Android 8.1 Detects Wi-Fi Speeds Before You Join the Network Dylan Duarte January 22, 2018 News Public wi-fi is a gamble, at least where I live. There are networks everywhere – fast food places, grocery stores, department stores – but connecting to them can often be a pain thanks to the need to login everywhere. Then, once you do manage to connect, the speeds are often dismal, making the entire process an annoying waste of time. Android can’t fix these two problems, but they can save you some time. One of the cool new features in Android 8.1 (Oreo) is the ability to check the speeds of local wi-fi networks before you deal with the hassle of connecting to them. I get good 4G speeds with Verizon, so it’s not uncommon to connect to a public wi-fi network just to discover that my phone was faster without it. It’s important to note that this only works on unsecured networks, so your password-protected and its phat pipes will remain private and confidential. Elaborating on that last point, exact speeds are display anyway. Android will quantify the network with one of four labels: slow, ok, fast, or very fast. Very fast is good for “very high-quality videos,” fast is good for not-so-high-quality videos, ok is good for streaming music, and so on. Share This With The World!
