Bandwidth – Brief definition
The bandwidth refers to the amount of data that an internet connection can transfer over a specific period of time. This maximum amount of data per second is measured in Mbit/s (megabits per second).
When discussing the speed of an internet connection, it is often referred to as bandwidth. However, this is not entirely accurate, as bandwidth is only one part of the relevant information.
What is Bandwidth?
The bandwidth refers not to the actual speed of a data line, but to the maximum amount of data that can theoretically flow through the line in a set period of time.
A suitable analogy would be a data highway: The higher the bandwidth, the more vehicles can travel in parallel and deliver data packets. Initially, it doesn’t matter what speed they are traveling at.
The bandwidth corresponds to the channel capacity and should not be confused with the actual data transfer rate. The latter is determined in conjunction with the latency.
The bandwidth requirements vary from application to application. An assessment for the most common scenarios – from occasional browsing to working from home to gaming – can be found in our Guide to Bandwidth.
If you want to know how high the data throughput in your home network is, you can use the devolo Speedtest and compare the measured values with the bandwidth you subscribed to with your provider.