Netflix's Fast.com now measures latency & upload speeds

Fast.com, a speed test service operated by Netflix, is now adding the ability to measure connection latency and upload speeds to take on the popular Speedtest.net operated by Ookla.

Latency refers to the time it takes for data to make a round trip from a user’s device to the server and back. The company said it will measure latency on both unloaded and loaded connections. Unloaded connections are those which has no other traffic present on a user’s network while loaded connections are those where data-heavy applications are being used on the network.

Started in May 2016, Fast.com claims to have generated more than half a billion speed tests, with the usage doubling from quarter billion speed tests in November 2017. Initially, the service also offered the ability to compare these results with the Speedtest.net results, however it seems like the feature has now been removed.

"We’re adding these new measurements to FAST.com so that consumers will have a more comprehensive view of their Internet connection speed at any given time. We'll also always keep the design of FAST.com clean and ad-free" the company said in a statement.