New certification program for Ookla relies on its Ekahau take a look at capabilities
Cellular and stuck community operators world wide brag after they rating excessive in Ookla’s rankings. Now, it might not be lengthy earlier than a resort, condominium constructing or airport close to you begins to promote that its Wi-Fi connectivity has been licensed by Ookla.
The community benchmarking firm is launching a brand new program, Speedtest Licensed, that can use its Ekahau Wi-Fi testing instruments for an evaluation of Wi-Fi networks in locations like occasion venues, workplace buildings, condominium and apartment buildings, and extra. This system is “designed to finish the guesswork for customers searching for dependable connectivity and to permit property house owners to show the standard of their community,” in line with Ookla.
Whereas Ookla is probably finest recognized for its Speedtest software that permits customers to check the wired and mobile community speeds that they’re receiving, the corporate has assembled a testing portfolio that goes properly past crowd-sourced information, together with community testing firm Rootmetrics. Ookla purchased Wi-Fi testing and design firm Ekahau in 2018. Speedtest Licensed “is creating a chance to fuse among the competencies that we now have inside our enterprise that we haven’t actually taken full benefit of but,” stated Chip Unusual, Ookla’s chief technique officer, in an interview with RCR Wi-fi Information.
Corporations which wish to be Speedtest Licensed will undergo a four-stage course of, from confirming particulars concerning the location, to an on-site testing course of utilizing Ekahau instruments, which leads to an in depth report on community efficiency, after which — if the placement meets Ookla’s requirements — certification, together with potential to make use of an official emblem on-site or on-line.
Ookla stated that its analysis will embrace assessments of Wi-Fi radio frequency (RF) high quality, community configuration, efficiency metrics, its backhaul service, and a Wi-Fi community safety evaluation. It additionally plans to finally develop the Speedtest Licensed program with a second part that can embrace mobile efficiency testing for the venue.
The Speedtest Licensed designation can be legitimate for one 12 months after the testing, and Ookla stated that the precise requirements of the testing can be a “residing benchmark” that modifications as Wi-Fi evolves. The corporate additionally stated that testing in several environments will take into issues their distinctive traits — such because the distinction between Wi-Fi testing aboard a cruise ship, in comparison with an workplace constructing or a college campus.
Ookla has already been working with a number of venue house owners for certification, and has been instantly testing a big U.S. venue over the previous month for the Speedtest Licensed program, Unusual stated. However the concept is that it turns into one thing largely executed by system integrators who already use Ekahau instruments for Wi-Fi community design and testing.
The brand new program will generate income from Ookla in two methods: One, property house owners and companies pays for the Speedtest Licensed assessments and certification renewals. Pricing will differ based mostly on the property dimension. Secondly, corporations like SIs pays to develop into testing companions after which will be capable of generate extra income themselves, by providing the Speedtest certification as a part of the Wi-Fi community design and commissioning course of.
However in the end, Unusual stated, the aim is for the Speedtest Licensed program to make it “is straightforward to grasp, from a client’s perspective, in the event that they’re strolling in a espresso store they usually see, or they’re trying on-line they usually see that we now have licensed their location, then they will belief that they will do the work that they should do. … I believe that it’s going to proceed to develop, the place this kind of assertion will develop into a core a part of the filters that you just’re going to see on hospitality places or resorts.”
For companies and residential buildings, the branded certification program is supposed to leverage Wi-Fi testing as a differentiator to higher appeal to guests and residents.
“We’ve all felt the frustration of arriving at a resort, convention, airport, or sporting occasion – solely to find that the web connection is painfully sluggish,” stated Stephen Bye, president and CEO of Ookla, which is a part of Ziff Davis. He added: “For years, you’ve trusted Speedtest to your personal connectivity. Now, with Speedtest Licensed, we’re extending that belief to the locations you go to. Our rigorous testing takes the gamble out of discovering a dependable community, providing you with a seal of approval you possibly can rely on.”
Ookla needs the designation to be one thing significant, based mostly on extra granular information than what may be gleaned from, say, its basic Speedtest information.
“That is about community suppliers at a micro degree, and with the ability to fulfill these wants in a method that we’ve not been in a position to do earlier than,” stated Unusual. “Even with all the crowdsourced information that we now have, it’s not sufficient. … We don’t have sufficient information in sufficient locations to have the ability to persistently apply even a Licensed-type of methodology at that hyper-local degree.” Whereas Ookla’s general Speedtest information would possibly be capable of present a handful of information factors from any given venue he defined, the corporate isn’t prepared to hold certification on that — therefore, the on-site testing course of.
“Actually, we’d like ft on the bottom to go in and actually completely assess these items to have the ability to assist one thing like this,” Unusual stated.
