diff --git a/plugins/Unix/config.py b/plugins/Unix/config.py
index b24bd2322..a0b0028f9 100644
--- a/plugins/Unix/config.py
+++ b/plugins/Unix/config.py
@@ -108,6 +108,8 @@ conf.registerGroup(Unix, 'ping')
 conf.registerGlobalValue(Unix.ping, 'command', 
     registry.String(utils.findBinaryInPath('ping') or '', """Determines what 
     command will be called for the ping command."""))
+conf.registerGlobalValue(Unix.ping, 'defaultCount',
+    registry.PositiveInteger(5, """Determines what ping and ping6 counts (-c) will default to."""))
 
 conf.registerGroup(Unix, 'ping6')
 conf.registerGlobalValue(Unix.ping6, 'command', 
diff --git a/plugins/Unix/plugin.py b/plugins/Unix/plugin.py
index 97b1230c0..ca3266908 100644
--- a/plugins/Unix/plugin.py
+++ b/plugins/Unix/plugin.py
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ class Unix(callbacks.Plugin):
                         args.append(str(val))
                 if '-c' not in args:
                     args.append('-c')
-                    args.append('5')
+                    args.append(str(self.registryValue('ping.defaultCount')))
                 args.append(host)
                 try:
                     with open(os.devnull) as null: