U.S. Airports Have Fastest Free Airport Wi-Fi, Chinese Airports Have Faster Mobile

Posted on May 23, 2023June 7, 2023 by Isla McKetta

The summer travel season is about to officially begin across the northern hemisphere and we’re back with fresh data for our series on airport Wi-Fi performance. This year we examined mobile Wi-Fi on free Wi-Fi provided by the individual airports as well as mobile speeds at some of the busiest airports in the world during Q1 2023. While airports in the United States top the list of fastest free airport Wi-Fi, the fastest mobile speeds we saw were in China. Read on for a specific look at internet performance including: download speed, upload speed, and latency.

U.S. airports have fastest airport Wi-Fi

Speedtest Intelligence® showed two U.S. airports at the top of the list for free airport Wi-Fi with Fort Lauderdale’s Hollywood International Airport Terminal 3 and San Francisco International Airport showing median download speeds of 157.60 Mbps and 156.66 Mbps, respectively, during Q1 2023. This represented a small drop for SFO since our November analysis but an increase for FLL. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (143.42 Mbps), John F. Kennedy International Airport (136.06 Mbps), and Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (136.02 Mbps) rounded out the top five with three additional SSIDs from FLL following closely behind with median download speeds from 122.07 Mbps to 134.62 Mbps.

As we’ve seen in most recent analyses, the airports with the fastest Wi-Fi are international hubs that passengers from around the world pass through on their way to all kinds of destinations. If you are connecting through any of these airports, you should have no trouble with internet speeds this fast. In case of video calls, upload speeds are even faster than downloads at almost all of these airports, and SFO had the fastest uploads on the list.

Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and SEA had the lowest median multi-server latency on Wi-Fi of any of the airports surveyed during Q1 2023. This means your device should see very little delay when relaying information across the web.

Shanghai tops Wi-Fi performance at global airports

Shanghai Pudong International Airport was the fastest non-U.S. airport on our list with a fastest median download speed of 118.67 Mbps. Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris (98.82 Mbps), Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (82.83 Mbps), Dubai International Airport (67.21 Mbps), and Frankfurt Airport (59.10 Mbps) followed for median download speeds at non-U.S. airports. All of these airports have internet speeds that qualify as at least good, which means you should be okay unless you want to try multi-player gaming (which is probably not your first choice on an airport layover anyway). Both Mexican airports on our list showed speeds in the slow range, so log off early and enjoy your vacation if you’re at the airport in Cancún or Mexico City.

Chinese airports have fastest mobile speeds

Get ready to connect to local mobile service or tether your phone to your laptop if you’re traveling through airports in Shanghai and Beijing and have access to 5G. Not only did Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Beijing Capital International Airport, and Beijing Daxing International Airport have the fastest median downloads over mobile on our list at 308.51 Mbps, 304.87 Mbps, and 300.70 Mbps, respectively, during Q1 2023 — the mobile speeds at these airports were dramatically faster than the airport Wi-Fi. Salt Lake City International Airport (282.21 Mbps) and Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (259.86 Mbps) rounded out the top five.

While latency on mobile was generally higher than that on Wi-Fi, these same three Chinese airports (PEK, PKX, and PVG) also showed the lowest median multi-server latency on mobile during Q1 2023, indicating that your internet experience at these airports will have the least lag. Airports outside the U.S. performed better for latency overall with the top 16 airports for latency all located outside North America. CUN had the highest latency on mobile.

We were able to include more airports in the mobile analysis because there were more mobile samples to analyze at those airports than there were samples over Wi-Fi.

Airport Wi-Fi or mobile? Connecting on your next trip

Save yourself time by using this checklist to decide whether to try out the Wi-Fi or simply use the local mobile network. We compared internet performance on free airport Wi-Fi with median download speeds over mobile for the 38 airports we have both Wi-Fi and mobile data for during Q1 2023. Twenty-one airports had faster mobile internet than airport Wi-Fi. Twelve airports had faster Wi-Fi than mobile, and four airports showed only a slight distinction between Wi-Fi and mobile so we gave both the green check marks.

Airport Wi-Fi has come a long way since we started this series in 2017. We hope your connections are smooth and if you’re traveling this summer, take a Speedtest® at the airport to see how your experience compares.

Live Fast, Work Abroad: Countries with Remote Work Visas and Great Internet

Posted on June 6, 2023June 5, 2023 by Josh Fomon

Taking advantage of remote work in another country is the dream for many. Who hasn’t imagined themselves sipping fresh squeezed juice on a gorgeous tropical beach during a team call, cozying up next to a crackling fire in a European castle while pouring over a spreadsheet, or even just working anywhere that isn’t the office or our home couch? COVID-19 made working remotely more readily an option for some, and 51 countries have even gone so far as to create remote work or “digital nomad” visas. Today, Ookla® brings you fresh data on how these countries’ internet compares so you can start planning a long-term escape from your current reality.

Using Speedtest Intelligence®, we looked for remote work countries with the fastest internet, tropical countries with remote work visas and fast internet, fastest European countries for remote work, countries where you won’t lose your connection, and seven affordable remote work countries with good internet. Read on to start planning your next life adventure.

Digital nomad countries with seriously fast internet

Getting the fast download speeds you need to do your daily tasks should be the least of your worries when you work abroad. Thailand had the fastest fixed broadband speeds among countries that have remote work visas with a median download speed of 196.20 Mbps and a median upload speed of 164.85 Mbps during Q1 2023. With speeds like those, you’ll be able to eat your Guay Teow while gaming, streaming multiple 4K videos, and uploading videos of your adventures with no issues (and you should be able to work, too).

Spain (172.04 Mbps) and Romania (171.15 Mbps) were next on our list of fastest remote work destinations, followed by Hungary (134.43 Mbps), Portugal (128.50 Mbps), Taiwan (127.85 Mbps), Norway (111.44 Mbps), Panama (108.84 Mbps), and Brazil (100.38 Mbps), which all had median download speeds over 100 Mbps during Q1 2023. Rounding out our list of fastest remote work countries are Malta (97.55 Mbps) and Bermuda (97.20 Mbps). If speed is of the utmost importance to you while you work and live in another country, rest assured that these countries can handle the bandwidth you need.

Soak up the sun with fast internet in these beachy countries with remote work visas

If you dream of a remote work escape and prefer tropical, sunny beaches where you can sip piña coladas, we’ve got you covered (though don’t forget your sunblock when you venture outside!) Twenty-seven countries have digital nomad visas, average temperatures above 65° F (roughly 18° C), and beach access. Unsurprisingly, Thailand, again takes the top spot with a median download speed of 196.20 Mbps, followed by Taiwan (127.85 Mbps), Panama (108.84 Mbps), Brazil (100.38 Mbps), Malta (97.55 Mbps), Bermuda (97.20 Mbps), Malaysia (92.53 Mbps), Dominica (80.00 Mbps), Barbados (74.21 Mbps), and St. Lucia (71.40 Mbps). Grenada (65.25 Mbps), Costa Rica (65.07 Mbps), and Montserrat (63.22 Mbps) followed closely behind the top 10.

If you choose to work remotely from one of these countries, we’ll be jealously awaiting you sharing your Speedtest® results on Twitter as you work from the beach, take a dip in the ocean during your break, and relax with a cool ocean breeze as your biggest worry in the world.

These European countries with remote work visas had the fastest internet speeds

Maybe you’ve been watching all the Eurovision or have been dreaming of jetting off to European locations every weekend. Luckily for you, 16 European countries offer some version of a remote work visa. Speedtest Intelligence data reveals that Spain had the fastest median download speed at 172.04 Mbps during Q1 2023. Romania, Hungary, Portugal, and Norway followed with median download speeds above 100 Mbps. Malta (97.55 Mbps), Germany (82.05 Mbps), Latvia (77.76 Mbps), Estonia (64.80 Mbps), and Czechia (55.97 Mbps) rounded out the top 10, with Cyprus (53.71 Mbps) coming up just behind. Regardless of which European country you choose, you’ll be a few hours away from multiple countries with plenty to do and eat!

10 remote work countries where you won’t lose your connection

You shouldn’t have to stress about your internet connection while you’re working abroad — especially if you have to video chat often. So we used Speedtest Intelligence data to examine the Consistency — calculated by the percentage of results showing at least a 25 Mbps download speed and 3 Mbps upload speed over fixed broadband — in countries with remote work visas during Q1 2023. While there was no statistically highest Consistency, Thailand had a Consistency of 89.8%, Romania 89.7%, and Taiwan 89.5%. Norway followed at 87.3%, then Malaysia, Brazil, Portugal, Hungary, Spain, and Bermuda rounding out the top 10. Rest assured if you choose one of these countries, you should be able to stream and video chat while you work. Just remember to mute that movie during your team call.

Seven affordable places with good internet for digital nomads on a budget

Internet speed and consistency are important for remote work — but they’re not everything when you’re deciding where you want to spend your next adventure. If you’re looking for an affordable location to spend your time, save some money, and get good internet, we’ve got you covered.

