What Is Bandwidth? How to know your Bandwidth Speed Needs?

Posted on by Robin Sidana

Do you get confused about Internet speed? Do you shake your brain while listening to the term bandwidth? 

No worries because you ‘re not alone.

There is uncertainty among others about Internet speed. We usually don’t know what the internet speed is, how it functions, and why it should be paid for. But it is the biggest selling point for the internet service provider, so the pace has to be significant.

The word bandwidth has a variety of technical definitions just like internet popularization, it has usually applied to the amount of information per unit of time that can be handled by a transmission medium like an internet connection.

How Does Bandwidth Work?

With an example, it is easy to describe and understand how the bandwidth works.

Think of bandwidth as a highway. Both cars (data) travel at the same speed so the highway needs to be broader to get more traffic from the internet to make your device works quicker.

To put it another way, say 1 Mbps is the equivalent of a 1 lane freeway. And let’s presume you’ve tried downloading a picture which is 5 Mb in size. So if you had a 1 Mbps (1 lane freeway) bandwidth it would take you about 5 seconds to download the file.

Now let’s presume you’ve got a 5 Mbps link (bandwidth), or a 5 lane freeway. How quick is your picture going to get? One second.

What Can Affect My Bandwidth?  

The size of your cable, or network, is of course only one factor that influences bandwidth. Much as a partial clog in a pipe delays water flow, so can the bandwidth be deterred by other factors. Some of the most prominent options include:

1. Local Competition

This is otherwise known as “Noisy neighbor syndrome.” If you have a “best-effort” Internet service, you share your connection with other nearby clients. As they hog more of the resources from your provider to your area, you get less.  So, a neighboring business that requires lots of data transfer capacity can leave you waiting with frustration. 

2. Connection Type

Network form plays a major role in the speed at which you can have an internet connection. Using my earlier example, certain roads (bandwidth) are set or limited and can not be extended or increased. Dialups are good examples of this and to some degree DSL.

3. Network Logistics 

If your network is insufficient for the number of users or the quantity of data it is needed to manage, otherwise, your bandwidth would eventually struggle. Also, old equipment or cables can not meet the current requirements for handling large volumes of data. Malware and viruses are capable of devouring vital resources and sluggish performance. All this means long processing times, poor reliability, and regular breakdowns for data transfers.

4. Multiple Network Bottlenecks 

Your access to the network isn’t the only element in action. Your network path can link with others who may not be as knowledgeable as yours. An older network might not be able to support the amount of bandwidth yours might have. In other network connections, delay, packet loss, and latency can all slow performance. It’s the old “weak link” analogy where the bandwidth is just as strong as the chain’s least effective shared network.

    Businesses and consumers need this in this mega-connected environment, so crave it, search for the best products, even though most lack it. There is more to the buzz phrase. More bandwidth is required to expand the services! To boost customer experience it needs more bandwidth! 

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