Have you ever wondered what is bandwidth and why it’s crucial for every web application owner?
During our regular surfing of the Internet world, we might face many strange new technical vocabularies and terms. As long as knowledge is power, we will find a kind of interest and curiosity to discover more and more about those words.
So today, we will discuss together what is Bandwidth, why Bandwidth is important, the use of Bandwidth, and much more info about Bandwidth.
What is Bandwidth?
Bandwidth is defined as the maximum measured amount of information to be transferred over an internet connection link during a specific period.
Bandwidth is an important factor to consider when you’re choosing a network. This is because bandwidth determines how fast your internet connection will function and how much data you’ll be able to access at once.
It’s also important for streaming media and other activities that require a high-speed internet connection.
When a computer has more Bandwidth that means it can receive and send information quickly without any delay and the transferred data may be conducted by wire or wireless Internet connection.
Bandwidth is concerned with the internet volume of data in a specific unit of time rather than speed. This must be clearly stated to correct the misconception.
To clarify the point, let us take this example when someone is saying, the connection is done via the internet by using a dial-up modem of 56 kilobits, he means the maximum transferred data is 56 kilobits every single second.
What is Bandwidth usage?
Bandwidth usage is used to determine how much data has been transferred in any given period. This includes both the upstream and downstream bandwidths.
To calculate this, we need to know how much data was transferred during the period, and then divide it by the length of time it took for this transfer to happen.
Units used to measure Bandwidth
Bandwidth is a measure of the amount of data that can be transmitted through a given channel in a unit of time. Therefore, it should have a measuring unit it uses to measure the data.
There are main units used to measure bandwidth data transfer rate: bit, byte, kilobits, megabits, and gigabits per second.
- Kilobits = (1000) Bites.
- Megabits = (1’000’000) Bites.
- Gigabits = (1’000’000’000) Bites.
How does Bandwidth work?
If the capacity of a data connection is high, then it will be able to send and receive a high volume of data content and vice versa. When the data connection capacity is low, it will not be able to deliver the data as required.
To simplify that idea, let’s consider the Bandwidth as the volume of water in the coming example. Let us imagine two pipes of different widths and two containers occupied by the exact volume of water.
The one with the greater width (with a large diameter) allows water to flow smoothly and rapidly. So the container will be empty in a short time. The other narrow pipe needs more time to conduct all the water volume.
The same concept takes place when talking about Bandwidth. As long as the communication link is of high capacity, then more data can be shared per second.
The network connection cost is in direct proportion to the Bandwidth amount.
Why Bandwidth is important?
Bandwidth is one of the essential points that must be taken into consideration when we are talking about how fast the downloading process is from a browser or the loading time for a certain web page or a video player.
It is important for many reasons and it is essential for creating content online. Content creators need to make sure they have enough bandwidth to produce high-quality content on time and without interruption.
The Bandwidth will make a great difference when you are selecting the platform to be used for your website. So, if the website is loaded with heavy images and videos this will require high Bandwidth, and the opposite is true.
When you have a high Bandwidth, that means you are going to be able to send and receive high data content within a short time.
What’s a bandwidth limit?
Bandwidth limits can be defined as the maximum amount of data that a device can process and send. It is usually measured in bits per second (bps) and bytes per second (bps).
Bandwidth limits vary depending on what type of connection you’re using. For example, if your Internet connection speed is 1 Mbps, you have a bandwidth limit of 1 Mbps. If it increases to 10 Mbps, your bandwidth will increase to 10 Mbps, or in some cases, your connection will be very slow.
It is important to know what your bandwidth limit is so that you don’t exceed it and cause issues with your computer or internet connection.
What affects bandwidth?
The bandwidth of a network is affected by the number of users on it and the type of traffic that is being transmitted. For example, if you have a network with more users and more traffic then it will take up more resources and bandwidth. Some of the things that affect the Bandwidth are:
- The network topology – The number and distance between nodes on a network affect the speed at which data can be transmitted.
- The speed of the connections that are used – This includes both physical connections and wireless connections.
- The size of the network – A larger network has more bandwidth than a smaller one.
Bandwidth vs. Internet Speed
The Internet speed represents the number of traveling bits per second. It concerns the speed at which the data can be uploaded or downloaded on your computer or device.
The Internet Bandwidth is responsible for the determination of how much information can be sent or received per time unit.
Let us show the difference between Internet speed and bandwidth in this example.
Imagine the Bandwidth as a (freeway), Data represents (cars) that are moving at the same speed. If we want to raise the speed of the vehicles, we have to enlarge the freeway width (i.e. to expand the Bandwidth).
The Bandwidth depends on the number of online users that are sharing or subscribing to the same network. When the number of online users increases, this will harm internet speed. It is going to be more slowly and the data upload or download takes more time.
It has been noted that, usually, the download speed in shared service is faster than the upload speed.
So, based on the nature of the business (whether it requires high internet speed or not) and the number of shared devices, and how many subscribers will be there, the Bandwidth service is going to be considered.
When simultaneous internet-based tasks run at the same time, the speed of each task will negatively be affected.
Bandwidth and Web storage
Bandwidth is the amount of data you are consuming every month. It is estimated by reporting the (file size) multiplied by (how many times the users saw the file).
For example, if there is an 8 MB file on your website that has been seen once by one visitor. That means 8 MB had been consumed from your total bandwidth package.
If three visitors see the file, then 24 MB will be taken from the bandwidth.
Web Storage is a different term. It is the total available space that is customized for your files. This space is decreasing gradually every time you add a new file.