We used thresholds of 50 Mbps download, 10 Mbps upload, and under 100 ms latency to designate a country of having “good” internet — these speed thresholds are minimums to what should allow you to stream in 4K, video chat, and do most work-related tasks. The latency threshold number is high, but cheap, fast internet with super low latency is not common enough. We compared that list against World Bank data for GDP per capita (PPP) from 2021 which adjusts for cost of living, and narrowed down countries that have less than the world average of $18,607. Seven countries qualified for inclusion on our list based on those criteria: Barbados, Brazil, Dominica, Ecuador, Grenada, Montserrat, and St. Lucia.

Brazil had the fastest download speed at 100.38 Mbps on our affordable countries for remote work list, followed by Dominica (80.00 Mbps), Barbados (74.21 Mbps), St. Lucia (71.40 Mbps), Grenada (65.25 Mbps), Montserrat (63.22 Mbps), and Ecuador, which eked out a place on this list at 50.55 Mbps. Every country on this list had a median upload speed above 20 Mbps. All of the countries had a Consistency higher than 70%, except St. Lucia, which was just under at 68.3%. If latency, which causes the kind of lag that can make video calls frustrating, is a major concern, only Ecuador (14 ms) and Brazil (18 ms) had latencies under 20 ms.

Regardless of where you choose to work remotely among these seven countries, you should have access to internet that can keep you on top of what you need to do at work, while you save some cash, live well, and hit the beach, since all of these countries have average temperatures above 70° F (21°C). You might just have to brush up on your Spanish, Creole, Patois, or Portuguese to really get an immersive experience, but you should sleep easy knowing that you can live well and continue to work online.

What do you need to know before applying for a remote work visa?

Currently, there are 51 countries that offer some form of a remote work visa. The requirements for these visas vary widely across each country, but generally there are a few key things you’ll need to know before you choose a country to apply to.

First, you need to decide where you are going! Besides checking internet performance, you’ll want to research how long a remote visa can last, how much money you are going to have to earn to qualify, what costs you’ll be looking at, options to renew the visa, and what kind of fees you’ll need to pay along the way. At a minimum, you’ll need a passport.

You often can’t just show up and start working remotely; for a long-term stay, you’ll need to apply for a visa (along with any family members you might want to bring along). Approval isn’t straightforward — you may need to prove your income, translate documents, get documents notarized, and even make a minimum amount of money each month. Once approved, you’ll typically pay a fee for each family member you are bringing, and you should make certain if you have any additional fees or taxes you’ll be liable to pay throughout your stay.

Once you have your visa in order, you’ll need to figure out your living situation — whether that is something longer term, or moving around a country, you’ll want to keep any requirements of your visa up to date. Do your due diligence while you apply so you don’t find yourself in an unpredictable situation you could have avoided.

Ookla has the resources you need to plan your remote work trip

We hope this short guide will help you choose the right remote work experience to help you feel fulfilled. If you want to learn more about the internet experience in any of the countries we mentioned, or even find city data or internet provider data for your remote work journey, check out the Speedtest Performance Directory™. If you’re struggling to find a decent internet provider in your area, check out our satellite internet series to see if there is a fast satellite internet connection available. And don’t forget to download the Speedtest app for Mac, Windows, or Linux to make sure you’re getting the speeds you need to continue working remotely!

Interested in what Ookla is doing? We offer fully remote positions around the world, so check out if there is an open role for you!

Downdetector Presents the 10 Largest Internet Outages of 2022

Posted on December 20, 2022May 9, 2023 by Josh Fomon

For the past 10 years, Downdetector® has provided critical insights on real-time status and outage information for all kinds of services. We’ve seen huge, widespread outages over the years and 2022 was no exception. While no outage in 2022 eclipsed the biggest outage we’ve ever seen, which Meta experienced on October 4, 2021 when Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram all went down, 2022 still saw some big worldwide outages. We put together a list of the 10 biggest global outages of 2022, so read on to learn how outages affected users:

10. TikTok, September 15, 2022

U.S. TikTok users looking to find the latest dance crazes on TikTok awoke early in the morning on September 15 to some tough news: TikTok was down globally. Nearly 300,000 users flocked to Downdetector to report issues with accessing the website, but luckily the issue seemed to be resolved in a few hours.

9. Snapchat, July 12, 2022

Snapchat users looking to send friends some photo updates were in for a rude reality on July 12, when they experienced a nearly four-hour service issue. While users couldn’t send pictures of themselves with Snapchat’s newest filters, they did record over 300,000 reports on Downdetector.

8. Reddit, April 3, 2022

Reddit users flocking to the website to post their newest r/speedtest results found out they wouldn’t be able to brag about how fast their speeds were on April 3, with Reddit having major issues for roughly two hours. Downdetector recorded over 300,000 user reports during this period to land on our top 10 biggest outages list. Unlucky users had to sit with themselves during this outage and ponder, “AITA?”

7. Call of Duty, August 16, 2022

Gamers in Europe hoping to unwind their day with some Call of Duty rounds tried to log in without any luck for roughly four hours. During this issue, frustrated users around the world recorded over 350,000 issues with the game while they waited for the service to come back online.

6. Twitter, July 14, 2022

Global Twitter users saw a huge service disruption on July 14, 2022, with over 500,000 users recording issues on Downdetector. Users couldn’t load tweets, scroll through the latest news, or let Speedtest® know what download speeds they were experiencing for roughly an hour before services got back up and running.

5. Instagram, July 14, 2022

July 14, 2022 was a busy day for social media companies. A few hours after the Twitter outage, Instagram went down for people around the globe, with users recording nearly 600,000 issues over three hours. During the disruption, users couldn’t access the service or scroll through influencer’s photos or slide into any DMs.

4. Roblox, May 4, 2022

Global Roblox users had a rough day on May 4, 2022. Around midnight UTC, Roblox, which is one of the most popular multiplayer games in the world, saw a massive spike in players’ ability to access the game. That issue seemed to linger for some users for many hours, with users recording over 700,000 reports on Downdetector over the course of the incident.

3. Discord, March 8, 2022

March 8 marked a giant worldwide outage for both Discord and Spotify going down around the same time. While the outage only lasted about two hours, Discord users logged over 1.1 million reports on Downdetector while they waited patiently for the messaging service to come back online. During that period, folks had to resort to voice calls to catch up.

2. WhatsApp, October 25, 2022

Meta-owned WhatsApp is one of the most important global messaging services friends, families, and businesses use to keep in touch and connect to the world. But on October 25, WhatsApp’s 2 billion users found they were incommunicado and could not send any messages. Lasting for roughly two hours, the WhatsApp outage notched nearly 2.9 million issue reports on Downdetector, placing it as runner-up on our list for Downdetector’s biggest outage of the year.

1. Spotify, March 8, 2022

Competition for the largest worldwide outage was extremely tight this year, with Spotify edging out Meta-owned WhatsApp by about 20,000 reports on Downdetector at just over 2.9 million reports. As previously mentioned, March 8 was a big day of downed services. Spotify, the popular music streaming portal, had the biggest outage of the year that day, with users unable to stream their favorite music and podcasts for nearly two hours.

Honorable mention: “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me”

Notably, but not on this list of biggest outages, Taylor Swift broke the internet a couple of times with the launch of her new album, Midnights. She first disrupted services on Spotify with the October 21 midnight launch of her album for a very brief moment. And then later in the year, to many fans’ frustration and anger, Ticketmaster became inaccessible on November 15 to would-be concert goers who sadly missed out on affordable tickets to her upcoming tour.

Another year, another Downdetector top 10 outages list

Downdetector will continue to leverage over 25 million monthly reports from individual users, real-time analysis, and verification of outage reports, and make sure you have reliable information about the status of services that are important to you. We’ll continue monitoring the world’s largest service disruptions, and be back this time next year with 2023’s largest outages.

Until then, if you want to keep up to date on the latest outages or want quick updates on what’s going on in your country, download the Speedtest app (which has Downdetector integration) for iOS or Android.

Early Testing Shows How Fast the New Samsung Galaxy S23 Models Are

Posted on March 27, 2023May 9, 2023 by Josh Fomon

The new Samsung Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra models launched February 17 and Ookla® is here today to see how they’ve performed over 5G against their predecessor S22 models. Our analysis looks at data from the first month after launching in 12 of the largest mobile markets with an established 5G market and the highest number of connected mobile devices during Q4 2022 according to GSMA. Previously, in October 2022, we used Speedtest Intelligence® to look at 5G performance data right after the launches of the iPhone 14 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 in various countries.

Note that device data differs across markets due to a variety of factors, including: 5G investments by governments and mobile operators, different 5G spectrum allocations by operator, 5G Availability, the number of and different kinds of 5G deployments, and other differences, including mobile 5G plans. Read on to learn more and see whether or not you should upgrade your Samsung S22 to a newer model.

Key takeaways:

The Samsung S23 models only statistically outperformed corresponding S22 models in Germany and two out of three models in the United States for 5G download speed, but the S23 looks poised to be faster as further 5G adoption and build out continues and more spectrum is allocated for 5G across the C-band and mmWave frequencies.

Key improvements to the new Galaxy S23 models

You want to know if the latest technology is worth the price of an upgrade when you’re looking for a new phone. The S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra have various upgrades, but when it comes to performance, here’s a quick list of what’s different between the new and older models.

All Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. S22 models

The Samsung S23 models have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, while the Samsung S22 models have a Samsung Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
The S23 models have a Qualcomm Snapdragon X70 modem, while the S22 models have an X65 modem
The S23 models have an upgraded GPU

Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. S22 base models

The S23 has a bigger battery capacity at 3,900 mAh over the S22’s 3,700 mAh
The S23 has slightly better ultra-wide and front cameras and video recording capabilities

Samsung Galaxy S23+ vs. S22+ models

The S23+ has expanded storage capacity at a base level of 256 GB (which can be upgraded to 512 GB) over the S22+’s base of 128 GB
The S23+ has a bigger battery capacity at 4,700 mAh over the S22+’s 4,500 mAh
The S23+ has slightly better ultra-wide and front cameras and video recording capabilities

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs. S22 Ultra models

The S23 Ultra has expanded storage capacity at a base level of 256 GB (which can be upgraded to 512 GB) over the S22 Ultra’s base of 128 GB
The S23 Ultra has much better main camera, with up to 200 MP vs. the S22 Ultra’s maximum of 108 MP

Samsung Galaxy S23 performance in the world’s largest mobile device markets

Brazilian S22 and S23 users saw seriously fast 5G speeds (even though 5G Availability remains low)

Speedtest Intelligence shows that the new S23 models were not yet statistically faster than the older S22 models in Brazil during the first month of launch, but they did exceed the median 5G download speed in Brazil during Q4 2022. Despite that, every S22 and S23 model had blazing fast speeds in Brazil, with median 5G download speeds faster than 400 Mbps. The S22 had a median download speed of 431.61 Mbps, the S22 Ultra was at 451.01 Mbps, and the S22+ at 451.85 Mbps. While the S23 models were not statistically faster than their S22 counterparts, the S23 had a median download speed of 459.76 Mbps, the S23 Ultra at 479.78 Mbps, and the S23+ at 494.18 Mbps. 5G upload speeds showed a similar trend, with no statistically faster S22 or S23 model, but with S22 models ranging from 35.73 Mbps to 39.42 Mbps and S23 models ranging from 39.30 Mbps to 42.59 Mbps. Multi-server latency — the latency you should expect to encounter more generally when your network is not under heavy load — ranged from 28.01 ms to 31.78 ms across all models over 5G.

Recommendation: Brazilian Galaxy S22 users should consider upgrading your phone if you can get 5G access; you’re going to get fast speeds and the new features of the S23, especially the camera of the S23 Ultra, may be worth it alone.

Chinese S23 users haven’t quite seen an improved 5G experience over S22 users

Data from the first month since the Samsung S23 launching illuminates that S23 models did not statistically outperform S22 models over 5G in China, and S23 models also didn’t quite exceed the Q4 2022 median 5G download speed. The S22 had a median 5G download speed of 267.47 Mbps, the S22 Ultra was similar at 265.65 Mbps, and the S22+ was at 301.41 Mbps. The S23 showed a median 5G download speed at 242.70 Mbps, while the S23 Ultra had a median download speed of 269.86 Mbps. 5G upload speeds on S22 models ranged from 48.40 Mbps to 62.93 Mbps, while the S23 and S23 Ultra were at 50.77 Mbps and 42.65 Mbps, respectively. While the S23 models showed lower median multi-server latency over 5G, there was no statistical winner between the S22 and S23 models. The S23+ did not meet the statistical threshold for inclusion in our analysis in China.

Recommendation: Chinese Galaxy S22 users should wait to upgrade your phone until speeds improve, unless the new S23 model hardware upgrades have you wanting a new phone.

French S23 users saw promising 5G results, S22 users might want to wait to upgrade

There was no statistically faster Samsung Galaxy S22 or S23 model over 5G in France during the first month of the S23’s release. However, median 5G download speeds for the S22 models ranged from 177.98 Mbps to 219.32 Mbps, while the S23 models ranged from 196.53 to 249.46 Mbps. 5G upload speeds showed a similar story, with no statistical winner. Upload speeds on S22 models ranged from 11.46 Mbps to 14.15 Mbps, and upload speeds on S23 models ranged from 14.89 Mbps to 19.22 Mbps. 5G multi-server latency was virtually the same for both models, which all ranged from 41.40 ms to 43.24 ms.

Recommendation: French Galaxy S22 users who want faster speeds might want to wait to upgrade your phone, but the new features of the S23 may make upgrading very tempting.

German Samsung Galaxy S22 users should feel confident upgrading to S23 models

Speedtest Intelligence reveals that German S23 users experienced faster 5G download speeds than their S22 counterparts during the first month of S23 availability across all models. The S23 outperformed the S22 for median 5G download speed, 147.26 Mbps to 112.01 Mbps, the S23 Ultra outperformed the S22 Ultra 141.56 Mbps to 124.45 Mbps, and the S23+ outperformed the S22+ 174.74 Mbps to 128.69 Mbps. Upload speeds had a bit more parity with the S22 models showing a range of 5G upload speeds from 20.47 Mbps to 26.10 Mbps, while the S23 models showed a range from 23.59 Mbps to 31.64 Mbps. Multi-server latency over 5G showed no statistical winner for either model but ranged from 36.76 ms to 38.58 ms.

Recommendation: Germany Galaxy S22 users shouldn’t hesitate to run to your operator to immediately upgrade your phone to an S23 model for faster speeds and better features.

Samsung Galaxy S23 users in Italy saw mixed 5G results after launch

New Speedtest Intelligence data reveals that while the basic S23 model outperformed the S22 model over 5G in Italy for median download speed 178.67 Mbps to 128.53 Mbps during the first month after launch, the S23 Ultra and S23+ models didn’t statistically outperform their S22 counterparts. That held true for upload speeds as well, with the S23 recording a median 5G upload speed of 21.73 Mbps to the S22’s 15.50 Mbps, while the S23 Ultra and S23+ weren’t statistically faster than the S22 Ultra and S22+, respectively. All of the S23 and S22 models during the first month of the S23 launch, except the S22 base model, were statistically faster than the 5G median download speed in Italy during Q4 2022. Median multi-server latency showed closer parity, with S22 models ranging from 45.02 ms to 47.79 ms, and S23 models ranging from 43.50 ms to 48.24 ms.

Recommendation: Unless you want a basic Galaxy S23 model and have consistent 5G access in Italy, you might want to wait to upgrade your phone to the S23 models unless you really want the new features.

Samsung Galaxy S23 showed 5G potential in the Philippines

Fresh data from Speedtest Intelligence shows that while the S23 and S23+ had faster median 5G download speeds than their S22 counterparts during the first month of the S23’s launch, there were no statistical winners between the models in the Philippines. The S23 models’ median 5G download speeds ranged from 142.31 Mbps to 185.32 Mbps, while the S22 models ranged from 131.87 Mbps to 143.57 Mbps. Median 5G upload speed for the S23 Ultra was faster than its S22 Ultra counterparts at 15.46 Mbps to 12.68 Mbps, respectively. There were no statistical winners for median multi-server latency over 5G, though the S22 models ranged from 35.42 ms to 38.39 ms, while the S23 models ranged from 34.29 ms to 35.31 ms.

Recommendation: Filippino Galaxy S22 users should upgrade their phones to the S23 models if they want new features, but shouldn’t expect faster speeds and a better experience quite yet.

Polish Samsung S23 models had a promising debut over 5G

Speedtest Intelligence data shows Poland had some of the slowest median 5G download speeds on Samsung S23 and S22 models among the countries we surveyed. While the new S23 models had a higher median 5G download speed than their counterparts during the first month after launching, there were no statistically significant faster speeds. The S23 models ranged from 83.74 Mbps to 98.99 Mbps, while the S22 models ranged from 75.70 Mbps to 80.43 Mbps. Upload speeds were similarly faster, but not statistically so, with S22 models ranging from 16.89 Mbps to 19.62 Mbps and S23 models ranging from 19.94 Mbps to 24.25 Mbps. Median multi-server latency over 5G was a mixed bag, with the new S23+ actually having a higher latency than the S22+ 44.25 ms to 38.37 ms, respectively. The other two models were too close to call.

Recommendation: Polish Galaxy S22 users can upgrade their phones to the S23 models for the new features, but might not yet experience faster 5G speeds on the new models.

Samsung S23 models in South Africa don’t live up to the hype just yet

Speedtest Intelligence reveals that the new S23 models weren’t yet statistically faster than their S22 counterparts over 5G in South Africa during the first month after launch. S22 models had median 5G download speeds that ranged from 172.07 Mbps to 206.03 Mbps, while the S23 models ranged from 187.62 Mbps to 202.10 Mbps. There was one bright note — the median 5G upload speed for the S23 Ultra was faster than the S22 Ultra 20.43 Mbps to 14.75 Mbps. Median multi-server latency showed parity over 5G for the S22 models and S23 models. The S22 models ranged from 29.06 ms to 33.75 ms, while the S23 models ranged from 31.41 ms to 32.92 ms.

Recommendation: South African Galaxy S22 users should probably wait to upgrade their phones to the S23 models if they are looking for faster 5G experience, but the S23 features may outweigh the parity in speeds between models.

