Experimental
This is an experimental technology
Check the Browser compatibility table carefully before using this in production.
The Network Information API provides information about the system's connection in terms of general connection type (e.g., 'wifi', 'cellular', etc.). This can be used to select high definition content or low definition content based on the user's connection. The entire API consists of the addition of the NetworkInformation
interface and a single property to the Navigator
interface: Navigator.connection
.
Note:
This feature is available in Web Workers.Examples
Detect connection changes
This example watches for changes to the user's connection.
var connection = navigator.connection || navigator.mozConnection || navigator.webkitConnection;
var type = connection.effectiveType;
function updateConnectionStatus() {
console.log("Connection type changed from " + type + " to " + connection.effectiveType);
type = connection.effectiveType;
}
connection.addEventListener('change', updateConnectionStatus);
Preload large resources
The connection object is useful for deciding whether to preload resources that take large amounts of bandwidth or memory. This example would be called soon after page load to check for a connection type where preloading a video may not be desirable. If a cellular connection is found, then the preloadVideo
flag is set to false
. For simplicity and clarity, this example only tests for one connection type. A real-world use case would likely use a switch statement or some other method to check all of the possible values of NetworkInformation.type
. Regardless of the type
value you can get an estimate of connection speed through the NetworkInformation.effectiveType
property.
let preloadVideo = true;
var connection = navigator.connection || navigator.mozConnection || navigator.webkitConnection;
if (connection) {
if (connection.effectiveType === 'slow-2g') {
preloadVideo = false;
}
}
Interfaces
NetworkInformation
- Provides information about the connection a device is using to communicate with the network and provides a means for scripts to be notified if the connection type changes. The
NetworkInformation
interfaces cannot be instantiated. It is instead accessed through theNavigator
interface.
Specifications
Specification | Status | Comment |
---|---|---|
Network Information API The definition of 'Network Information API' in that specification. |
Draft | Initial specification |
Browser compatibility
NetworkInformation
BCD tables only load in the browser
Navigator.connection
BCD tables only load in the browser