The storage space is fixed. No way to renew it or add any expansion to increase the space and more space can be released by deleting previously existing old files. That will free up more storage space and allow new files to be saved.
Many kinds of files vary in the required spaces in storage. MP3s, WMAs, and WAVs are examples of audio files. MP3s consume the least space when compared to other audio files.
Read also: What is Web Hosting?
Bandwidth and Frequency
When talking about sharing information, some may ask what is the difference between Radio Frequency and Bandwidth?
Bandwidth represents the difference between the highest and lowest generated frequencies of signals while Frequency is defined as the rate of signals that are sent or received by/from a radio.
Radio signals have no single frequencies. It uses a broad range of frequencies and signals to deliver the actual sounds that have variable tones. The Bandwidth represents the difference between the higher and lower band frequencies.
The signal frequency tells how many signals pass through a specific point at a specific time.
Frequency is measured by Hertz (how many cycles are generated in a second) while Bandwidth is using Bits as measuring units.
The processing speed is measured by Frequency and it is expressed as the rate of radio signals that send or receive signals.
How to monitor Bandwidth usage?
There are many ways to monitor bandwidth usage and one of them is by using a Bandwidth Monitor tool such as SolarWinds. This tool provides you with a detailed report on how much data your company is using and where it’s coming from.
Many web hosting companies provide you with resource monitoring on their control panel so that you can easily monitor your Bandwidth and other resources.
Benefits of higher Bandwidth
Higher bandwidth is a benefit that can be obtained from the use of high-speed internet. Individuals and businesses need to have higher bandwidth.
There are many benefits of having higher bandwidth, such as:
Shorter download time:
The importance of that can be seen when dealing with large files. More time can be saved to finalize the data transferring procedure.
The following explanation shows this point in a simple way.
Imagine we have a file containing very big data content (names X) and we are comparing the consumed time to finish the downloading process at different Bandwidth services.
When the Broadband Service is 56 kbps, it will be downloaded in 900 minutes while when it is 512 kbps it takes 100 minutes. If the service is 30’000 kbps then the whole process will be ended in two minutes.
Providing Support to multiple users and online sessions concurrently:
The use of Broadband routers makes the sharing of Broadband by different users something applicable.
A family member at home can do different online activities at the same time. One can download an important file while the other is watching a video. This can be performed concurrently but it costs Bandwidth.
The following example figures out what was discussed above.
Consider that, the family is using a 1.3 Mbps Bandwidth. When the used Broadband service is 56 kbps, they can’t use the online sessions concurrently.
The same happens when the selected band is 512 kbps. But when the Broadband service is increased up to 3’500 kbps, everyone can smoothly use the internet for different purposes at the same time with his family members.
Smoother experience with multiple concurrent online applications:
Sometimes most users are running several online applications at once as checking an email, downloading a file, watching a video, searching for a piece of information, etc.
Hence, good support will enhance the experience and leave a nice impression about how smoothly all the processes had concurrently.
When you use a Broadband service of 56 kbps, then you can’t use many online applications together at once, and if your selected band is 512 kbps, the usage of more than one online application will be possible but it is going to be very slow.
But when the Broadband service is increased up to 3’500 kbps, you can smoothly use many online applications concurrently at the same time. The Internet response will be adequate.
Preparing you for new Bandwidth intensive applications:
When you are watching a video on a website, it plays at a specific rate. That rate indicates how much bandwidth is needed to make it smoothly watch the video.
A high Bandwidth service is required to able you to stream video straight from the website to your device.
More explanation is shown next:
The use of HD TV requires 6-8 Mbps and 20-25 Mbps. More advanced applications like Super HD-TV will need about 32 Mbps and 60 Mbps.
If family members share the same network for different objectives, they will end up with a need to use higher-end Broadband services to give them a good chance to watch their videos as they want effectively.
Best Bandwidth plan for your business
To determine the practical package that covers your business needs you have to track your business activities for several periods.
It also depends on what your business provides to customers. Are you using text and small images like blogs or you are consuming a lot of bandwidth by providing high-quality graphics?
Different businesses use different Bandwidth services because the number of employees and the activity level varies from one firm to another.
The tracking can help you to estimate and decide which package will cover your work needs. The Bandwidth Plan can be adjusted when necessary.
There are Internet Speed Test Sites that can help you in the determination of how much Bandwidth is needed for specific company activities but this is not the way of choice that provides accurate capacity.
If you are a blogger or a simple website owner like a portfolio, using a huge amount of resources will not do much good.
Otherwise, if your business is based on online activities like downloading and uploading large files or videos, then you will be advised to choose services with larger capacity and speed to help in the accomplishment of duties properly.
Dedicated Bandwidth Service
The most powerful bandwidth plans are the ones that come with dedicated bandwidth resources. This service offered stable internet.
The Internet speed remains stable 24 hours / 7 days without any limitations and it shows no alteration or fluctuation in the quality of provided service regardless of the number of online users even during the peak hours of the day, there will be no slowdown.
Dedicated bandwidth service ensures stability in internet services all the time. That will support the consistency of online activities and the satisfaction of users.
Conclusion: What is Bandwidth?
Buying a Bandwidth service for your business becomes one of the essential needs to keep your communication with others and to ensure the effective running of work.
Different work activities are to be shared in different volumes on social media. That will need specific internet capacity. So, it is obvious to find that every single file or profile will have its size.
The Bandwidth is the transmission speed of data from one place to another through a single cable.
The Bandwidth is not as same as the internet speed. Although there is a relationship between them, they are not equal.
Read also:
What is CDN?
What is Uptime?