South Koreans saw fast 5G speeds on the new Samsung Galaxy S23 models

Home to Samsung, South Korea showed some of the fastest 5G speeds on our list. Every S23 model had a faster median 5G download speed than the corresponding S22 models, but statistical winners remained elusive during the first month after launch, which we expect will probably change upon more adoption in the near future. S22 models recorded median 5G download speeds between 418.57 Mbps and 537.28 Mbps, while the S23 models ranged from 503.99 Mbps and 584.08 Mbps. Upload speeds were similarly impressive — though with no statistically faster median 5G upload speeds than another — with S22 models ranging from 37.76 Mbps to 51.66 Mbps over 5G, and S23 models ranging from 47.51 Mbps to 57.62 Mbps. Median multi-server latency over 5G showed ranges from 65.00 ms to 69.81 ms for the S22 models, and a range of 66.13 ms to 68.15 ms for the S23 models.

Recommendation: If you’re a South Korean Galaxy S22 user, you can probably expect slightly faster speeds if you upgrade to the new S23 models, but an upgrade for the new features, especially for the new S23 Ultra camera, might be more justified.

Thai Samsung Galaxy S22 and S23 users saw faster 5G speeds than the median average during Q4 2022

Speedtest Intelligence shows that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra was the only S23 model to achieve faster median 5G speeds than its predecessor in Thailand during the first month after launching. The S23 Ultra outperformed the S22 Ultra 222.21 Mbps to 198.74 Mbps over 5G for download speed and 33.57 Mbps to 30.10 Mbps for upload speed, respectively. The S23 and S23+ were not statistically faster, though the S23+ and S23 had median 5G download speeds of 202.64 Mbps and 229.56 Mbps, respectively. Median 5G multi-server latency showed close parity with the S22 ranging from 31.06 ms to 32.34 ms and the S23 ranging from 30.40 ms to 34.14 ms.

Recommendation: Thai Galaxy S22 Ultra users should feel confident in upgrading your phones to the S23 Ultra, especially for the new features. If you are a S22 and S22+ 5G user, you should absolutely consider upgrading, but might not yet see faster speeds.

Samsung Galaxy S23 results showed potential in the United Kingdom, but you still may want to wait to upgrade

New 5G data from the U.K. reveals that while the new Samsung Galaxy S23 models have higher median download speeds, the S23 models are not statistically faster than the S22 models. The S22 models had median 5G download speeds that ranged from 113.18 Mbps to 129.16 Mbps, and the S23 models ranged from 123.57 Mbps to 137.20 Mbps. 5G download speeds in the U.K. weren’t the slowest we saw among the countries we surveyed, but they were quite close to Poland’s bottom-tier results. The S23 Ultra was one stand-out performer, which had a faster median 5G upload speed than the S22 Ultra at 15.36 Mbps to 13.07 Mbps, though the other models weren’t significantly faster, but came close. Median multi-server latency over 5G was too statistically close to call, with the S22 models between 43.04 ms and 45.09 ms, and the S23 models between 41.77 ms and 46.63 ms.

Recommendation: U.K. Samsung Galaxy S22 users should wait to upgrade their phones to the S23 models unless you’re dying for the S23’s new features. But don’t expect faster results quite yet, especially as the U.K. continues to lag behind other more mature 5G markets around the world.

If you have 5G and a Samsung Galaxy S22 in the United States, don’t hesitate to upgrade to an S23 model

New data from Speedtest Intelligence reveals that during the first month of the Samsung Galaxy S23 series’ availability, the S23 and S23 Ultra outperformed the S22 and S22 Ultra for 5G download speeds, respectively, while the S23+ and S22+ were statistically too close to call. The S23 raced ahead of the S22 177.15 Mbps to 145.91 Mbps, and the S23 Ultra was faster than the S22 Ultra at 187.83 Mbps to 161.87 Mbps. All of the S22 and S23 models outperformed the median 5G download speed in the U.S. during Q4 2022. The Samsung S23 Ultra was the only S23 model to statistically outperform its counterpart for median 5G upload speeds, with an upload speed of 17.56 Mbps to 14.60 Mbps. The S23 and S23+ were too close to call. Looking at median multi-server latency over 5G, the S23 Ultra edged ahead of its S22 Ultra counterpart 50.44 ms to 51.52, while the other S23 didn’t have a statistical leg up.

Recommendation: U.S. Samsung Galaxy S22 users shouldn’t hesitate to upgrade to the S23 models, especially for the new features and hardware — particularly if you want the S23 Ultra’s 200 MP camera. With 5G networks increasingly getting faster, we suspect the S23 models have yet to see their full potential in the U.S., too.

The Speedtest® Android app can help benchmark your device’s 5G performance

After promising launches that have seen the Samsung Galaxy S23 models pull ever-so-slightly ahead in the U.S. and Germany, you can track how the Samsung Galaxy S23 performs on our next release of Ookla Market Reports™. If you recently upgraded your phone, be sure to download the Android Speedtest app to make sure you are getting the speeds you need along with access to video testing. We’ll be back throughout the year with fresh data on new phone launches, so if you’re considering upgrading your phone, be on the lookout for a new Ookla® device report.

7 Quick Tips to Fix Your Family’s Slow Internet

Posted on November 1, 2022November 16, 2022 by Josh Fomon

If you secretly suspect your parents invited you home to not only see your darling face but also because they’re waiting for you to fix their computers or mobile devices, you aren’t alone. Adult children of baby boomers are frequently tasked with tech support and a visit home is the perfect time for your family to capture your attention.

While this may seem like a chore because the internet feels so obvious to you, you probably have some untapped skills that could save your family a lot of time and frustration. If you want to give your family the gift of faster internet (and maybe show off a little), try this simple DIY home internet audit at the old homestead.

Houston, do we even have a problem?

Before you dive in with fancy fixes and shiny new equipment, it helps to get the lay of the land. Visit Speedtest.net for a free, quick snapshot of how fast your parents’ internet speeds actually are. Or, connect to their Wi-Fi and then run our mobile Android or iOS app. The global median download speed is 71.39 Mbps for fixed broadband connections as of September 2022, which is plenty if you are connecting a few devices. Connectivity over 50 Mbps download and more than 5 Mbps upload should allow you to do most things on the internet, but there are limits to that rule of thumb. If your family’s Speedtest result fails to reach those speeds, you might have a little work to do. Check out the Ookla Performance Directory^™ to find out what’s achievable in your hometown.

Step 1. Find out what type of service they’re paying for

If your parents’ internet bill says anything less than 25 Mbps, you’ve probably just found the source of slow speeds. Any download below 20 Mbps and any upload speed slower than 5 Mbps puts you in the bottom 10% of speeds for fixed broadband performance. Most streaming platforms require about 25 Mbps download to stream smoothly, and even more affordable satellite internet options can typically achieve that.

Whether you ask your parents to pony up for better service, you decide to pitch in to get them a faster plan, or you try to lobby their ISP to provide better service, you’re already on the road to improving your family’s connection to the internet.

Step 2. Search out their modem, wireless router, and any repeaters

Chances are that your parents have a modem/router combination that’s either leased from their ISP or, if they purchased it themselves, potentially very outdated. Many, many people do.

You want a modem and router or modem/router combination that are:

New(ish). While it is technically possible to use the same modem and/or router for five or more years, it’s a terrible idea if speed is at all a concern. Most modems and/or routers really only have a two- to three-year lifespan, and if your parents have waited longer than that to upgrade their equipment, those devices are probably slowing whatever speeds they are paying for waaaaay down. The latest routers operate on the 802.11ax standard (also referred to as Wi-Fi 6) and the latest modems have DOCSIS 4.0, but 3.0 or 3.1 should be more than enough to do the job. If your family’s computer is compatible with that, a new router makes a great birthday or holiday gift. Especially if you set it up for them. If you don’t know what to look for, check out PC Mag’s “Best Wireless Routers” or ask for recommendations at your local technology store.
Centrally located. Your parents’ modem is probably close to where service comes into the house — most likely from a coaxial cable line. Or it’s in an office, a closet, or under a bed. The location of the modem doesn’t really matter because it’s just translating the service into something your parents can actually use.

What does matter (and this matters A LOT) is where the router is located, especially if you have a router/modem combination. If it’s out of range of where your family members actually use their Wi-Fi, which could be about 30 feet or closer, they’re likely to suffer from slow speeds and dropped connections. Don’t put a router in a basement closet. Ever. That’s where your childhood trophies live. Even if a router is located near the computer, make sure it isn’t obstructed by objects like doors, chimneys, or thick plaster walls that might weaken the signal. And if your parents still live in the big family home, consider setting up a wireless repeater for them or if nothing else works, installing a mesh network.
Password-protected. Bandwidth matters. And while your parents probably aren’t streaming Netflix while playing a PlayStation game in one room and uploading 1,000 photos at a time in another, if their network isn’t password-protected, they might be inadvertently providing internet to the neighbors (or worse — exposing you to major privacy issues!) Sharing may be caring, but it’s okay to expect everyone on the street to pay for their own internet. Especially if there’s a bandwidth hog on the block.

Many routers these days come with different spectrum settings, which allows guests to be on one channel and your heavy bandwidth needs on another — but even those will hit limits, especially if your internet speeds are slow.
Not actually a 5G, Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), or satellite internet connection. More and more ISPs are offering wireless connections that rely on mobile or satellite technologies. That’s great, but if you’re having difficulties figuring out what’s going on — maybe double check to make sure your parents’ connection isn’t supposed to be wireless.

