Everyone wants an internet to go home quickly, but the task can be complicated and “Internet speed” can be a vague concept. Bandwidth and latency are two key factors that affect how we perceive the speed of our internet connection. But they are not the same thing. Understanding what they are and the difference between the two can help you troubleshoot your home internet – whether you are in or not cable,,,,, fiber,,,,, DSL,,,,, 5G or satellite.
Here is a simple breakdown of Mike Conlow, director of network strategy at Cloudflare, an internet infrastructure company: “Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that can be transferred immediately. Delay time measures where the data takes from where the computer arrives (and often gets a confirmation back to the computer).
Conlow uses the metaphor of cars and highways to illustrate the concept of bandwidth and latency. Bandwidth is the number of lanes (more lanes mean higher bandwidth), while latency is the time to get to your destination by car on the highway (faster travel time means lower latency).
What is bandwidth?
Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data that can be transmitted over an Internet connection within a specific time. Gigabits per second (Mbps) or Gigabits per second (GBPS) are expressed in large megabits. Suppose you are buying the internet and comparing the plans of cable provider XFINITY. You can choose from different layers of bandwidth. You may see plans ranging from 150Mbps to 1,200Mbps. If I were an internet user with many devices, large files, and demanding streaming and gaming needs, I would be interested in higher bandwidth plans, such as the 1,200MBPS option.
How do I figure out my bandwidth?
Check the details of the Internet provider program. Suppose you have Google Fiber’s Level 1 Core Program. Your potential bandwidth is 1,000Mbps (or 1GBPS) for download and upload, as fibers usually provide symmetrical connections (the same speed as download and upload). If you have 5G internet (Just like me with T-Mobile 5G home internet), the bandwidth becomes blurred. The bandwidth available to your home may fluctuate depending on the strength of your wireless signal, the placement of your device, and network congestion.
Is the bandwidth equal?
When we talk about “speed,” we usually refer to the download and upload speed advertised in the internet plan. But when it comes to home internet, you hear speeds in various situations. “When it’s really just referring to bandwidth, ‘speed’ really gets confused,” Conlow said.
Bandwidth is just an integral part of how your internet is represented. What’s more, how your plan is for you day after day. A higher bandwidth plan can be associated with a faster experience, but other factors also work – including the device you are using, the type of Internet connection and the latency of the connection (more information).
Use the Internet speed test to understand what is going on with your connection. Check out CNET’s speed test recommendations, including our top option Ookla. (Ookla is owned by Ziff Davis’s CNET parent company.) Good speed tests will pass data about your download speed, upload speed and latency. Don’t be surprised if you don’t reach the maximum speed you plan. The actual speed may be different from the ad speeds of most internet connections.
What is delay?
Latency is an overlooked factor in Internet performance. The time it takes for data to move has a big impact on how quickly you experience it or how slow it down. This is especially true for online gamers who need commands to register quickly. If you are saving the world, you don’t want to twist your thumb and wait for the final boss to load.
But for any Internet user, a low latency is required. “This is a common misconception that only gamers need to care about Internet connections with low latency, and that most users should have a high bandwidth connection,” Conlow said. “Conlow takes Netflix as an example. Netflix recommends using a 15Mbps download connection for streaming 4K video. To do math, you need 67 people to watch 4K on their device to saturate the 1GBPS connection. Of course, our home now has many other devices competing for that bandwidth. However, for most homes, this gigabit connection is still too killer.
Do I need higher bandwidth or lower latency?
Let’s stick with a 1Gbps connection. “At the same time, using Web browsing as what everyone does in the internet, academic research and CloudFlare’s own work, suggesting that over 25Mbps, web pages won’t load any faster – users don’t benefit from a 1GBPS connection,” Conlow said. By contrast, he highlights how lower latency connections can help web pages load and provide a better overall experience. Looking for a low latency? Typically, fiber optic internet has lower latency than other connection types.
What about pinging?
You may use “ping” and “delay” interchangeably, especially when you are involved in the gaming community. These terms are related, but they are not exactly the same. ping is a measurement of delay, expressed in milliseconds (MS).
Don’t judge me based on my internet speed test results.
The speed test you use to get a snapshot of your Internet connection can tell you your ping rate. Look for results marked “ping” or “delay” below the numbers you downloaded and uploaded. For example, I’ve done an Ookla test on connecting to my laptop via Wi-Fi T-Mobile 5G home internet Gateway. The test used the server in the same city as me. It gives me three PING numbers: 54ms (when idle at the start of the test), 230ms (worked in the download test) and 621ms (worked while the upload test is going).
When using the network, download and upload ping simulates the conditions. If I were a gamer, I might be shopping for new internet providers. Ideally, I want pings that are 50ms or at least under 100mm. Actually, I sometimes notice that the website slowly loads or stutters when I attend a Zoom meeting. Are you a gamer? Read these tips for lowering ping.
Remember that the speed test is a snapshot of the Internet connection to a specific device at a specific point in time. You may see different results depending on the device, the server you connect to, the time of day, and whether you connect via wired or wireless network. Learn about the difference between Wi-Fi and Ethernet.
Bandwidth and latency: What can you control?
Bandwidth is often a more manageable factor. If anything, you can upgrade your internet plan. For example, I moved from a 20Mbps DSL plan to T-Mobile’s home internet service, and sometimes I downloaded 100Mbps in my speed test. This is an obvious upgrade to my home. If bandwidth is a sticky point, consider a higher bandwidth plan or move to another ISP.
Conlow recommends upgrading your home internet device, whether you are getting equipment from your ISP or providing your own. “There have been significant improvements in Wi-Fi and other technologies that manage latency,” he said, and he also recommends that hardwired devices (such as TVs and desktop computers) do not need to move around. “Wi-Fi itself may be the cause of the incubation period, and Hard Wildired will be a faster, more stable connection,” he explained. Finally, don’t shy away from contacting your ISP. At the end of your ISP, there may be a problem that can be resolved or room for improvement.
Bandwidth and latency FAQs
Bandwidth is the amount of data you can transfer in a given time, usually expressed as Mbps or Gbpps. Just like a driveway on a highway. The higher the bandwidth, the more lanes you have. So a slow DSL plan is like sending data along a dirt road, while a fast fiber plan is like sending data along a highway.
What is more important about bandwidth or latency?
it depends. Both are important. If you crawl with an outdated 3Mbps DSL connection, you’ll notice the lack of bandwidth. Similarly, if you have a home full of gamers and 4K video streaming, you may want to look for a higher bandwidth plan. A low latency is more important than having huge bandwidth to respond (faster) to the Internet experience. In an ideal world, you will have low latency and sufficient bandwidth to meet your online needs.
As AI is more integrated into online experiences, looking for latency to play a bigger role in the home internet. “As we get closer to AI becoming a part of everyday life, whether it’s a text chatbot or you’re having a verbal conversation with an AI bot – milliseconds can affect the naturalness of these experiences, which will be crucial.”
How does bandwidth affect latency?
Despite their different bandwidth and latency, they can get caught up in a dance that affects your internet performance. If you have too little bandwidth, which can cause congestion on the network, you may notice that dance slows down. Think about that highway, what would happen if there was only one lane and 50 cars wanted to get on the same ramp. Effectively, your internet will feel slow. Peek into these secrets to enhance your internet.
