What is a good app for wi-fi speed tests?

[Andy Burnelli]

In a recent thread, people are attempting to download an app ostensibly for
wi-fi speed tests, where the basic question is what's a "good" free ad-free
wi-fi speed test app anyway?

Dunno. Lot's of apps run all sorts of Wi-Fi tests (e.g., signal strength
affects speed, as does frequency and noise levels from nearby AP's, etc.).
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=make.more.r2d2.cellular_z>

But what Wi-Fi speed tests are the most pertinent for a free app to run?
<https://i.postimg.cc/gcsyc4Vn/speedtest04.jpg> speed & noise & nearby APs

I guess there are _two_ obvious & direct tests one can run, which are:
a. Speed to and from your SOHO router (or perhaps another nearby device).
(that would probably indicate your maximum possible attainable speed)
b. Speed to and from a nearby Internet host
(that would probably indicate your maximum attained speed)

Most of my speed tests are via a browser URL or the adware "Okla" app.
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.zwanoo.android.speedtest>
But that's crapware (IMHO), because it has obnoxious ads taking over
(and it doesn't show signal strength or any nearby AP noise levels either)
<https://i.postimg.cc/4dDhFK5F/speedtest01.jpg>

It would be nice to find a _good_ (not obnoxious & useful) free ad-free
speedtest app on Android that gives us the appropriate speed information.

What free ad-free app do you use to obtain speeds that do _both_ tests?
1. Speed to a nearby device (such as your router)
2. Speed to any given host on the Internet (which most apps do)
And, possibly, which also give you:
3. Signal strength
4. Noise due to nearby AP's

All in a single app?
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[Andy Burns]

Andy Burnelli wrote:

> the basic question is what's a "good" free ad-free
> wi-fi speed test app anyway?

I either use the ookla app, or the speedof.me website, the latter can slightly
over-read

[Andy Burnelli]

Hi Andy,

Thanks for trying to help as most people don't bother to help on Usenet it
seems, but some do (but only the best of the best, of course).

I also use Okla, and I combined the Ookla app with Cellular-Z in my prior
screenshot - which also gives critical information about both cellular and
Wi-Fi nearby access points, noise levels, frequencies and signal strength.

Note this question is harder to answer than it may at first appear to be.
a. I asked about Wi-Fi but cellular would be the same (when on data)
b. While Celular-Z is not adware, Ookla is an obnoxious adware app (IMHO)
c. Worse, neither gives "maximum attainable speed" to/from your router

I'm not at all sure what the "most important" debug information is that's
needed, but I can list a whole bunch of things we can get which we don't
seem to (yet) have in a _single_ free ad-free app (as far as I know).

1. Wi-Fi speed (up/down/ping) between your phone and your home router
2. Wi-Fi & cellular speed between your phone & an Internet server
3. Wi-Fi & cellular frequency (which affects speed)
4. Received signal strength (both cellular and wi-fi)
5. Current noise levels (e.g., SNR)
6. Nearby noise sources (both cellular tower and wi-fi APs)
7. Cellular tower unique ID & Wi-Fi unique BSSID
etc.

I can get almost all of those with just two apps but Ookla is adware.
<https://i.postimg.cc/gcsyc4Vn/speedtest04.jpg>
But I don't (yet) know how to get #1 in that list above (do you?).

As see obtaining that problem set, there are _TWO_ problems I'm hoping
someone has already solved (or that we can all solve them working together).
A. Max possible speed (i.e., Wi-Fi speed to/from your phone & your router)
B. All of the above #1 to #7 on a single free ad-free obnoxious-free app
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[sms]

I use Ookla. Don't care about ads.

[Andy Burnelli]

sms wrote:

> I use Ookla. Don't care about ads.

I think we all use Ookla but it's not nearly enough.

It doesn't tell you, for example, the "maximum possible speed" which is the
speed from your phone to your home router (I am assuming that's the max).

I don't know offhand of an app that does that, but Ookla is also missing a
bunch of other things that Cellular-Z gives you (like signal strength).

So Ookla is what all of us use, but it's not nearly enough for good
debugging (IMHO).

We need something better.

[Jeff Layman]

I have used Meteor:
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=meteor.test.and.grade.internet.connection.speed&hl=en_GB&gl=US>

It's add-free, but whether or not it does much of what you want I don't
know.

--

Jeff

[Andy Burnelli]

Jeff Layman wrote:

> I have used Meteor:
> <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=meteor.test.and.grade.internet.connection.speed&hl=en_GB&gl=US>
>
> It's add-free, but whether or not it does much of what you want I don't
> know.

Wow. That's a nice app suggestion. The best suggestion (IMHO), so far!
<https://i.postimg.cc/66L724vh/speedtest20.jpg>

Thanks for that advice to use that ad free Speed Test 4G, 5G, WiFi
<https://www.gamingdeputy.com/meteor-the-useful-application-for-measuring-the-quality-of-your-internet-connection-updates-itself/>

I installed "Meteor" using the FOSS google play store client.
*Meteor*, by Opensignal (4.7, 5M+, free, adfree, not gsfree)
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=meteor.test.and.grade.internet.connection.speed>

I can now begin to compare Meteor with Ookla test results as shown below.
<https://i.postimg.cc/qR4BcjfM/speedtest19.jpg>

I like that Meteor is ad free, which Ookla isn't.
I haven't been able to set the Meteor server though (is that possible?).
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