Before launching your new app, you need to make sure it runs smoothly for your future users. But while your app might run perfectly on your high-end console or somewhere with a perfect internet connection, many of your users won’t experience your creation under ideal circumstances.
This means you need to know how to throttle your browser for testing purposes. Read on to find out how to do this in Chrome, Firefox, and other browsers or applications.
What is browser clipping?
Browser throttling means deliberately slowing down your internet connection. This way, you can simulate what an app or website experience might be like for someone with a slow internet connection instead of a perfect, fast connection. It is possible to simulate various network conditions/connections such as high latency, low bandwidth and more.
Many browsers have browser throttle controls built into their interfaces for just this purpose. But others may require you to get creative and use plugins or third-party tools.
Why throttle your browser, anyway?
Simply put, for testing.
When you create an app or put together a new web page/site, you need to know that it runs smoothly for all your visitors or users. However, many of those users will interact with your app, download data, or view your web pages with less-than-stellar internet connections.
It’s one thing for your app to perform well on a high-performance setup, like your work computer. It is another thing that this app will work well even in bad connections, like if a user is trying to access this app in the middle of the wilderness.
By preventing your browser from being tested, you get more insight into how your application behaves or how your web pages feel in different situations. This is ideal when designing the ideal website or app for your target users.
Fortunately, there are many ways you can throttle your browser for testing purposes. Let’s look at some of these ways now.
Blocking your browser in Chrome
Google Chrome is one of the most widely used web browsers in the world. Fortunately, this is also one of the web browsers that allows you to simulate a slow internet connection right from its platform.
To simulate a slow Internet connection with Chrome, you need to access the browser’s developer tools. To do this:
· Go to the Chrome Devtools menu and then click More Tools
· Click on Developer Tools
At this point, a panel will open on the side of your browser window.
· Click the Network tab. You’ll see a dropdown that initially says “No Throttle”, which is the default option Chrome uses
· Expand the drop-down menu and choose from the preset throttle speeds, such as “Fast 3G” or “Offline”
· You can alternatively set a custom throttle option if you wish. This allows you to customize your testing experience
Preventing your browser from Microsoft Edge
Connecting your internet network in Microsoft Edge is exactly the same process as it is with Google Chrome. Follow the same steps above – even the button names are the same!
Preventing your browser in Firefox
However, when it comes to narrowing down your browser in Firefox, things are a little different.
· Click on “Web Developer Tools” in your browser menu. You’ll see a side panel open, similar to the process used for Google Chrome
· Then just find the drop down menu labeled “No Throttle”
· Under this menu, you will find a bunch of throttle options, from Regular 2G to Regular 4G/LTE and more. Firefox doesn’t allow you to set a custom throttle speed, unfortunately, but it should be enough for your testing needs
Blocking your browser with extensions
What if you want to test your app or website in a browser that doesn’t come with developer tools like these? In that case, you can use special third-party extensions to check internet speeds and connectivity.
For example, URL Throttler is a good browser speed test tool for Google Chrome. It allows you to add a delay (you can choose how many) to certain web pages you visit. This way, you can simulate the browsing experience a user might feel or see when trying to access your site with a slow connection.
Check out the extensions available in your browser to test your internet speed. Most major browsers have at least a few. Android and iOS mobile devices usually include tools that let you check page load speed, Wi-Fi speed, and download speeds as well.
Throttle desktop apps
The above examples do not cover situations where you may want to test connectivity speeds or experiences for those using desktop applications. Desktop applications can be used on Windows, Linux and Mac OS devices.
Unfortunately, desktop applications are platform independent. Thus, they may not have specific browsing speed settings that you can adjust, nor any developer tools that you can easily access. However, you can throttle internet speeds on desktop apps by using third-party tools.
A violinist is a great example. This proxy server debugging tool can be used to inspect, modify, and log HTTP requests, and it runs on any of the three device types above. It can also simulate slow internet connections by following these steps:
· First, open the rules menu
· Click Customize Rules
· You will see the FiddlerScript rules file open in an editor with Javascript text
· Inside the editor, look for the Java condition “if (m_SimulateModen)”
At this point, you will see two values in the code. One of the values is to delay a data request, and the other is to delay the response. Simply edit these two values to your liking, and you’ll instantly simulate a slow internet connection for your chosen desktop application. Your custom network speed will take effect after saving.
Fiddler is the best way to simulate a slow internet connection in a desktop application or any platform that doesn’t give you access to developer tools or customization settings.
to wrap
Your browser bundle may need to be checked from time to time. Now you know how to test your internet connection or simulate slow internet speeds using a variety of tools and methods.
