Netflix users have had to face issues where their internet service providers were throttling traffic to the online video streaming service. Those who didn’t know they were being throttled felt that Netflix’s quality wasn’t up to par even though they had a good internet connection. It’s in the company’s best interest to have its subscribers know just how good or bad their internet connection is so for that purpose it has launched a new website that lets users test their internet speed.
Netflix has launched Fast.com to show users the real-time speed of their internet connection. The website has been created to provide users with “greater insight and control of their internet service.”
The website has non-downloadable software for testing and analyzing the speed of a user’s internet connection, though a filing made by Netflix before the United States Patent and Trademark Office also mentions downloadable software for the same purpose.
The online tool is online right now at Fast.com but it’s unclear when the app will arrive. It works as an internet speed testing website should, available to all users Fast.com displays the connection speed in megabits per second.
“When you’re experiencing streaming issues, fast.com allows you to check the download speeds you’re getting from your Internet service provider,” writes Netflix vice president of content delivery architecture David Fullagar in a blog post, “adding that Using Netflix servers, fast.com works like other globally available tools including speedtest.net, and the results should be similar in most cases.”
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