Internet speeds have increased drastically over the past decade, with fiber, cable, and even mobile connections now offering blazing-fast speeds. However, speed alone doesn’t tell the whole story. Reliability, latency, jitter, and consistency also play a huge role in real-world internet performance. This is why reliable speed tests are so important – they provide an accurate measure of the speeds you can expect along with metrics on the quality of the connection.
As a telecommunications engineer with over 15 years of experience developing networking infrastructure and testing tools, I understand this need for accurate, reliable testing. When I worked at Fido, one of the biggest mobile carriers in Canada, customers frequently complained about slow speeds. However, the standard speed test tools available often did not reflect the full picture.
That’s why I led the development of the Fido Speed Test tool – an advanced speed test platform to help Fido customers test the real-world performance of our mobile data networks. After months of development and testing, the Fido Speed Test tool provides the most accurate and reliable speed test results to our customers.
Provided by Fido speed test
Key Features of the Fido Speed Test Tool
The Fido Speed Test tool includes several key features to provide the most robust speed test experience focused on mobile network testing:
Testing Methodology
The testing methodology is optimized for mobile network characteristics and tests performance using both TCP and UDP connections simultaneously. This allows us to achieve the most accurate representation of overall throughput for activities like streaming and web browsing.
Mobile-Optimized Servers
We have deployed speed test servers optimized for mobile network testing on the Fido network infrastructure across Canada. By connecting directly to local servers, latency impact is minimized for the most reliable speed measurements.
Diagnostic Metrics
In addition to download/upload bandwidth, the Fido Speed Test measures latency, jitter, and packet loss. All key metrics for assessing consistency and reliability. Detailed reporting allows for diagnosing network issues.
Background Testing
An intelligent background testing mechanism continually measures performance as you use your device. This provides insight into the real-world experience as network conditions change.
By combining these capabilities into a single free tool, the Fido Speed Test provides the most accurate and holistic speed test solution focused on mobile network testing for Fido customers.
The Development Process Behind the Fido Speed Test
As the senior telecom engineer leading the development of the Fido Speed Test tool, I leveraged my expertise in network infrastructure, diagnostics, and testing automation. The development process involved:
Planning Requirements
I worked closely with product managers and customer experience teams at Fido to understand customer complaints around network speeds. This allowed me to define requirements for the ideal testing tool to expose real-world network conditions.
Designing Architecture
With requirements established, I designed a cloud-based architecture to provide robust testing while minimizing impact on the mobile network. This included selecting optimal server locations, custom mobile-optimized testing containers, and intelligent algorithms for background testing.
Building Out Infrastructure
My team then built out the necessary infrastructure, deploying speed test servers to key locations across Canada and developing the testing containers and agents for various mobile platforms.
Creating Advanced Testing Logic
A tremendous amount of development went into devising an intelligent testing methodology using TCP and UDP in tandem along with smart algorithms for diagnosing issues.
Conducting Rigorous Testing
Extensive internal testing was done across the Fido network under varied conditions to ensure accurate, consistent test measurements before the public launch.
Optimizing Based on Customer Data
Finally, we analyze aggregated performance data from customer testing sessions to continuously optimize the infrastructure and algorithms powering the Fido Speed Test.
The development process combined my expertise in telecommunications infrastructure with a data-driven approach based on customer experience feedback. The Fido Speed Test represents the most advanced, robust speed test solution tailored specifically for mobile network testing.
How to Use the Fido Speed Test Tool?
Using the Fido Speed Test tool is simple and easy. Just follow these steps:
Download the App
Download our free Fido Speed Test app for your iOS or Android device from the corresponding app store. The app has a friendly blue and white interface with the Fido logo.
Allow Required Permissions
Open the app and enable the permissions for storage, location, and background processing when prompted. These permissions are necessary to perform accurate testing and diagnostics.
Run Your First Test
Tap the large “Go” button to initiate your first speed test. The tool will ping local test servers and measure download, upload, latency, jitter, and packet loss.
Check Your Test Results
Your test results will populate with download and upload speeds in Mbps, latency in milliseconds, and additional metrics. You can dig deeper into the advanced diagnostics reporting as needed.
Configure Background Testing (Optional)
Enable Background Testing via the settings to continuously monitor network performance as you use your device. This provides further insight into the reliability of your mobile connectivity.
Retest Whenever Needed
Run follow-up speed tests whenever desired by simply opening the app and hitting Go. Consistently testing allows you to validate performance over time.
With this easy process, Fido customers can fully evaluate mobile network performance, troubleshoot issues, and confirm the blazing-fast 5G speeds our network delivers!