While you’ll still need to make sure the connection isn’t too obstructed, knowing where your internet is supposed to be coming from will make troubleshooting much easier. If they are relying on satellite internet, you’ll still want to know where the connection is, and then confirm nothing is blocking it’s exterior line of sight to the satellite (which, unfortunately, may require a bit of dangerous work and a service call if the ISP doesn’t offer an app to make sure the satellite is lined up properly).
A malfunctioning or badly located repeater. Repeaters (also known as Wi-Fi extenders) are devices that receive and retransmit Wi-Fi signals, but they can be a double-edged sword for connectivity. On one hand, they extend the range of a Wi-Fi signal, and on the other, they can drastically slow the speeds. If you are having issues with slow speeds, make sure it’s not because you’re relying on a Wi-Fi repeater that’s out of date, working poorly, or maybe even competing with your main Wi-Fi signal. You should strategically place your router/modem where you need it the most, and use your extender where it is less important.

Step 3. Check the age of their computers

Computers, tablets, and phones are a little like race horses, once they reach a certain age, they’re never again going to set any records for speed (particularly when it comes to supporting modern Wi-Fi standards like 802.11ax). It’s perfectly okay if your family is happy plugging along in a bygone age of internet speeds, but if that were true you wouldn’t be reading this article. If all the devices you come across are of a certain age, it might be time to upgrade at least one to the modern era and designate that laptop or tablet for any internet use that requires speed.

Step 4. “Have you tried turning it off and on again?”

You’ve probably heard this line any time you’ve reached out to a tech support professional for anything. That’s because it works! Turning a computer, router or modem off and then back on can sometimes clear up lingering issues present on the network. Simply unplug the power from both the modem and the router. After 60 seconds, plug the modem back in. Give it a minute or two to fully reboot, after which you can plug back in the router. If the internet’s running faster, you’ve already won. Sometimes this might require a hard modem reset directly from the ISP, but that hopefully should be only a quick call or easy request on a computer.

Step 5. Make sure there isn’t a short-term outage

Sometimes the internet just isn’t working. A service can be down, there may be a localized outage, or a whole host of issues that aren’t necessarily your parents’ fault. If you can get any kind of service (either on your phone or internet browser), you should check out Downdetector^® to make sure your parent’s ISP isn’t down, see if other people in your area are having similar issues, or if there is another reason your internet isn’t working.

Step 6. If all else fails … call the ISP

If you’ve gotten this far, you have done an awesome job troubleshooting your family’s internet speed woes. But some things you just can’t fix on your own. So if you’ve discovered slow speeds despite a rocking router in a central location, newish devices and a squatter-free network, it’s time to call in the pros. Take heart that you’ve done your due diligence and see if you can schedule a service window before you skip town.

Step 7. Download the Speedtest app

Congratulations! You’ve probably just improved your family’s internet speeds by leaps and bounds. You’ve certainly made them feel loved. If you want to build on all this good work, download the free Speedtest app, which comes with a tab for Downdetector data, for your parents’ Windows and Mac computers or for iOS or Android for devices. That way they’ll have a quick measure of internet speed to reference the next time they need your help, as well as a log of tests you can show your ISP if all else fails. If your dad’s like mine, he’ll present you with a spreadsheet of results graphed out over time so you can really dig into the data. Yay.

For extra bonus brownie points

If your family is still experiencing internet issues, or if you just want to pay your parents back for the lifetime of free storage they’ve provided for your childhood mementos, go the extra mile with any (or all) of the following tech-y projects:

17 U.S. Airports With Supersonic Wi-Fi (And 12 that Are Still Stuck at the Gate)

Posted on November 7, 2022November 3, 2022 by Isla McKetta

The holiday travel season is fast approaching in the United States and with it the anticipation of spending more time than you’d hoped at the airport. To help you know whether you’ll have the speeds you need to freely stream videos or whether you’ll need to download those shows in advance, we’ve expanded our previous analysis to examine free airport Wi-Fi at 50 of the busiest airports in the U.S. We’ve also taken a look at some of the other Wi-Fi options available at airports across the country to see how you can get the best network experience (even if you have to pay for it).

Free Wi-Fi at 17 airports beat 100 Mbps

Speedtest Intelligence® shows Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, and San Francisco International Airport were among the fastest free airport Wi-Fi among the 50 busiest airports in the U.S. with median download speeds of 203.00 Mbps, 177.16 Mbps, and 162.38 Mbps, respectively, during Q3 2022. Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu (158.05 Mbps) and Oakland International Airport (154.62 Mbps) rounded out the top five. All 17 of the airports at this performance level showed free airport Wi-Fi that’s capable of keeping the whole family entertained online for as long as your devices hold a charge.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport splits their free airport Wi-Fi among four separate SSIDs (the name of the network you log into), which we have listed separately in these results. The performance does not vary widely between them, but you will see that airport listed here and in the list below.

20 airports with 50-100 Mbps download speed over free airport Wi-Fi

John Wayne Airport, two SSIDs at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Detroit Metropolitan Airport, and Washington Dulles International Airport were at the top of the next performance tier for free airport Wi-Fi. Travelers at airports with Wi-Fi speeds in this range should have enough speed to adequately rebook flights as needed on one device while streaming distractions on another.

Note that Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas has two SSIDs on this list with comparable speeds. Philadelphia has a second SSID on the list below with a much lower speed, so you’ll want to make sure you’re connecting to “Free PHL Airport WiFi” when possible, rather than “Free PHL Airport WiFi-24”.

Pittsburgh and Houston have the slowest free airport Wi-Fi among 12 airports below 50 Mbps

Internet performance might be an issue at airports on this lowest tier. While one device connected to a network that’s offering 20-40 Mbps might have no issues streaming 4K video, airports are notoriously high-volume places as travelers sit and wait for flights, mobile devices in hand for as long as it takes. The real issue is that on high traffic travel days (or worse, if there’s a weather delay) the connection might bog down. Airports at the bottom of our list — like Pittsburgh International Airport (5.23 Mbps median download speed) and George Bush Intercontinental Airport (8.79 Mbps) and William P. Hobby Airport (8.90 Mbps) in Houston — have the least leeway for performance to drop and still be usable, especially in an emergency situation when folks most want to connect.

Wi-Fi speeds decreased at four airports

Our most recent global analysis of free airport Wi-Fi included seven of these airports (over eight SSIDs, with Denver having two). The nominal download speed decreased when comparing Q1 2022 to Q3 2022 in four of those airports: Sea-Tac (32.06 Mbps drop), O’Hare (29.10 Mbps drop), Los Angeles (20.74 Mbps drop), and San Francisco (13.87 Mbps drop). Dallas/Fort Worth showed a 7.02 Mbps increase in median download speed over the same period. There was no meaningful difference in download speed between quarters at Hartsfield-Jackson and on both SSIDs at Denver. We generally expect speeds to improve over time as airports and internet service providers upgrade equipment. When airport Wi-Fi speeds decline we usually expect it’s due to that infrastructure not keeping up with increases in passenger volume or internet usage.

If you’re counting, you’ll see that we have data for 49 airports above, this is because there were insufficient samples at San Diego International Airport for us to analyze to our statistical standards.

Wi-Fi on other SSIDs

While most of the free airport Wi-Fi we saw had more than adequate speeds to do most things on your mobile device, there are other Wi-Fi options if you find that the free Wi-Fi is bogged down by too many users or if you just can’t find the popup to accept the terms and conditions required to connect to the local network. We looked at Speedtest® results across SSIDs to see if your best option might be Wi-Fi at an airport lounge or club or another option entirely.

Wi-Fi at airport lounges and clubs

We found Speedtest results for seven major airport lounge and club chains that serve a variety of airports. Wi-Fi is often free at these locations for folks who have paid for the privilege of lounge access, but median download speeds varied widely by airport within each brand so the Wi-Fi alone may not always be worth the price of admission.

The Alaska Lounge was the only lounge where we saw median download speeds in excess of 100 Mbps in all locations with sufficient samples to analyze, from 100.17 Mbps in Portland to 334.23 Mbps at LAX. The United Club showed everywhere from 57.98 Mbps at Dulles to 232.85 Mbps at SeaTac, and The Delta Sky Club ranged from 57.35 Mbps in Honolulu to 123.23 Mbps in Atlanta. American Airlines Lounge had median download speeds between 5.08 Mbps in Phoenix Sky Harbor and 74.94 Mbps at SFO and British Airways Lounge Wi-Fi download speed was between 25.00 Mbps at Dulles and 56.40 at Boston’s Logan Airport.

Non-airline lounges were equally variable with The Centurion Lounge featuring download speeds from 19.55 Mbps at SeaTac to 127.25 Mbps at George Bush Intercontinental, while The Club fluctuated from 12.90 Mbps in Orlando to 108.79 Mbps in New Orleans.

With such wide variations in Wi-Fi performance we can’t recommend any specific lounge. Your best bet is to take a Speedtest at your regular connections so you know what your options are next time you fly through.

