Ping Hosts in Google Sheets
Formula
Check whether a host is up by the row. =VERVE("pinger", A2) pings each domain or IP and returns up or down — Sheets or Excel.
=VERVE("pinger", A2)=VERVE.CALL("pinger", A2)A2 holds the host you're looking up. Drag the formula down and each row resolves on its own.
With literal values
Nothing has to come from a cell — typed values work the same way.
=VERVE("pinger", "google.com")Inputs
Required inputs are positional, in the order below. Everything else is passed as a "name", value pair after them — the same shape as SUMIFS.
| Input | Type | Where it goes | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
hostRequired | string | argument 2 | The host name or public IP that you want to ping (e.g. google.com) |
timeoutPremium | integer | "timeout", value | The timeout for the ping request in milliseconds (e.g. 1000) |
roundTrips | integer | "roundTrips", value | How many pings to send before averaging the round-trip time (e.g. 1) |
Passing an option
=VERVE("pinger", A2, "timeout", "1000")What lands in your sheet
With no "field" pair the formula spills the whole response as two columns — field name on the left, value on the right — starting at the cell you typed in. Make sure the cells below and to the right are empty.
Pulling one value
Add a "field" pair to get a single cell back instead of a table. The field name is the dot-path from the table below.
=VERVE("pinger", A2, "field", "host")=VERVE.CALL("pinger", A2, "field", "host")Available fields
#PREMIUM(field) rather than a value, so a locked field never looks like a real answer.| Use as "field" | Type | Example cell value | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
host | string | google.com | The hostname or IP address that was pinged |
numericHostPremium | string | 2607:f8b0:4001:c6e::8a | The numeric IP address of the host that was pinged |
alive | boolean | true | Whether the host is reachable and responding to ping requests |
roundTrips | number | 3 | Number of successful ping round trips completed |
packetLossPremium | number | 0 | Percentage of packets lost during the ping operation |
minMSPremium | number | 0.652 | Minimum round trip time in milliseconds |
avgMSPremium | number | 0.6846666666666666 | Average round trip time in milliseconds |
maxMSPremium | number | 0.712 | Maximum round trip time in milliseconds |
stdDevPremium | number | 0.02478350706058811 | Standard deviation of round trip times |
timesPremium | array | [0.712,0.652,0.69] | Array of individual round trip times in milliseconds |
Filling a whole column
Hand the first argument a range instead of a cell and the add-in makes one batched call for the lot, then spills the answers down. That is faster than dragging the formula and costs the same credits — one per row looked up.
=VERVE("pinger", A2:A100, "field", "host")=VERVE.CALL("pinger", A2:A100, "field", "host")A2:A100 is the column of host values. The result spills down alongside it, one row per input, blanks skipped.
When a cell doesn't fill
A failed lookup returns readable text starting with #ERR rather than a spreadsheet error, because Excel cannot show a custom message on a real error — you would get a bare #VALUE! with no reason. The trade-off is that IFERROR() won't catch it; test with LEFT(cell, 4) = "#ERR" instead.
| Cell reads | What happened |
|---|---|
#ERR Not connected | No API key saved. Open the side panel and connect your account. |
#ERR Replace <name> with a cell or value | The preview formula was copied as-is. Swap the placeholder for a cell reference. |
#ERR No "x" in pinger | An option name that this source doesn't take. The message lists the ones it does. |
#ERR No data point "…" | The "field" path isn't in the response. Check the dot-path against the table above. |
#PREMIUM(field) | The field exists but your plan doesn't include it. |
#ERR Out of credits | The month's credits are spent. Usage resets on your billing date. |
Before the formula works
The add-in reads the API key you saved once in the side panel — the key never goes in the formula, so a shared sheet doesn't leak it and a collaborator without access simply sees the last calculated values.
- Install the add-in for Google Sheets or Excel.
- Open the side panel and sign in, or paste a key from your dashboard.
- Type the formula above into any cell.
Other ways to use Ping Hosts in Google Sheets
Set up Ping Hosts in Google Sheets on VerveSheets, or reach the same source a different way. Your VerveSheets account and credits work on all of them — one key, one balance.
Frequently asked questions
Does Ping Hosts in Google Sheets work in both Google Sheets and Excel?
Yes — the same source, the same arguments. Sheets calls it =VERVE("pinger", …) and Excel calls it =VERVE.CALL("pinger", …); that function name is the only difference.
Do the cells recalculate on their own?
They recalculate when the sheet does — on edit, on open, or on a manual recalc. Each recalculation is a fresh call and spends credits, so for a large static column it's worth copying the results and pasting them as values.
How many credits does a filled column cost?
1 credit per row looked up, whether you drag the formula or pass a range. The range form is one HTTP call instead of many, but the credit count is the same.
Can I share the sheet without sharing my key?
Yes. The key is stored against your account, not in the file. Collaborators see the values already in the cells; formulas only recalculate for someone who has connected their own account.
Why is a cell showing #ERR instead of an error?
So you can read the reason. Excel can't display a custom message on a real spreadsheet error, so the add-in returns the explanation as text on both platforms instead.