Having fast, reliable home internet is essential these days for work, school, streaming and browsing. But understanding how much speed you need, or even what "internet speed" even means, can be a daunting task. Bandwidth and latency are two key factors that affect how we perceive the speed of our internet connection. But while you may hear them used together quite often, these two terms have distinct meanings. Understanding what they are and the difference between them can help you troubleshoot your home internet -- whether you're on cable, fiber, DSL, 5G or satellite.
Here’s the simple breakdown from Mike Conlow, director of network strategy at Cloudflare, an internet infrastructure company: “Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that can be transmitted at once. Latency measures the time data takes to get from your computer to where it’s going (and often to get an acknowledgment of receipt back to your computer).”
Conlow illustrates the concepts of bandwidth and latency using the metaphor of cars and a highway. Bandwidth is the number of lanes (more lanes means higher bandwidth), and latency is the time it takes a car on that highway to reach its destination (faster travel time means lower latency).
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What is bandwidth?
Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data that can be transferred over an internet connection in a specific amount of time. That's expressed in megabits per second (Mbps) or gigabits per second (Gbps). Let’s say you’re shopping for internet and comparing plans from cable provider Xfinity. You can choose from different tiers of bandwidth. You may see plans ranging from 150Mbps to 1,200Mbps. If I were an internet user with many devices, big files and demanding streaming and gaming needs, I'd be interested in a higher bandwidth plan, like the 1,200Mbps option.
How do I figure out my bandwidth?
Check the details of your internet provider's plan. Let's say you have Google Fiber's 1 gig Core plan. Your potential bandwidth is 1,000Mbps (or 1Gbps) for downloads and uploads since fiber typically offers a symmetrical connection (the same speed for downloads and uploads). If you have 5G internet (like I do with T-Mobile 5G Home Internet), bandwidth gets fuzzier. The bandwidth available to your home may fluctuate depending on the strength of your wireless signal, the placement of your equipment and network congestion.
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Does bandwidth equal speed?
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