Doug Suttles, the founder and former CEO of Ookla, the company behind Speedtest.net, has launched a new app called Orb. The app measures latency, packet loss, jitter, and speed to give users a comprehensive picture of their internet connection’s stability. Suttles started Orb with Ookla executive Jamie Steven in 2023.
He believes that while Speedtest.net was the right tool for its time, people now need new, more holistic ways to assess their internet connections. “Speed tests are like the dipstick in your car, which will tell you that you ran out of oil once your car breaks down. We wanted to build a dashboard to tell you that you are low on oil, so you can fix the problem,” Suttles said.
Orb checks network connections for three key variables: responsiveness, reliability, and speed. These variables can be measured over different time intervals. The tool gives users a score to indicate how stable their network connection is.
New app measures internet stability
An Orb score above 80 indicates a good connection, while anything below that suggests noticeable problems. If the score is under 80, the app offers steps to improve the network’s performance.
The startup has developed apps for various platforms, including iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Linux. There is also a guide for installing the tool on Raspberry Pi, older smartphones, and other platforms for those who want to monitor their connections more frequently. Orb is currently free to use, and the company aims to keep it that way.
Suttles hopes to license the technology to enterprises and ISPs, enabling them to monitor and identify network issues with advanced alerts and analytics. The startup has raised $3.8 million in funding from Sidekick Ventures and individual investors. Steven shared that Orb aims to create recipes for different services to help users detect if they can access particular sites like Zoom, Netflix, or Google Drive, ensuring that these services are functioning properly.
Orb represents a new generation of tools offering a more comprehensive and actionable understanding of internet connections, far beyond basic speed tests.
Image Credits: Photo by William Hook on Unsplash
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