Other Wi-Fi options

Of course there are still more companies that offer Wi-Fi at airports either as part of a tie-in with another business (like your mobile operator or credit card), by subscribing to a paid service, or as part of a larger deal with the airport. Our analysis turned up Speedtest results for three such Wi-Fi options at multiple airports in the U.S.: Boingo, Passpoint, and Skyfi. Median download speeds for Boingo were between 51.41 Mbps at LAX and 149.49 Mbps at Oakland. Passpoint Wi-Fi download speeds showed a low of 10.15 Mbps in Miami and a high of 106.59 Mbps in Oakland. And Skyfi’s median download speeds ranged between 50.15 Mbps in Orlando and 100.04 at LAX. It’s worth checking out which other Wi-Fi services you might have access to before you leave the house.

Overall, travelers should be pleased with the news on airport Wi-Fi in the U.S. Speeds are mostly good and there are a lot of options for travelers if one network gets crowded. Now you just have to remember to charge your devices before you pack them. If you’re traveling this holiday season, download the Speedtest app for Android or iOS before you go, then take a Speedtest at the airport to see how your experience compares.

College Towns Where Internet Speeds Make the Grade (And Where They Fail)

Posted on September 15, 2022September 14, 2022 by Isla McKetta

It’s back to school time in the United States, and for many freshmen that means traveling to a brand new town to start your education. To help you know if the internet will be a help or a hindrance as you earn your degree, we analyzed internet performance in 100 college towns across the U.S. This list includes Speedtest Intelligence® data on median download and upload speeds from 100 towns with a large percentage of students where college is a major part of the industry.

While we worked to include a wide variety of college towns on our list, the list is far from comprehensive. If you’d like to see your school on the list next year, please take a Speedtest® then send your result to us via Twitter or Facebook. You can also start your college life on a responsible note by using our new Speedtest Performance Directory™ to check out expected speeds for internet service providers before you sign up for an extended contract.

College towns with the best (and worst) internet speeds

If you started your college search by looking for the top of the top, you’ll relate to the next three sections that highlight the college towns with the fastest speeds on 5G, all mobile technologies combined, and fixed broadband. By choosing a school in a town with great internet speeds, you’re giving yourself access to the fastest streaming and gaming experiences (and good performance for any online classes to boot). We’ve also included the locations with the slowest speeds. While you’ll see college towns broken out by population later in this article, these three sections combined data from all 100 schools on our list.

College towns with A+ and F- 5G speeds

With median download speeds over 300 Mbps, Manhattan, Kansas; Clemson, South Carolina; and College Park, Maryland topped our list of college towns with the fastest 5G in the U.S. during Q2 2022. Auburn, Alabama and Troy, New York rounded out the top five. Students in these places have every advantage when using 5G phones for school or play.

On the other end of the spectrum, Bowling Green, Kentucky; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Blacksburg, Virginia; Cheney, Washington; and Morgantown, West Virginia had the slowest download speeds over 5G. Students in these locations may want to consider if 5G is even worth the extra investment. Check the lists below to see how 5G performance compares to mobile performance on all technologies. It’s likely that the 5G performance will get better with time, but there’s no need to stretch your budget for a service that isn’t delivering in your area.

Overall mobile performance in college towns is sufficient

Tigers rejoice, because Clemson, South Carolina was among the fastest college towns for mobile on our list with a median download speed of 175.77 Mbps during Q2 2022. Tempe, Arizona; Kent, Ohio; College Park, Maryland; and Providence, Rhode Island filled out the top five. These towns all have excellent download speeds, far ahead of the 59.89 Mbps median mobile download speed in the U.S. during July 2022, according to the Speedtest Global Index™. In all, 52 of the college towns on our list showed a median download speed above this during Q2 2022.

Bennington, Vermont; Socorro, New Mexico; Kearney, Nebraska; Bowling Green, Kentucky; and Hanover, New Hampshire had the slowest download speeds on our list. While the download speeds in these places should be adequate for most phone uses, you probably won’t want to rely on tethering your mobile device to your computer for internet access.

Most college towns have acceptable fixed broadband speeds

Grambling, Louisiana topped our list of college towns with a median download speed over fixed broadband of 333.65 Mbps during Q2 2022. Home to the HBCU Grambling State University, Grambling is a small town in north central Louisiana, and Grambling was 14% faster than Murfreesboro, Tennessee, the next fastest college town. Dover, Delaware; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and Manchester, New Hampshire completed our list of top five fastest college towns for fixed broadband. Forty-seven out of the 100 college towns on our list had a Q2 2022 median download speed over fixed broadband that was faster than the median for the U.S. (159.31 Mbps) in July 2022, according to the Speedtest Global Index.

The slowest college towns on our list were Socorro, New Mexico; Cheney, Washington; Oberlin, Ohio; Tuskegee, Alabama; and Brookings, South Dakota. While the download speed in all but Socorro is within the acceptable range for most uses, anyone connecting more than one device at a time to a router (hello roommates!) is going to struggle with internet performance in these places.

Internet performance in large college towns

Everyone has a different college dream. Our “large college towns” list is for students who want more of a city experience than a town, with 19 locations that have 100,000 or more residents but still retain that college town feel. If your favorite college town is actually a suburb of a larger metropolitan area, look for that list below.

Manchester, New Hampshire; Huntsville, Alabama; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Providence, Rhode Island form the top of the list for large college towns with fast median download speeds over fixed broadband during Q2 2022. All four are home to multiple colleges and universities whose students can benefit from these super fast speeds. Even Columbia, Missouri, the place with the lowest median download speed on this list, exceeds the FCC minimum recommendation for broadband of 25 Mbps download. However, 10 of the cities on this list had lower speeds than the U.S. median of 159.31 Mbps in July 2022.

On mobile, Tempe, Arizona and Providence, Rhode Island had the fastest median download speeds among our large college towns list during Q2 2022. In all, eight of the colleges on this list had a median download speed over mobile during Q2 2022 that exceeded the U.S. median of 59.89 Mbps during July 2022. College Station, Texas; Fayetteville, Arkansas; Lincoln, Nebraska; Macon, Georgia; and Columbia, Missouri had the lowest mobile speeds on our list of large college towns, each coming in below 50 Mbps for median download speed.

Medium-sized college towns with fast internet speeds

College students looking for a slightly slower lifestyle might enjoy our medium-sized college town list. This list includes 26 locations where college is a major industry, there are 50,000-100,000 residents, and the city is not part of another metropolitan area.

Dover, Delaware; Jonesboro, Arkansas; and Rock Hill, South Carolina top the list of medium-sized college towns with fast fixed broadband speeds during Q2 2022. Eleven of the 26 places on this list exceeded the median download speed for fixed broadband in the U.S. (159.31 Mbps) during July 2022. Conway, Arkansas; Grand Forks, North Dakota; and Lawrence, Kansas had the slowest median download speeds over fixed broadband on this list during Q2 2022. While all three cities showed faster speeds than the FCC recommendation of 25 Mbps, students looking to use more than one device at a time (or to share an internet connection) may soon find the limits of these speeds.

Dover, Delaware led for mobile download speed on our list of medium-sized college towns during Q2 2022. Only nine of 26 places showed a faster median download speed over mobile during Q2 2022 than the U.S. median of 59.89 Mbps in July 2022. Bowling Green, Kentucky and Bozeman, Montana had the slowest median download speeds over mobile on this list. The speeds in these two places are still sufficient for ordinary use, but students will likely want to rely on fixed broadband for activities that require better performance (like opening 100 tabs to research a paper).

Small college towns with big internet performance

If you’ve always dreamed of living in a small town where the entire community seems to revolve around college life, our list of 29 small college towns might be where your heart lies. This list includes places with fewer than 50,000 residents where the college makes up a large part of the economy and the towns aren’t counted as part of a larger metropolitan area.

The Tigers led for fixed broadband and mobile speeds with Grambling, Louisiana (home of Grambling State University) easily topping the list of small college towns with fast fixed broadband (with a median download speed of 333.65 Mbps during Q2 2022). On the mobile side, Clemson, South Carolina (home of Clemson University) eclipsed the competition for download speed with a median of 175.77 Mbps.

Only eight of the 29 small college towns on our list bested the 159.31 Mbps median download speed for fixed broadband in the U.S. during July 2022. For mobile, 11 small college towns exceeded the 59.89 Mbps median download speed for the U.S.

Socorro, New Mexico had the slowest median download speed over fixed broadband by far, well under the FCC suggested 25 Mbps, and Socorro also placed among the slowest for mobile download speed. Looking at mobile, Bennington, Vermont had the lowest median download speed among small college towns. Students with mobile speeds this slow may need to lean heavily on their fixed broadband for both study and play.

Suburban college towns benefit from big city internet infrastructure

Sometimes you want a college town experience with easy access to the amenities of a big city. That’s where our list of suburban college towns comes in; large or small, each of the 26 places on this list is college-driven but is also close enough to (or part of) a major metropolitan area.

Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and New Brunswick, New Jersey had the fastest median download speeds on fixed broadband among our list of suburban college towns during Q2 2022. Kent, Ohio; College Park, Maryland; Troy, New York; and Waukesha, Wisconsin topped our list of mobile speeds in suburban college towns, each coming in with a median download speed above 100 Mbps during Q2 2022.

