Why does my connection show as 4G when I'm on Wi-Fi?

The Network Information API your browser uses classifies connection quality (4G/3G/2G) based on estimated speed and latency — not the physical connection type. A fast Wi-Fi or fixed broadband link often maps to '4G' because its characteristics match that quality tier.

Why are some values like downlink or RTT not showing?

The Network Information API is not supported in all browsers. Safari, for example, does not implement it. On unsupported browsers, those fields will be empty or unavailable while the basic online/offline status will still work.

Is the downlink speed shown here the same as a speed test result?

No. The downlink value is an estimate provided by the browser based on recent network activity — it's not a measured throughput test. For accurate speed figures, use the Speed Test tool in Carbide, which actually downloads and measures data.

What does Data Saver mode change about my browsing?

When Data Saver is active (enabled in your browser settings), websites that respect it will serve lower-quality images, skip loading non-essential resources, and reduce video quality to help you use less mobile data. Network Info shows you whether this mode is currently on.

Network Info

WEB

Check browser-visible network status, effective connection type, downlink, round-trip time and data-saver state.

Unknown

What it does

Network Info reads the connection details your browser exposes and presents them in one clean view: whether you're online or offline, the effective connection type (4G, 3G, 2G, or slow-2G), your estimated downlink speed in Megabits per second, the round-trip time (RTT) in milliseconds, and whether Data Saver mode is active in your browser. This is useful for understanding the quality of your connection right now — especially on mobile where conditions change quickly — or for debugging why a web app is loading slowly. The tool reads data the browser already has; no external requests are made, nothing is logged, and it works in any network environment including offline mode to show disconnection status.

How to use the Network Info

Open Network Info in Carbide — your current connection details are displayed immediately.
Check the online/offline status indicator at the top.
Read the effective connection type (4G, 3G, 2G, or slow-2G) to understand how your browser classifies your current link quality.
Note the downlink speed in Mbps and the RTT in milliseconds for a quick sense of your connection's throughput and latency.
Check whether Data Saver is shown as active — if it is, some media and scripts on websites may be loading in reduced quality.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my connection show as 4G when I'm on Wi-Fi?: The Network Information API your browser uses classifies connection quality (4G/3G/2G) based on estimated speed and latency — not the physical connection type. A fast Wi-Fi or fixed broadband link often maps to '4G' because its characteristics match that quality tier.
Why are some values like downlink or RTT not showing?: The Network Information API is not supported in all browsers. Safari, for example, does not implement it. On unsupported browsers, those fields will be empty or unavailable while the basic online/offline status will still work.
Is the downlink speed shown here the same as a speed test result?: No. The downlink value is an estimate provided by the browser based on recent network activity — it's not a measured throughput test. For accurate speed figures, use the Speed Test tool in Carbide, which actually downloads and measures data.
What does Data Saver mode change about my browsing?: When Data Saver is active (enabled in your browser settings), websites that respect it will serve lower-quality images, skip loading non-essential resources, and reduce video quality to help you use less mobile data. Network Info shows you whether this mode is currently on.

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