David Farnor | On 23, May 2016

Hate it when Orange Is the New Black buffers? Tired of Grace and Frankie grinding to a halt? The problem is your Internet connection – and now, Netflix will help you tell how fast it is.

The streaming giant has launched Fast.com, a new website to help you measure your mobile or broadband speed, anywhere in the world. The ad-free site, with a streamlined design, uses Netflix servers to measure your personal Internet connection at any given time. (This consumer speed test is different to Netflix’s ISP Speed Index, which measures average monthly speeds of actual Netflix streams during prime time hours.)

“We all want a faster, better Internet, yet Internet speeds vary greatly and can be affected by other users on your network or congestion with your Internet service provider,” says David Fullagar, Netflix’s vice president of content delivery architecture.

Experiencing streaming issues? Check your download speed to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth from your Internet service provider.

The launch of the tool follows the introduction of new settings for mobile device users that controls how much data Netflix consumes, helping to keep cellular data bills low.

“Like the cellular data controls we recently introduced, fast.com is another tool consumers can use for greater insight and control of their Internet service,” adds Davis.

The site works in any country and is free to use, with or without a Netflix subscription.

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