Proximity to the big city pays off for most of these locations with 16 of 26 suburban college towns showing a Q2 2022 median download speed faster than the 159.31 Mbps median for the U.S. during July 2022. The big city infrastructure effect was even more evident for mobile with 24 of 26 suburban college towns beating the 59.89 Mbps U.S. median for mobile speeds during July 2022.

Oberlin, Ohio had the slowest download speed by far of the suburban college towns we analyzed. While the 56.76 Mbps median speed beats the FCC broadband threshold of 25 Mbps, two or more devices trying to use a connection at that speed could struggle with mission critical activities like video calls home to the parents or the ex you left behind. Oberlin also placed at the bottom for mobile speeds along with Madison, New Jersey, the only two suburban college towns not to exceed the U.S. median.

We were pleased, for the most part, with the internet and mobile speeds we saw in U.S. college towns. There are a lot of options for schools in towns with fast connections and a couple where you could fall off the grid (should you so choose). Did we leave your college town off our list or are you seeing a radically different result in your college town? Take a Speedtest® on Android or iOS and tweet us your feedback. You can also check month-by-month performance for your town and compare expected speeds for internet providers in our new Speedtest Performance Directory.

Find Out Which 50 Top European Vacation Destinations Have the Fastest Mobile Internet Speeds

Posted on August 2, 2022August 1, 2022 by Isla McKetta

Vacation season is upon us with millions of tourists already flocking to Europe’s top summer destinations despite the heat. Whether you’re a European looking for the best “staycation” or an American taking advantage of the exchange rates, our analysis of mobile internet performance in 50 popular destinations across the continent should help you see how well you will be able to connect (or disconnect, should you so choose) on vacation this summer.

We divided these towns and cities into four categories that might appeal to different types of travelers: big cities, beach life, cultural havens, and forest getaways. Then we compared Speedtest Intelligence® data for median download speeds and multi-server latency across each category. Of course many of the best vacation destinations belong in multiple categories, so be sure to check each list to find your favorite locale, and you’ll want to remember that your experience may vary based on your carrier’s roaming agreement.

“Big cities” with internet performance as exciting as the lifestyle

Oslo, Norway topped our list of 15 European vacation destinations full of big city excitement with the fastest mobile internet with a median download speed of 156.99 Mbps during Q2 2022. Perfect if you’re planning to do live updates from the Øya Festival. Two other Nordic cities rounded out the top three with Stockholm, Sweden showing a median download speed of 136.74 Mbps and Copenhagen, Denmark coming in at 133.16 Mbps. With speeds like these you should be able to host as many “see how glorious my vacation is?” video calls as you want.

There was a large gap between these three cities and the next fastest group, led by Lisbon, Portugal at 86.49 Mbps. Istanbul, Turkey and Rome, Italy had the lowest median download speeds on this list. These are still adequate mobile speeds, especially if you want to lean into the vacation experience and report back on it later (if ever).

Nicosia, Cyprus had the lowest median multi-server latency on our “big city” list at 17 ms during Q2 2022. This metric measures how quickly your device gets a response after you’ve sent out a request during three stages so you can understand if you’ll run into unnecessary lags in your connection. We’ve previously reported how latency in Europe increased while roaming, and higher latency could mean that you encounter glitches in video calls or even have to shut down apps to get your phone to respond in a timely fashion. Rome had the highest latency on this list.

Where internet speeds are fit for “beach life”

Nothing says summer like relaxing on the beach. If your beach vacation needs fast internet access, surf the web in Biarritz, France and Korčula, Croatia. These two locales had the fastest median download speeds on our beach life list during Q2 2022 at 155.65 Mbps and 133.67 Mbps, respectively, though this is not a statistically significant difference. Varna, Bulgaria and Faro, Portugal rounded out the top four at 104.00 Mbps and 101.74 Mbps, respectively.

Amalfi, Italy and Cefalù, Italy are good beach destinations if you’re looking for encouragement to log off. With median download speeds of 31.40 Mbps and 38.18 Mbps, respectively, during Q2 2022, your internet connection should be adequate (though less inspiring than the Tyrrhenian Sea).

Piran, Slovenia had the lowest median multi-server latency (20 ms) on this list while Cefalù had the highest (56 ms).

“Cultural havens” with research-ready internet speeds

Travelers looking for maximum culture and fast internet speeds can do no better than Tromsø, Norway, which had a median download speed on mobile of 251.52 Mbps during Q2 2022, almost 2.3x faster than runner-up Amsterdam, Netherlands. Whether you’ve traveled to the northernmost bit of Norway for the wooden houses, one of the many summer festivals, or just to escape the heat, you’ll have fast enough internet to thoroughly research all the places you can go if you extend your vacation.

At the other end of the spectrum, if you’re traveling to Yerevan, Armenia or Florence, Italy to enjoy the museums and other cultural highlights of either, you might want to take pictures instead. With median download speeds of 24.11 Mbps and 29.84 Mbps, respectively, these cities were the slowest on this list. All the more reason to immerse yourself in the sights and wait to connect to Wi-Fi before uploading your photos.

Helsingør, Denmark had the lowest median multi-server latency, while Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom had the highest. High latency can impede the performance of your phone even when you’re in an area with great speeds — something to keep in mind if you’re relying on your phone to locate the next Fringe venue.

Navigate internet speeds in “forest getaways”

Some people swear by the forest for the best vacations, especially in the heat of summer. The Alpine cities of Innsbruck, Austria and Digne-les-Bains, France had the fastest median download speeds over mobile on our list of forest getaways during Q2 2022 at 87.34 Mbps and 67.30 Mbps, respectively, though there was no statistical winner between the two. There was also no statistically significant difference between the median download speeds in Zakopane, Poland (43.52 Mbps); Killarney, Ireland (35.90 Mbps); and Sighișoara, Romania (30.48 Mbps). While you may prefer to be offline in the woods, having a strong and fast internet connection available can help you navigate with GPS, check out the names of all the flora you’re encountering, or reach help in case of emergency.

Sighișoara and Killarney had the lowest median multi-server latency on this list at 24 ms and 25 ms, respectively. Digne had the highest latency at 36 ms.

Regardless of where you travel, mobile internet performance will affect your trip. We hope this list prepares you for the getaway you want. If we missed your favorite European vacation destination, take a Speedtest® on Android or iOS to show off your speeds and tweet us your suggestions for next year’s list or share your ideas via this Google form.

Choose Your National Park Adventure: The Best Places to Work Remotely or Digitally Disconnect

Posted on May 19, 2021July 11, 2022 by Isla McKetta

The great outdoors provided a refuge to many last year when travel options were limited. Now that many are vaccinated, national parks in Canada and the U.S. expect a surge in the number of visitors over the summer months. To find out if those visitors will be able to stretch the definition of “remote work” or if they should count on being unplugged, we looked at mobile internet performance, availability and coverage in national parks in Canada and the U.S. We included data from Q3 2020-Q1 2021 to account for the variability in dates that parks were actually open over the last year.

Gateway Arch had the fastest download speed among U.S. parks, Waterton Lakes in Canada

Fastest parks in the U.S. are near urban areas

According to data from Speedtest^®, U.S. travelers looking for time in the great outdoors this summer without giving up mobile performance should stick to national parks located in or near urban areas. Gateway Arch National Park, located on the shores of the Mississippi River in St. Louis, Missouri, is definitely at an advantage when it comes to accessing the faster speeds that come with urban infrastructure. Gateway Arch had the fastest median download speed on our list of national parks in the U.S. Saguaro National Park and Mount Rainier National Park share a similar story and were second and third for median download speed, respectively. Saguaro borders on Tucson, Arizona and Mount Rainier is very near to Tacoma, Washington. For comparison, the median download speed over mobile in the U.S. during Q1 2021 was 41.19 Mbps.

Denali National Park in Alaska was an exception, placing seventh on this list despite being located deep in the center of the state, far from major cities.

Quick take: Whether you’re posting from the top of the Gateway Arch or Mt. Rainier, there’s a high likelihood that you can livestream your view from national parks located near urban areas.

Slowest parks in the U.S. are in more remote locations

On the other hand, U.S. travelers wanting to disconnect can achieve those dreams by visiting parks that are farther from major cities or nestled deep in difficult terrain. Sequoia National Park in California had the slowest median download speed on our list at a barely manageable 1.43 Mbps — not even enough to stream a 720p video. Yellowstone was second slowest and Lassen Volcanic National Park in California third. If you’re dreaming of visiting Sequoia National Park but need a slightly faster connection, try neighboring Kings Canyon National Park where the median download speed, while still only 5.40 Mbps, was 277.6% faster.

These slow speeds are a good reminder that sometimes visiting the great outdoors can be about slowing down and enjoying the offscreen splendor. You can always post your pics later.

Canadian parks show a narrower range of speeds

We can’t say if Canadians are better at logging off while discovering national parks than folks in the U.S. or if service is harder to get, but there were far fewer parks with sufficient data to report on in Canada. As a result, the spread in download performance was not nearly as wide for Canadian national parks as it was for those in the U.S. And, unlike the U.S., all of the Canadian national parks that made our list were in more remote locations.

Waterton Lakes National Park had the fastest median download speed during the period. Jasper and Banff were second and third, respectively. Riding Mountain National Park had the slowest median download speed, followed by Yoho National Park and Saguenay-St. Lawrence National Park. For comparison, the median mobile download speed in all of Canada was 66.90 Mbps during Q1 2021.