Interpreting Your Fido Speed Test Results
The data-rich test results from the Fido Speed Test tool provide valuable insight into your mobile network’s real-world performance:
Download/Upload Speeds
These figures quantify throughput performance for downloading and uploading data, measured in Megabits per second (Mbps). Faster speeds facilitate activities like web browsing, streaming, and sharing content.
Latency
Latency measures the time it takes data to make a round trip to our test servers, measured in milliseconds (ms). Lower latency enables better responsiveness.
Jitter
Jitter measures variations in latency during the test. Minimal jitter allows for smooth delivery of time-sensitive applications like video chat or gaming.
Packet Loss
Packet loss measures the percentage of data packets “lost” during transmission. Zero packet loss is ideal for reliable connections.
By evaluating performance across these metrics compared to the maximum capabilities of your mobile plan, you can better understand the real-world speeds and reliability you can expect for your usage.
Diagnosing issues impacting a specific metric also becomes easier. For example, high latency could indicate being connected to a distant cell tower, enabling you to request assistance with troubleshooting as needed.
Getting Support for Speed Issues
The Fido Speed Test tool empowers you with data to understand and resolve mobile network performance issues. Here are some next steps if your speeds are still slow or inconsistent after testing with our tool:
Review Test Data Trends
Retest a few times in different locations and conditions to check if an anomalous first test result was captured. Consistently slow or high latency could indicate area network congestion.
Contact Customer Support
Reach out to Fido customer support with your test data. Our agents can review your results, profile, and area network status for troubleshooting. We’ll provide recommendations tailored to resolving your issue.
Request a Network Ticket
For continued speed problems after troubleshooting, request to have an area network support ticket created. Our engineers can then investigate and resolve any infrastructure or capacity issues impacting service quality in that locality.
Consider Plan/Device Upgrades
If the network infrastructure is healthy, review device capabilities and mobile plan speeds aligned to usage. Modern devices with compatible radios and upgraded data plans better align with evolving network advancements.
By fully utilizing the Fido Speed Test tool and then collaborating with our customer service teams, we hope to provide the fastest, most reliable mobile network experience tailored to your usage needs. Please reach out any time with speed questions or issues!
The Future of Mobile Speed Testing
While the Fido Speed Test tool already provides customers with robust, reliable testing and diagnostics, we have many future enhancements planned to continue evolving.
Expanding Infrastructure
As we rapidly enhance our national 5G network over the coming year in tandem with new spectrum allocations, we will expand the Fido Speed Test infrastructure to align. More local test servers will ensure optimal paths for mobile devices.
Testing Algorithm Advancements
We are innovating new methodologies to simulate actual mobile usage patterns during testing. Introducing real-world traffic profiles into test loads will further validate performance.
Competitive Benchmarking
Compare your Fido mobile network performance against other Canadian carriers using our benchmarking feature currently in development. This opt-in capability will run tests concurrently on multiple networks with identical parameters to remove test bias.
Third-Party Validation
To complement our internal development, we are exploring partnerships with respected third-party network analytics firms. Integrating independent speed test data will validate reliability and identify enhancements.
Our goal is for the Fido Speed Test tool to not just be Canada’s most robust, reliable mobile network speed test but also evolve in lockstep with our advancing next-generation network capabilities nationwide. Please stay tuned for these exciting developments!
Why Reliable Mobile Network Testing Matters?
Far too often, customers associate mobile network quality with only downstream and upstream throughput speeds. However, as discussed throughout this article while explaining the Fido Speed Test’s advanced capabilities, overall performance encompasses much more. Consistency, low latency, minimal jitter, high availability, and real-world usage simulation all play equally crucial roles.
Without testing tools that capture the comprehensive picture, customers cannot make truly informed decisions about their mobile carrier. Inferior testing methodologies also negatively impact the ability for mobile operators to properly diagnose issues and enhance infrastructure aligned to usage needs.
That is why building the Fido Speed Test tool as a senior telecom engineer was such an important endeavor for me. Canada deserves accurate, unbiased testing that empowers consumers with truth-in-data around mobile network quality tailored to individual preferences while advancing industry transparency.
By openly sharing our methodology, infrastructure design, testing code, and performance data aggregated from our millions of customer speed tests, Fido aims to set a positive example for the telecom industry. The Fido Speed Test represents our commitment to honest, transparent network quality assessment that hopefully catalyzes advancement across mobile carriers.
Only with reliable, unbiased mobile network testing can we build a collaborative environment of trust between carriers, infrastructure firms, device manufacturers, regulators, and most importantly – customers. Please try out the Fido Speed Test tool for yourself today to analyze our real-world network performance. We welcome any feedback on how we can enhance testing further to meet your needs.
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