About Plug and Check
Plug and Check is a free set of tests for the hardware you use every day. Plug something in, open its test, and find out in a few seconds whether it works.
What you can test
Webcams, microphones, speakers and headphones, keyboards and mice, touch screens, game controllers and displays. Most people use a test at one of three moments: just before a video call, after buying or unboxing something new, or when a device starts acting up and they want to know whether the fault is in the device or in the settings.
How it works
Modern browsers can talk to your devices directly. A test asks your browser for what it needs, such as the picture from your camera, the sound from your microphone, your key presses or your controller's buttons, and works out the result on your own computer. Nothing you test is sent to us or to anyone else. There is nothing to install and no account to create.
When a test needs your camera or microphone, your browser asks you first. You can say no, and you can take the permission back at any time in your browser's site settings.
What the results can and can't tell you
A test sees your device the way your browser sees it. That is usually what you want to know, because meeting apps, games and websites see it the same way. It also means a few limits:
- If your system or a driver changes the signal before the browser gets it, for example with noise suppression, the test measures the changed signal.
- Timing results such as frame rate, polling rate and refresh rate are measured over a few seconds and can vary with what else your computer is doing.
- Browsers differ. When yours lacks a feature a test needs, the test tells you instead of guessing.
- The hearing range check compares how your ears and your headphones handle different pitches. It is not a medical hearing test.
When a result looks wrong, each test explains what to try next, and the feedback form reaches us directly.
Who runs it
Plug and Check is an independent site run by the site operator. It is not affiliated with any hardware maker, and product names on the site belong to their owners. You can reach us at [email protected].
How it's paid for
The tests are free and will stay free. To cover the cost of running the site, we plan to show ads in the future, and we may link to replacement products when a test finds a fault. Ads will not appear inside a running test. The privacy notice explains what will change when ads arrive.