Nearly two decades after founding Ookla and creating Speedtest.net, Doug Suttles has introduced a new application designed to provide a broader and more insightful analysis of internet connectivity. With his latest venture, Orb, Suttles is shifting emphasis from merely measuring raw speed to tracking a comprehensive set of metrics, including latency, jitter, packet loss, and reliability.
Co-founded by Suttles and fellow Ookla executive Jamie Steven in 2023, Orb tackles what its creators view as an outdated approach to evaluating internet performance. While Speedtest.net has dominated global network assessments by focusing primarily on download and upload speeds, Suttles argues this approach no longer sufficiently represents overall connection quality. Internet accessibility and speed have generally improved worldwide, so today’s users seek deeper insights into why their connections might face issues beyond raw bandwidth constraints.
Orb analyzes three crucial aspects of internet performance: responsiveness, reliability, and speed. Responsiveness is determined by measuring lag, jitter, latency, and packet loss. Reliability is gauged by observing how these responsiveness metrics fluctuate over time, and traditional download-upload rates provide the speed factor. Users can perform these assessments across various intervals—including one minute, five minutes, one hour, or a full day—to generate a more accurate real-world profile of their network stability.
After compiling this information, the app produces an Orb Score—a straightforward numerical representation of network stability. Scores above 80 denote a reliable connection, while those ranging from 70 to 80 reflect moderate connectivity issues. Scores below 70 indicate significant problems likely impacting user experience. Moreover, to empower users, the platform leverages AI and language models to suggest actionable recommendations if connection issues are detected.
Orb’s flexibility allows it to operate on numerous platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux. The company has also developed detailed guides to install Orb on niche hardware configurations such as the Raspberry Pi, Docker environments, older phones, and Steam Deck, facilitating continuous monitoring for tech-savvy users. An upcoming feature will allow people to remotely share their network status with trusted contacts. Both parties will receive notifications whenever any substantial decrease in connection quality occurs.
Currently, Orb is freely available and its creators intend to maintain no-cost public access for individual users. However, the startup is exploring licensing the technology to enterprises and internet service providers. These commercial partners could leverage Orb’s specialized analytics tools for pinpointing connection problems, setting up advanced notifications, and gaining deeper insights into their infrastructure performance.
Since its founding, the company has raised $3.8 million in funding from Sidekick Ventures and various individual backers. Investors include Fastly’s senior director Edward Bender, Netflix engineer Jana Iyengar, Big Network CEO Tom Daly, former Fastly executive Lee Chen, Oculus Studios’ operations and strategy chief Jason Kay, Naughty Dog founder Jason Rubin, and Vetro executive Will Cooper.
Additional development plans include creating customizable tests tailored specifically for popular internet services such as Netflix, Zoom, X, and Google Drive. These tests can provide users valuable context on why specific platforms or services may experience access or performance issues, adding another dimension of usability beyond typical connection metrics.
