Netflix sits in the eye of the net neutrality storm these days. Internet fast lanes form US providers are slowing down everyone’s favourite internet streaming service, and now the company wants you to start complaining. Netflix now has a speed test app so you can see how fast your stream is going.
The test is an 11-minute video that displays everything from the bit rate though to the real-time resolution you’re being pushed. This information allows you to check whether you have a speed problem when it comes to streaming Netflix.
In the US, it’s intended to call out crappy ISPs, but what can it be used for here?
Netflix isn’t available in Australia, meaning the only way to get it is to use a VPN tunnel to trick the streaming service into thinking you’re in the US.
The only real issue with a VPN tunnel is that it can sometimes have an impact on speed depending on how the traffic is routed from the content delivery network to you in Australia.
That’s what makes the speed test video interesting for those Down Under: you can use it check the performance of your VPN provider rather than your carrier or ISP.
Netflix has a speed test chart which collates all of the results from around the world. The highest video transfer speed right now is just over 3Mbps. Can you do better? [Netflix]