Can you ping a VOIP / Sip telephone number in the same way you can ping a domain name

Can you ping a voip telephone number in the same way you can ping a domain name ?

Im interested in doing so, so that i can get the ip and do a trace route.

sam

Posted 2016-08-03T15:45:57.263

Reputation: 3 411

What happened when you tried it? – Xavierjazz – 2016-08-03T15:50:28.113

Are you trying to pinpoint the physical location of a VoIP phone? – DavidPostill – 2016-08-03T16:35:18.633

Answers

Can you ping a VoIP telephone number?

I'm interested in doing so, so that I can get the IP address and do a trace route.

No, that is generally not possible.

If the caller is using a VoIP provider that proxies the call (which is most providers), then the IP address of the provider will be available.

Simplified Explanation:

The caller's VoIP device can be located anywhere. What happens is that the device registers with the VoIP providers service so that the provider knows where the device is located (the IP address).

When the device makes a call it connects to the providers network and is routed through a proxy server which figures out where the other end of the call is located (your end) and the call is then sent across the net to you.

Only the VoIP provider (and the owner of the device) knows the device's IP address.

If a complaint is made then the provider will only disclose the IP address (and record calls if necessary) given a court order.

DavidPostill

Posted 2016-08-03T15:45:57.263

Reputation: 118 938

To do a ping, you need the IP first. It's impossible without it. What you can do is use a network mapper to find the IP of the voip phone.

You don't ping a domain name. You give a domain name to the command ping, which find the corresponding IP in the DNS cache of the host or using a DNS server, then uses the said IP to do the ping request.

Doezer

Posted 2016-08-03T15:45:57.263

Reputation: 431

"use a network mapper to find the IP of the voip phone." Can you explain how to do this? – DavidPostill – 2016-08-03T16:12:32.360

There are dedicated softwares that do this. They explore the network and show you the IPs they found into it. I won't give you a software name as this is not regular policy here (subjectivity of the choice), and I don't know any enough myself, but a simple search should help you find this. Also, the phones usually have a way to display their own IPs. – Doezer – 2016-08-03T16:15:48.447

That only works on a local network. I suspect the OP is trying to find the location of a WAN VoIP phone number. – DavidPostill – 2016-08-03T16:17:29.967

Ha, indeed the traceroute he wants to do might indicate this. – Doezer – 2016-08-03T16:20:47.257

Except that it won't. You can't get the IP address of a VoIP phone (unless it is your own phone), unless you can monitor the SIP traffic. Only the VoIP provider can do that and won't disclose it without a court order. – DavidPostill – 2016-08-03T16:39:58.083

I meant by that that it might indicate that we wanted indeed to have the IP of a WAN phone, not that the traceroute would help him do it. – Doezer – 2016-08-03T16:43:17.220