Importance Score: 45 / 100 🔵
For nearly two decades, Speedtest.net has served as one of the leading utilities for evaluating internet connection speeds. Nevertheless, Doug Suttles, the creator and ex-CEO of Ookla, the firm behind Speedtest, believed that simply measuring speed was insufficient to provide users with a comprehensive understanding of their internet connectivity.
Introducing Orb: A Comprehensive Network Diagnostic Tool
Addressing this gap, Suttles has unveiled a new tool named Orb. This application assesses latency, packet loss, jitter, and speed to deliver an in-depth evaluation of the stability of your internet connection.
The Evolution of Internet Assessment
Having initiated Orb in 2023 alongside Ookla executive Jamie Steven, Suttles noted that while Speedtest.net was an apt tool for its era, advancements in global internet speeds called for more all-encompassing methods to evaluate internet connections.
Orb evaluates network connections based on three primary metrics:
- Responsiveness: Measured through a blend of lag, jitter, latency, and packet loss.
- Reliability: Encompasses responsiveness and packet loss over time.
- Speed: Refers to standard download and upload rates.
By amalgamating these metrics, Orb assigns a score that indicates the stability of your network connection. A score exceeding 80 signifies a robust connection, while a score between 70 and 80 suggests an adequate connection. Scores below 70 may indicate noticeable connectivity issues.
Improvement Recommendations
Orb offers applications for multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Linux. Additionally, the company provides instructions for installing the tool on various devices such as Raspberry Pi, Onewrt, Docker, Steam Deck, Prox Max, WLAN Pi, and older smartphones.
Orb is currently free to use, and the company intends to maintain this model. Suttles expressed interest in licensing the technology to enterprises and internet service providers (ISPs) to facilitate advanced monitoring and analytics of network issues.
Funding and Future Plans
Additionally, Steven, who co-developed Down Detector, mentioned that Orb will introduce features to detect access to specific services like Zoom, Netflix, X, or Google Drive.