Though almost every user who hears the term “Internet bandwidth,” yet hardly anyone knows What is Internet bandwidth; What does Internet bandwidth mean? Is there any difference between Internet speed and bandwidth?
Internet bandwidth or network bandwidth is the maximum amount of data transmitted over the Internet at a specific time. Internet bandwidth is also defined as the maximum capacity of wired or wireless communications.
It is measured in the number of bits, kilobits, megabits, or gigabits at the time of seconds. A network connection’s capacity to receive and transmit more data simultaneously depends on its bandwidth.
Internet bandwidth and Internet speed have a significant difference. Bandwidth is the amount of information transmitted over a network; on the other hand, speed referred how fast the information is transmitted.
The confusion is raised when there is a discussion of Internet service providers. For ISPs, bandwidth and speed have equal importance for better data transmission, and people perceived them the same.
When you get the answer about what is Internet bandwidth, you might think about how it works. In a network, bandwidth refers to the volume of digital data that can be sent or received over a channel in a specific amount of time.
Remember, larger or higher bandwidths transmit more data or information. Let’s understand this with a simple example: Bandwidth may be compared to the amount of water that a conduit can carry. The conduit can accommodate greater water at once the greater its diameter.
The bandwidth concept is exactly the same. More and more data a communication channel can transmit per second, the higher its bandwidth.
There are two types of bandwidth connections: symmetrical (meaning the network bandwidth is equal in both ways, upload and download) and asymmetrical (meaning the network bandwidth is different in both directions).
Internet bandwidth is not deemed to have much importance as compared to Internet speed. However, speed and bandwidth are not interchangeable, but bandwidth affects the speed of the Internet.
If you have installed an Internet connection at your home or office, it has a certain bandwidth. Suppose its bandwidth is 25 megabit and you have connected 4 devices at a time.
Because of the massive amount of data being transmitted, even though the connection’s capacity or bandwidth is the same, the speed is reduced.
As soon as you reduce the number of devices to 2, their speed increases since the particular connection can now transport more data at the same time.
After knowing What is Internet bandwidth and its importance, let’s understand how much bandwidth you need. The requirement of bandwidth depends on the usage of the Internet and the number of connected devices.
To obtain the greatest quality without a lot of buffering or latency, ridiculously high tasks like streaming, gaming, and others require a particular level of Internet speed. And the more bandwidth your Internet service will provide, the quicker you’ll be able to reach your goals.
Initially, when the term “bandwidth” was coined, it was measured in bits per second or bps. However, that time is the time when the Internet speed and bandwidth were pathetic or extremely low.
Currently, As a result of the significantly increased capacity of current network lines, bandwidth is now more frequently represented as Mbps or Gbps. You shouldn’t be amazed if there will be higher parameters to measure bandwidth in near future.
If you understand the concept of what is Internet bandwidth, you might already know the affecting parameters. Bandwidth can be negatively impacted by packet loss, latency, and turbulence, which can make a high-capacity link operate as though it had lesser bandwidth utilization.
If you don’t know, let me tell you network latency is the amount of time it requires for a packet of data to get from one point to another.
Depending on the connection’s parameters and Internet service providers, wireless network bandwidth and connection speeds might differ significantly.
According to Paessler, based on the norm or standard, the figures shown below represent the maximum bandwidth speeds:
| 802.11b | 11 Mbps |
| 802.11g | 54 Mbps |
| 802.11n | 600 Mbps |
| 802.11ac | 600 Mbps |
| 3G – HSPA | 7.2 Mbps |
| 3G – HSPA+ | 21 Mbps |
| 3G-DC- – HSPA+ | 42 Mbps |
| 4G – LTE | 100 Mbps |
| 5G (proposed) | 1 Gpbs (or higher) |
This is all about what is Internet bandwidth where I shared all the essential terms and information. This article will enable you to have a deeper understanding of network bandwidth.
I’m hoping you’ll no longer misinterpret Internet bandwidth with speed. Even though I answered all of the frequently asked questions, if you still have queries, please let me know in the comment box.
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