What is network bandwidth?

Network bandwidth is a measurement indicating the maximum capacity of a wired or wireless communications link to transmit data over a network connection in a given amount of time. Typically, bandwidth is represented in the number of bits, kilobits, megabits or gigabits that can be transmitted in 1 second.

What is a bandwidth test?

During a bandwidth test, the link's capacity is determined by repeatedly measuring the time required for a specific file to leave its point of origin and successfully download at its destination.

What is a high bandwidth internet connection?

Generally speaking, the higher the bandwidth, the quicker a device downloads information from the internet, including emails or streamed movies. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) defines broadband internet speeds as connections with a bandwidth of 25 Mbps for downloads and 3 Mbps for uploads.

What is the difference between bandwidth and throughput?

Throughput is how much information actually gets delivered in a certain amount of time. So if bandwidth is the max amount of data, throughput is how much of that data makes it to its destination – taking latency, network speed, packet loss and other factors into account. How much bandwidth do I need?