The term bandwidth is very common these days, especially because its technology affects almost all aspects of our lives. You use bandwidth when you connect to the internet, when you use the telephone, when you watch television, and in many other activities. But what exactly is bandwidth? Read on to find out and see how it can change your life.
Bandwidth defined
The term ‘bandwidth’ refers to the amount of data or information that can be transmitted over a network in a given time, or, in much simpler terms, is a measure of how much ‘stuff’ is sent through any connection. Information sent can take many forms depending on the channel.
How bandwidth affects you
Bandwidth in internet terms is usually expressed in either bits per second (bps), kilobits per second (kbps), or megabits per second (mbps). The higher the bandwidth of your connection, the faster you can upload and download data from the internet. Dial-up connections are low speed at only about 50+ kbps, while better cable connections go from 500 kbps and up. Whether you need a connection that has bigger bandwidth depends on your purposes for using the internet. If you only use the net for text-based research purposes, you don’t need much bandwidth. A whole page of English text is only about 16,000 bits, so if your modem can move about 57,000 bits per second, you are more than covered. You may need higher bandwidth if you upload or download full-motion and full-screen video, which, depending on compression, requires roughly 10,000,000 bits-per-second. It is wise to subscribe to a high-bandwidth connection if you use the internet for pictures, graphics, music and videos.
The telephones use bandwidth, too – in fact, a bandwidth of about 3,000 ‘cycles per second’ (cps) is required for voice transmission. The bandwidth required for television broadcasting is even higher at about 6 million cps, and satellite system prevent interference by spreading television signals using bandwidth of as little as 17.5 MHz to a as much as 72 MHz.
Related Articles of Interest :
-
Bandwidth Tests
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
You can easily determine the speed of your internet connection bandwidth by using websites that offer free bandwidth tests. But do these sites really measure the ‘real-time’ performance of your web connection? Read on to understand how bandwidth tests really work, and bust the misconceptions...
-
Bandwidth Meters
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
You can test your internet speed for free by using bandwidth meters found in many site over the internet. Note, however, that the results generated by these tests are not 100 percent accurate, and that your internet seed varies from time to time (depending on...
-
ADSL Speed Tests
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
ADSL is a new technology that stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. This is commonly known as DSL and can provide high speed internet access to homes using the standard copper telephone lines. It is different from Internet access that is provided through cable television...
-
What is ADSL?
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
ADSL is a relatively new technology that stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. ADSL is more commonly known as just DSL. It can provide a very fast transmission of video and voice to homes over ordinary copper telephone wires. It requires a special DSL modem...
-
Broadband Speeds
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Broadband speed can be compared to a broad highway through which traffic moves smoothly at great speed, without any road blocks, breaks, delays or other hassles. You reach your destination straightaway without loss of time and conduct your business expeditiously. Internet broadband is similar to...
-
Bandwidth Management
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Bandwidth management enables many people to share an internet connection comfortably. Know more about how effective bandwidth management affects you as a consumer. Bandwidth management refers to the process of controlling bandwidth to ensure enough of it is available to support internet traffic requirements. Internet...
-
DSL Speed Test
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
DSL Speed Test helps to measure the download and upload rate of a DSL connection. Even though DSL internet connections offer reasonably good performance, it is a good idea to check the speed of the internet connection with DSL speed test. The speed test will...
-
Broadband Internet
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
Broadband Internet is an advanced and revolutionary technology that has allowed high-speed and efficient Internet service and connectivity. It is distinct in its operation from any other from of communication channel or network. In the ordinary base or narrow-band connection used in normal telephone lines,...
-
ADSL Tester
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
ADSL stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, which is a form of high-speed Internet access using standard phone lines. Unlike the standard modem, which can only provide download speeds of up to 56 kbps, ADSL can provide you with download speeds of up to eight...
-
Network Bandwidth Monitors
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
No Comments
The rate at which a network transmits or receives data is termed network bandwidth. Bandwidth and latency are two important parameters for measuring the speed of the networks. The higher the bandwidth, the higher the cost of the network. Hence, wastage of bandwidth is a...