What the network check can and can’t tell you
How to read your result, and when to check again.
At a glance
Green means the sites answered. It does not prove payments or calls will work.
What the check does
The network check opens a few Chinese and overseas websites from your browser and times how fast they answer. Those sites see your connection, just as if you opened them yourself.
Green is a good sign, not a promise
A site answering is not the same as an app being signed in. Payments, calls, video and account rules can still fail. After checking, open the apps you actually need.
Check again in China
A result at home is only a starting point. Check again after you land, on both Wi-Fi and mobile data. If something fails, the arrival help page walks you through it.
A few more notes for your journey.
Why does WeChat work but Google won’t load?
The two-minute idea behind most internet surprises in China.
3 MIN READ ↗Hotel Wi-Fi not working? Check these four things
Find the cause before you buy another service.
2 MIN READ ↗Why won’t this page load?
Compare networks and websites to narrow down the problem.
Still stuck? Go step by step.
Three common problems, three steps each.