Connection type dimension
The connection type dimension describes the network a session used — wifi, cellular, or wired. It is reliable in native apps, where the SDK reads it from the OS, but limited on the web because the Network Information API is not universally available. This page explains the sources and the gaps.
What this means
Connection type classifies the network behind a session: wifi, cellular (sometimes with a generation like 4g), ethernet, or unknown. It helps explain performance differences and informs how heavy a page or media payload should be.
In native apps the GA4/Firebase SDK reads the connection from the operating system, so app data is dependable. On the web the source is the Network Information API (navigator.connection), which exposes effectiveType and related fields.
- Classes: wifi, cellular, ethernet, unknown
- Apps: SDK reads it from the OS
- Web: Network Information API (navigator.connection)
Why web coverage is patchy
The Network Information API is not implemented across all browsers, and where it exists it can be limited or gated. Safari, in particular, has not shipped the full API, so a large share of web sessions return no connection type at all.
That makes web connection-type data partial by nature: present for some Chromium-based sessions, absent for others. Read it as a directional signal for the subset that reports it, not a complete census of your audience's networks.
- Network Information API has incomplete browser support
- Safari does not expose the full API
- Treat web values as a partial, directional sample
How it appears in analytics and logs
A connection type value names the network class for a session. On the web, missing or absent values are expected because many browsers do not expose the Network Information API.
Diagnostic use case
Understand whether your audience is on wifi or cellular to inform performance budgets, media weight, and offline-friendly design.
What WebmasterID can help detect
WebmasterID treats connection type as an optional, coarse signal and never depends on it for identity, keeping reporting privacy-safe where the browser does expose it.
Common mistakes
- Assuming connection type is available for all web sessions.
- Reading a partial web sample as the whole audience.
- Using effectiveType as an exact bandwidth measurement.
Privacy and accuracy notes
Connection type is a coarse network class, not a precise network identifier, and is broadly privacy-safe. Avoid combining it with other signals to narrow identity. This is educational, not legal advice.
Related pages
- Device category: desktop, mobile, tablet
Device category groups visits into desktop, mobile, or tablet. It is derived from the user-agent string (increasingly, User-Agent Client Hints), so it is a classification, not a hardware fact. Tablets, desktop-mode mobile browsers, and foldables blur the boundaries, and the user agent can be spoofed.
- Platform dimension: web, Android, or iOS
Platform is the dimension that records the broad surface a hit came from: web, Android, or iOS. In GA4 it is determined by the data stream the event arrived through, since a property can combine app and web streams. It is coarser than the operating-system dimension and is the right axis for comparing app versus web behaviour — but mixing app-only and web-only metrics across platforms is a frequent reporting error.
- Viewport size dimension
The viewport is the visible area a page renders into — distinct from the physical screen resolution. Analytics tools can capture viewport size to understand the canvas your layout actually had. This page explains the difference from screen resolution, the role of CSS pixels and device pixel ratio, and why values cluster.
- Website observability
Relate network class to real-world performance.
Sources and verification notes
- MDN — Network Information APIDefines navigator.connection and notes limited support.
- MDN — NetworkInformation.effectiveTypeExplains the effectiveType connection classes.
Last reviewed 2026-06-24. Facts are checked against primary/official sources where available; uncertain specifics are marked “Data not yet verified” rather than guessed.