Hey there, tech enthusiasts! Nuked here, ready to brighten your day with some fresh internet wisdom. Let’s dive into a game-changing app that’s about to shake up how you check your internet connection.
For almost two decades, Speedtest.net has been the go-to tool for measuring internet speeds. But guess what? Doug Suttles, the mastermind behind Ookla and Speedtest, felt that speed alone doesn’t tell the full story of your connection quality.
Enter Orb, a brand-new app launched by Doug and his partner Jamie Steven in 2023. Orb goes beyond the usual speed tests by checking latency, packet loss, jitter, and overall stability to give you a more complete picture of your internet’s health.
Think of speed tests like a car’s dipstick—they only warn you after you’re already in trouble. Orb acts like a full dashboard, letting you spot problems early before your internet crashes and burns.
Orb measures three core areas: responsiveness (including lag and jitter), reliability (how steady your connection stays over time), and speed (your classic download and upload numbers). The app can analyze your connection over various time spans—from a minute to an entire day—to give a detailed stability score.
Scoring above 80 means your connection is solid, between 70 and 80 is okay, and anything below might give you some headaches. If you fall into the trouble zone, Orb serves up helpful tips powered by AI to get your internet back in shape.
Available across iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Linux, Orb also supports geeky platforms like Raspberry Pi and Steam Deck. It even plans to roll out a feature allowing you to share connection monitoring with friends or family who can keep an eye on your network quality together.
Best of all? Orb is free! The team hopes to collaborate with businesses and ISPs to bring its tech to a broader audience through licensing deals that offer advanced tools for network monitoring.
So if you’ve ever been puzzled by mysterious internet dropouts or slowdowns, Orb might just be the hero your digital life needs. Say goodbye to the guessing game and hello to smart, reliable connection insights!