What is the best way to check for Internet connectivity using .NET?

Question

What is the fastest and most efficient way to check for Internet connectivity in .NET?

Answer 1

private bool ping()
{
    System.Net.NetworkInformation.Ping pingSender = new System.Net.NetworkInformation.Ping();
    System.Net.NetworkInformation.PingReply reply = pingSender.Send(address);
    if (reply.Status == System.Net.NetworkInformation.IPStatus.Success)
    {                
        return true;
    }
    else
    {                
        return false;
    }
}