Speedtest.net

Speedtest.net is a web service that provides free analysis of Internet access performance metrics, such as connection data rate and latency. It was founded by Ookla in 2006, and is based in Seattle, Washington.

The service measures the bandwidth (speed) and latency of a visitor's Internet connection against one of 8,000 geographically dispersed servers (as of November 2019) located around the world. Each test measures the data rate for the download direction, i.e. from the server to the user computer, and the upload data rate, i.e. from the user's computer to the server. The tests are performed within the user's web browser or within apps.  , over 21 billion speed tests have been completed.

Tests were previously performed using the HTTP protocol at Layer 7 of the OSI model. To further improve accuracy, Speedtest.net now performs tests via direct TCP sockets and uses a custom protocol for communication between servers and clients.

The site also offers detailed statistics based on test results. This data has been used by numerous publications in the analysis of Internet access data rates around the world.

History
The owner and operator of Speedtest.net, Ookla, was established in 2006 by a small team of internet and technology veterans. Ookla was acquired by Ziff Davis in 2014.

In 2014, Ookla Speedtest for iOS updated with iPad support.

In late 2015, Ookla launched beta.speedtest.net to test its updated speedtest.net with Flash independent.

In October 2016, Ookla Speedtest became available for Windows 10 through Microsoft Store 

In late 2017, Ookla Speedtest released 4.0 update with new UI for iOS while March 2018 for Android.

In late April 2019, Ookla Speedtest adds 1000 Mbs support for Android device, followed with Speedtest Live Tool update which tracks application data usage in May.

Technology
The technology of Speedtest.net is similar to that of Ookla NetGauge, which is provided to a wide variety of companies and organizations on a licensed basis. Speedtest.net Mini was a free, stripped-down Flash version of the speed test technology used on Speedtest.net that users could run on their own web server, however it was replaced in 2016 with Speedtest Custom, an HTML5-based tool.

Speedtest.net data

Speedtest market reports
In 2016, Speedtest began releasing market reports for different countries and cities, providing raw statistics regarding download and upload speeds for the past year for ISPs and mobile carriers. It also includes analysis of the current ISP and mobile markets of the respective country and breakdowns by region and city. ISPs and mobile carriers are ranked by their geographic performance.

Speed Wave
The site offers a service by which groups of friends may compare results against each other and as a group average. Badges are also awarded for achievements such as Highest Download Speed and Lowest Latency.
Badges are awarded when either Highest Download or Lowest Ping'' will be.

My Results
The Ookla Speed Test also has a tool called “My Results” which lets you graphically compare your upload and download speeds as well as the different servers you have tested. Users who have been through many internet service providers, or that have more than one, may find value in this tool and could use it to choose the most efficient.

Acquisitions

See also 
 List of countries by Internet connection speeds
 Ookla Launches An Interactive Map Showing All The 5G Networks In The World

References

External links 
 
 

Category:Internet technology companies of the United States
Category:Internet properties established in 2006
Category:Network performance
Category:Computer network analysis
Category:Mobile applications
Category:IOS software
Category:Android (operating system) software
Category:Free network management software