Not all WiFi speeds are equal and there could be many reasons why some WiFi networks are faster than others. One reason could be proximity, where the network you’re connecting to is nearer to your device than others. It could also be due to the number of users on the network, or it could be the internet plan that the WiFi network uses.
Basically there are many different reasons behind a network’s speed, and it wouldn’t be reasonable for users to know all the reasons why, which is why in the latest update to Android 8.1 Oreo, Google has announced that they will be introducing speed rankings. As the name suggests, this lets users know how fast or slow the network is before they connect to it.
Public Wi-Fi can be spotty. For the first time, #AndroidOreo 8.1 lets you take out the guesswork & see the speed of networks before you hit connect. Rolling out now: https://t.co/lSzvCFgNk7 pic.twitter.com/60EmoPxUX4
— Android (@Android) January 22, 2018
According to the support document on Google’s website, there will be four different rankings: slow, OK, fast, very fast. Google has also included an option where you can actually disable these rankings if you choose, although we’re not sure why you would since this sounds like a pretty nifty feature which can also sometimes tell you if something might be wrong with the WiFi network.
That being said this seems to apply mainly to public WiFi networks, so if you’re looking for a fast and reliable public WiFi when out and about, this speed ranking tool should come in handy.