Glossary Networking

Bandwidth

Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data a connection can carry per second, usually quoted in megabits per second (Mbps).

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In more detail

Speeds are quoted in bits but files are measured in bytes, and a byte is 8 bits, so divide by 8: a 100 Mbps connection moves at most 12.5 megabytes per second. Real throughput is lower because of overhead and shared links. Bandwidth is capacity, not Latency.

See also

  • Glossary Latency
    Latency is the delay between sending a request and starting to receive the response, usually measured in milliseconds.
  • Glossary Packet
    A packet is a small unit of data sent across a network.
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