Orb

In today's connected world, a truly reliable internet connection is crucial. Traditional speed tests often miss the full picture. Orb, from the creators of Speedtest and Downdetector, offers a new approach, focusing on your overall "Internet Experience" rather than just raw speed.
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What is Orb?

Orb is a free app from Orb Forge Inc. that continuously monitors your internet performance. Unlike typical speed tests, it runs lightweight, ongoing tests in the background. It's available on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux, and can even be used on devices like Raspberry Pis for dedicated monitoring.

Key Features and Functionality

Orb evaluates your internet with three main metrics, contributing to an "Orb Score" (out of 100):

1. Responsiveness: This is Orb's core focus, measuring how quickly your network reacts. It analyzes lag, latency, jitter, and packet loss, providing "Best," "Worst," and "Typical" times to show connection stability.
2. Reliability: This metric assesses the consistency of your network's responsiveness over time, indicating how dependable your connection is for sustained activities.
3. Speed: Orb still measures download and upload speeds (content speed) with minimal data use. You can also run a "peak speed" test for maximum capacity.

Additional features include:

• Continuous Monitoring: Runs quietly to identify patterns and intermittent issues.
• Multi-Device Monitoring: Track performance across multiple devices and locations from one account.
• Clear Scores & Details: Offers both simple scores and in-depth technical data.
• "Improve Connection" Suggestions: Provides AI-powered tips if your score drops below 80.
• Alerts: Notifies you of significant internet problems.

User Experience

Orb's has an intuitive interface and clear scores, making it easy to understand complex network information. The multi-device monitoring is cool.

Performance and Accuracy

Orb's continuous, lightweight testing provides a more accurate view of real-world internet experience, especially for sensitive activities like gaming or video calls. Its focus on responsiveness metrics (latency, jitter, packet loss) and minimal data consumption (around 10MB for continuous tests) makes it less intrusive than repeated traditional speed tests. Cloudflare provides the underlying data.

Pros and Cons​

Pros:

• Holistic internet health assessment (responsiveness, reliability, speed).
• Continuous monitoring for ongoing insights.
• Multi-device and remote monitoring.
• User-friendly scores with detailed options.
• Actionable advice for improvements.
• Free for personal use.
• Wide cross-platform availability.

​Cons:

• Occasional initial setup glitches.
• Rare reports of higher background data/performance impact.
• Requires continuous running for full benefit, which might not suit all users on mobile.

Who is it for?

Orb is ideal for:

• Work-from-home professionals.
• Online gamers and streamers.
• Tech-savvy individuals seeking deep network insights.
• Anyone with intermittent internet issues.
• Those managing internet for others.

Conclusion
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The Orb internet test app is a significant advancement in internet monitoring. By prioritizing responsiveness and reliability alongside speed, it offers a much more accurate reflection of your actual internet experience. Despite being relatively new, its continuous monitoring, multi-device support, and helpful insights make it a highly recommended tool for optimizing your online life. If traditional speed tests leave you wanting more answers, Orb is worth exploring.

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Image Source: https://orb.net/