Member Avatar for quansah

Hello all
I run out of credit for my zain sim which i use wiith a modem to surf. I realised I can still ping any url. the catch is i cannot actually browse these pages. is there anyway i can still connect to the internet. what does the ping command do that my browser does not.

  • 3 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 259 Views
  • 20 Hours Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by sknake

Dani AI

Generated

Short answer: being able to ping a host only proves that ICMP echo packets get a reply — it does not mean full web access is allowed. and are on the right track: many mobile providers keep basic layer‑3 responses (ICMP or DNS answers) alive while blocking or intercepting normal HTTP/HTTPS traffic when an account has no credit or when a captive-payment page needs to be shown. Below are practical checks and what to look for.

Run these from the machine that uses the modem:

Windows:
ping example.com
tracert example.com
nslookup example.com
curl -I http://example.com

macOS / Linux:
ping -c 4 example.com
traceroute example.com
dig example.com
curl -I http://example.com

How to read the results:

  • If ping returns replies but curl -I shows an HTTP 3xx/HTML that is not the real site, the operator is intercepting HTTP and sending you a payment/login page (a captive portal).
  • If DNS resolves every hostname to the provider’s IP, they may be hijacking DNS to force the portal.
  • If HTTPS sites fail with certificate errors or simply time out, that indicates the TLS handshake is being blocked or dropped (providers usually cannot transparently rewrite HTTPS without breaking certs).

What to do next:

  • The correct route is to top up or authenticate with the provider so normal TCP/HTTP(S) is restored.
  • If you think something broke unintentionally, collect the diagnostics above (traceroute/curl output, screenshots of errors) and contact support.
  • Do not attempt to bypass billing controls with tricks that violate the provider’s terms; using another Wi‑Fi or a legitimately paid SIM/hotspot is the safe temporary alternative.

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for freshfitz

All a ping does is test to see if a data packet can be sent back and forth between 2 computers. If you are talking about credits from an isp then they turned off your gateway or firewalled you. You can still send ping packets but that's it

Member Avatar for sknake

Usually with that kind of internet access when you connect you're put on an internal network. When you're connected to that network the provider will resolve any hostname and respond to all traffic and redirect browser requests to their payment site. After you pay and authenticate they put you on a live network. There is no telling if you're actually hitting the site you think you are or if the ISP is responding to all traffic. They probably redirect the standard web ports of :80 and :443 to stop browsing until you paid.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.