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What is Bandwidth

It's perhaps the most popular web hosting term. It represents the amount of data that can be transmitted in a fixed amount of time. Let us explain with a simple example what bandwidth is. Imagine water running through pipes. A specific amount of water needs to be delivered through a pipe from one place to another. If the pipe water is running through is a narrow one, it will take more time to deliver water through than if the pipe is a big one. We can say that the second pipe is "wider" than the first pipe. Or, we could take another step and say that the big pipe allows more bandwidth than the narrow pipe. And ultimately bandwidth describes how much stuff can pass through the pipe at a time or how much data can be transmitted over a certain connection line in a fixed period of time.

Bandwidth rate is usually measured in bits per second (bps) and is often expressed in units of thousands(K) or millions(M). For example:

1 Kbps = 1 000 bps
1 Mbps = 1 000 000 bps

Browsing the web, sending e-mail and downloading a file occasionally doesn't consume much bandwidth. Downloading or uploading video or huge audio files will use much more of it. At the moment 2-3% of internet users consume about 90% of the overall available bandwidth. For this reason other users may experience setbacks in performance and slowdowns.

Bandwidth is all about the type of the connection and the amount of data specific connection type allows to be transfered in a specific period of time.

Types of Bandwidth

1. Upstream and Downstream Bandwidth

Upstream type of Bandwidth, also called Upload Bandwidth determines the amount of data that can be sent (uploaded) to the Internet. This is very important for transmitting data and uploading files to the server.

Downstream or Download type of Bandwidth determines the amount of data that is recived from the Internet. This is important for downloading the files from the Internet.

2. Basic Consumer Bandwidth, LAN Bandwidth, WAN Bandwidth solutions

Basic Consumer Internet access is most commonly provided by Dial-Up, DSL or Cable connections. Each of these types of connections allows certain amount of data to be transmitted in a fixed amount of time. For a Bandwidth rate of any of these connections check types of connections

LAN (Local Area Network) stands for a group of computers and associated devices that share a common communications line or wireless link. A local area network may have as few as two or three users (for example, in a home network) or as many as thousands of users (for example, in an FDDI network). The most widely used local area network connection technology is Ethernet. Others areToken Ring technology, FDDI and ARCNET. LAN can also use wireless technology. Bandwidth allowed in a specific LAN community depends on the type of connection technology used. For Ethernet Bandwidth rate check types of connections

WAN (Wide Area Networks) are connections between business organizations and the outside world. A WAN may also be part of a private network that extends across multiple business locations in a city, across the country or even worldwide. Typically WAN represents LAN of the certain organization connected to the outside world. The most common WAN connection is a T1 line. In order to expand Bandwidth multiple T1 lines may be bond together. Another high bandwidth protocol for business connectivity is DS3 over fiber optic SONET service or a T3 line. One of the most popular solutions is Ethernet. Ethernet that runs on LAN can be extended to the WAN. In order to use WAN Ethernet you need to be in a building which a fiber optic cable has been run into and the carrier facilities are installed or at least you have to be near enough to get connected.