Run an Android Speed Test on your Tablet and Phone

When you’re on the go and unable to connect to your home’s wireless network, your Internet speed is important. Sometimes trying to find network access when traveling can be a hassle, especially when service providers suffering from limited bandwidth are your only option. Owners of Android devices need to know how to run an Android speed test on their mobile devices to ensure all web-based activity performs properly when away from home.

With that in mind, here are some tips on how to run a top notch, state of the art HTML5 speed test on your Android mobile devices.

Avoid Mobile Speed Tests Using Flash

While the Android platform does provide minimal support for Flash, it tends to be slow and buggy — not surprising for an essentially obsolete technology. The difficulty in getting the Flash plug-in to even run properly in a bandwidth-challenged environment makes the whole process not worth the effort for most scenarios. Trying to find and download an app for testing Internet speeds also takes too much work.

The sheer computing power of high-end Android smartphones and tablets, like the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Google’s own Nexus 9, means these devices are able to consume copious amounts of bandwidth. This enables users to cleanly stream videos and music as well as online gaming action away from home. In a nutshell your Internet speed needs to be up to snuff and ancient Flash-based speed tests aren’t the best choice for a piece of leading-edge technology.

Try HTML5 Speed Tests for Mobile Devices

When performing an Internet speed test on your Android device — tablet or smartphone — a test using HTML5 remains the best option. As mentioned earlier, using a web-based Flash option may or may not work on your Android smartphone, and definitely won’t work on an iPhone. The newer HTML5 technology doesn’t require a separate plug-in to work, plus you won’t need to find a speed test app in the Google Play store.

After running a HTML5 speed test, be sure to do a quick screen capture which saves your test result. This makes it easy to reference when searching for the fastest ISP during future travels. At home, these saved results can help in terms of refunds from your Internet provider if they aren’t delivering the promised bandwidth.

The bottom line is simple. When performing an Android speed test — either traveling or at home — a HTML5 test remains your best option.