The ARP - a shows not the routing table, but the ARP cache table.
The former is a data structure at the network layer.
The latter is established by sending ARP broadcast messages and is a typical data link layer data structure.
Data link layer messages cannot cross gateways, so they can only be within the same subnet (or the same VLAN).
There may be multiple subnets or VLANs in a local area network.
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ARP is not better than ping because they are not programs at the same layer.
The Windows ARP program only operates on the local ARP cache table and does not make any network connections.
So if you do not connect to the target IP, it is impossible to ARP to the MAC.
So ping or other connection programs are the precondition for ARP.
Unless there is an ARP program that can send ARP request messages by itself.
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Whether ping is successful has no direct relationship with whether the MAC is obtained.
Because ping uses the ICMP protocol, which is at the network layer.
A failure at the network layer does not mean a failure at the lower data link layer.
But a failure at the data link layer means that the network layer must be failed.
So if you can ping successfully, you must be able to obtain the MAC.
It is possible to obtain the MAC but not be able to ping successfully.
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I remember that the ARP cache table only keeps 10 latest IP - MAC records.
So it may not be possible to obtain 128 records at one time.
But there are no conditions for testing, and it is difficult to say. This is related to the system, not the protocol.