There's plenty to love about public free Wi-Fi, especially as it by definition does not cost you anything. It is, however, still fraught with issues as slow connectivity is routinely experienced. In order to combat this, Google has debuted a new feature for its latest Android Oreo 8.1 operating system.

Public Wi-Fi can be spotty. For the first time, #AndroidOreo 8.1 lets you take out the guesswork & see the speed of networks before you hit connect. Rolling out now: https://t.co/lSzvCFgNk7 pic.twitter.com/60EmoPxUX4

— Android (@Android) January 22, 2018

To that end it will be able to tell users the speed of public Wi-Fi hotspots before they connect, helping to ensure the most rapid offering is found. While exact speeds cannot be given, Oreo 8.1 will segment different Wi-Fi according to specific categories. 'Slow' for example will be under 1 Mbps, 'OK' is between 1 Mbps and 5 Mbps, 'Fast' is from 5 Mbps to 20 Mbps and lastly 'Very Fast' is in excess of 20 Mbps.

The feature is said to be rolling out now to devices that sport Android Oreo 8.1.