	Full control	Requires compilation

---

While traditional ping uses ICMP to check host availability, ARP ping operates at Layer 2 by sending Address Resolution Protocol requests. This is particularly useful when:

• ICMP is blocked by firewalls
• You need MAC address verification
• Diagnosing local network connectivity issues

Windows doesn't include a direct arping equivalent, but these built-in tools can help:

arp -a

For active ARP resolution:

ping -4 [target_IP] && arp -a

Nmap's arp-ping

nmap -PR -sn 192.168.1.1-254

Colasoft Packet Builder

Create custom ARP requests with this GUI tool for advanced network testing.

Here's a custom ARP ping function:

function Invoke-ArpPing {
    param(
        [string]$TargetIP,
        [int]$Count = 4
    )
    
    $macRegex = "([0-9A-Fa-f]{2}[:-]){5}([0-9A-Fa-f]{2})"
    $interfaceIndex = (Get-NetAdapter | Where-Object Status -eq "Up").ifIndex[0]
    
    1..$Count | ForEach-Object {
        $arpResult = arp -d $TargetIP 2>$null
        Test-Connection -ComputerName $TargetIP -Count 1 -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Out-Null
        $arpOutput = arp -a | Select-String "$TargetIP.*$macRegex"
        
        if ($arpOutput) {
            [PSCustomObject]@{
                IPAddress = $TargetIP
                MACAddress = ($arpOutput -split " ")[1]
                Interface = $interfaceIndex
                Status = "Success"
            }
        } else {
            [PSCustomObject]@{
                IPAddress = $TargetIP
                MACAddress = $null
                Interface = $interfaceIndex
                Status = "Failed"
            }
        }
    }
}

For developers needing programmatic access:

using System;
using System.Net;
using System.Net.NetworkInformation;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;

public class ArpHelper
{
    [DllImport("iphlpapi.dll", ExactSpelling = true)]
    public static extern int SendARP(
        int destIp, int srcIp, byte[] macAddr, ref uint physAddrLen);

    public static PhysicalAddress GetMacAddress(IPAddress ipAddress)
    {
        byte[] macAddr = new byte[6];
        uint macAddrLen = (uint)macAddr.Length;
        
        byte[] addressBytes = ipAddress.GetAddressBytes();
        int destIp = BitConverter.ToInt32(addressBytes, 0);
        
        if (SendARP(destIp, 0, macAddr, ref macAddrLen) == 0)
        {
            return new PhysicalAddress(macAddr);
        }
        return null;
    }
}

• Network discovery: Find all active devices when ICMP is blocked
• Duplicate IP detection: Identify IP conflicts by examining ARP responses
• MAC verification: Confirm device identities in secure environments

Remember that ARP only works within the same broadcast domain (typically your local subnet). For cross-subnet communication, you'll still need traditional ICMP ping or other tools.