38 national parks across the U.S. and Canada show 5G

5G offers the fastest speeds for travelers looking to make arrangements on the go or tether to a laptop to fit in a few hours of remote work. Data from Android users with 5G-capable phones during Q3 2020-Q1 2021 showed 36 national parks in the U.S. and two in Canada with sufficient samples to confirm 5G at least somewhere in the park.

Speedtest data showed 5G in 36 U.S. National Parks from Florida to Washington. If the park you want to visit is on this list, you should have access to all that 5G has to offer at least somewhere in the park.

In Canada, only Banff and Jasper showed a sufficient number of 5G samples to make the list.

4G Availability varies widely among U.S. parks, less so in Canada

In many cases, National Parks are located in gorgeous rural locations — exactly where you’d expect not to find 4G. We looked at 4G Availability, the percent of users on all Android devices that spend the majority of their time on 4G and above (both roaming and on-network), across both countries’ park systems to see where users can connect to a modern signal.

Because terrain varies widely in parks, the presence of 4G in a park does not mean service is uniformly available throughout that park (so prepare your emergency contact plan accordingly).

Less remote U.S. national parks have higher 4G Availability

Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio had the highest 4G Availability of any U.S. National Park, followed by Gateway Arch in Missouri and Hot Springs in Arkansas. All but four of the 10 U.S. National Parks with the highest 4G Availability were on the list of parks with the fastest median download speeds. Even the parks on this list that are farther from cities are still close to areas like highways that are often better served by mobile infrastructure.

If you’re looking to unplug while in the outdoors, try Sequoia National Park in California and Big Bend National Park in Texas. These two parks had the lowest 4G Availability of all the U.S. National Parks. There was significant overlap between the list of national parks with the lowest 4G Availability and those with the slowest median download speeds. With 4G Availability numbers like these, spectral efficiency will suffer and the network will likely not be able to serve as many people per cell, dragging down your mobile performance. Save yourself the frustration — log off and enjoy the view.

Only two Canadian parks show less than 50% 4G Availability

Elk Island had the highest 4G Availability among national parks in Canada, Waterton Lakes National Park was second and Mount Revelstoke National Park third. The national parks on this list had strong 4G Availability regardless of their proximity to or distance from population centers.

Kootenay National Park had the lowest 4G Availability among national parks in Canada. La Mauricie was second and Gros Morne third. It’s worth noting that the Canadian National Parks on this list had, for the most part, much higher 4G Availability than the U.S. National Parks with the lowest 4G Availability.

Mobile service not guaranteed

We’ve mentioned this throughout the article, but median performance only applies where you can actually get a signal. Below, we’ve mapped the Canadian and U.S. National Parks with the fastest and slowest speeds and the highest and lowest 4G Availability from our lists above to show how varied that coverage can be.

Although Waterton Lakes National Park had the fastest download speed among Canadian National Parks, travelers will only find reliable 4G service in the eastern half of the park, particularly along Highway 5, the first half of Red Rock Parkway, and the road to the Waterton Valley View Point. There’s also spotty connectivity on the Crypt Lake Trail. Meanwhile, we saw a 4G signal along most of the roads in Elk Island National Park and at the southeast and southwest corners of Flyingshot Lake. Knowing where service is and is not could help Canadians exercise their right to disconnect.

It’s not surprising that Riding Mountain National Park showed the slowest download speed among Canadian National Parks as even the major roads often only have 2G or 3G service. Visitors to this park have the best chance of connecting to 4G around Clear Lake. Parks Canada warns there is no cell coverage in Kootenay National Park and Speedtest data mostly backs this up. We saw almost no service along Highway 93 along the length of the park. There were small pockets of 4G service near the Stanley Glacier and Radium Hot Springs, but visitors facing an emergency will likely need to seek out the emergency phone at Kootenay Crossing as advised by the Park.

In the U.S., Gateway Arch National Park and Cuyahoga Valley National Park both show service in all or most of the park. This is not surprising given that Gateway Arch covers only 91 (mostly flat) acres in St. Louis. The gaps in 4G service at Cuyahoga Valley are few given that the park covers more than 32,000 acres (for comparison, Yellowstone has 2,221,766 acres). Either park would be good destinations if you need to be connected most of the time.

Mobile service is much poorer at both Big Bend National Park and Sequoia National Park. Visitors to Big Bend should be able to connect to a 2G or 3G signal if they are along the north and western service roads while the south and eastern service roads show spotty or no service at all. Most of the major roads at Sequoia show no service at all, with only a couple of spots where 4G peeks through. If you’re traveling to either of these parks, plan on being mostly off the grid.

5G all the time or completely disconnected, we hope this data will help you get outside and enjoy nature this summer — either with your mobile lifeline or completely off the grid. If you do visit a national park in Canada or the U.S., take a Speedtest^® on Android or iOS to help us provide even better information next year.

Four U.S. Airports Top Our List of Fastest Free Airport Wi-Fi

Posted on May 18, 2022July 11, 2022 by Isla McKetta

The COVID-19 pandemic upended a lot of travel plans and put our series on airport Wi-Fi on hold. We’re excited to get back in the swing of things in time for the summer travel season, and we have fresh data for you on Wi-Fi speeds at some of the busiest airports in the world during Q1 2022. Our analysis focuses on Wi-Fi over mobile connections on free Wi-Fi provided by the individual airports and Wi-Fi at selected airport lounges. The good news is that every airport surveyed met the recommended speed for streaming on mobile. However, there was a large divide between the fastest airports on the list and the slowest.

Speedtest Intelligence® showed four airports in the United States at the top of the list for free airport Wi-Fi. San Francisco International Airport showed a median download speed of 176.25 Mbps during Q1 2022, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport 171.01 Mbps, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport 113.64 Mbps, and Chicago O’Hare International Airport 85.49 Mbps. Dubai International Airport, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, and Los Angeles International Airport followed. All of these airports are international hubs that passengers from around the world pass through on their way to all kinds of destinations. Flyers waiting for connecting planes at these airports should have no trouble with internet speeds. In case of video calls, upload speeds are even faster than downloads at all of these airports, and San Francisco and SeaTac had the fastest uploads on the list. There is a wide gap in median speeds between the free airport Wi-Fi at Los Angeles International Airport and the rest of the airports on our list.

Denver International has their Wi-Fi split between two SSIDs that serve different spectrum bands, both of which showed median download speeds between 44 and 46 Mbps. Connecting to the 5 GHz “- DEN Airport Free WiFi” will get you a faster median upload speed than “DEN Airport Free WiFi 2.4.” Charles de Gaulle also has two different SSIDs for their free airport Wi-Fi though travelers can select either, “*WIFI-AIRPORT” had slightly faster median speeds than “WIFI-AIRPORT-STANDARD.”

Turkey’s Istanbul Airport was next on the list with a median download speed of 31.08 Mbps and a median upload speed of 23.80 Mbps. Spain’s Madrid Barajas Airport was the top of the bottom of our list with a median download speed of 19.76 Mbps over free airport Wi-Fi.

Four of the bottom five airports on our list were in China. Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport was faster than the other Chinese airports on the list with a median download speed of 14.69 Mbps. Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport were next on our list and showed nearly identical median download and upload speeds over free airport Wi-Fi. Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport showed slightly slower download and upload speeds than both. Mexico City International Airport in Mexico had the slowest median download and upload speeds over free airport Wi-Fi of any airport on this list.

Wi-Fi in airport lounges is often faster than free airport Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi is very nice to have for catching up on your life back home or reliving the glory of your vacation pics as you upload them to your social media accounts, but if you’re looking for the fastest Wi-Fi in an airport, you may want to look into other options. In many cases we found that airport lounges had faster Wi-Fi, like the United Club in Chicago and San Francisco which boasted median download speeds of 246.17 Mbps and 244.37 Mbps, respectively, during Q1 2022. The fastest club Wi-Fi download speed at LAX was at the Alaska Lounge (238.59 Mbps).

Outside the U.S., Wi-Fi speeds at airport lounges ranged dramatically. The following lounges all showed faster median download speeds than the free Wi-Fi at their respective airports during Q1 2022: the Plaza Premium Lounge in Dubai (148.96 Mbps), the Grand Lounge Elite in Mexico City (125.12 Mbps), Privium at Amsterdam’s Schiphol (121.05 Mbps), the Emirates Lounge at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle (93.31 Mbps), and the Sala VIP Puerta de Alcalá in Madrid (50.28 Mbps).

This stronger performance at airport lounges should be expected because it’s much easier to configure Wi-Fi over a small area like a single airport lounge than it is to serve an entire airport with multiple terminals. Patrons of airport lounges are also paying for the privilege, whether by the day or the year, so their expectations are higher. We did not always find this to be the case, however, so take a Speedtest® if you feel like you are not getting what you are paying for.

We were glad to see that travelers at all these airports have fast enough Wi-Fi to stream video on mobile and that there are other options available for those who need faster internet. Airports have had a lot to focus on in the last couple of years and Wi-Fi was not at the top of the list. We hope that will change as passenger volumes return to normal. If you’re traveling this summer, take a Speedtest at the airport to see how your experience compares.