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Bandwidth vs. Latency: What is the Divergence?

Jul fifteen, 2021 Share
FAQ, Internet Speed Guides

The terms "bandwidth" and "latency" are always forepart and center when reading about or discussing an internet service. But what practise they mean? How are they different? And do they touch your net speed?

While these two terms are often confused, they're non the same thing. There are some subtle but important differences between bandwidth and latency, and knowing which is your problem can be the key to getting the almost out of your internet connectedness.

Is your internet feeling slow? You may demand a new program with better bandwidth. Enter your zip lawmaking below to see what's available in your expanse.

Bandwidth vs. latency

What is bandwidth?

Bandwidth is a measure of how much data tin exist transferred from one indicate in a network to some other within a specific amount of fourth dimension. Information technology's typically used to measure how much data you can download to your device from a server on the internet.

Think of your connexion's bandwidth as a freeway and your data every bit six cars traveling at the same speed. A freeway with high bandwidth would have half dozen lanes assuasive all cars to go far simultaneously in 1 2nd. A freeway with low bandwidth would have a single lane allowing all cars to somewhen make it in half-dozen seconds.

Your actual bandwidth will frequently be less than your maximum bandwidth due to network congestion, network overhead, and other external factors. For example, your internet connection may support a wide bandwidth (freeway) of 1,000 Mbps, but your internet programme may close a few lanes and limit your bandwidth to 400 Mbps. Add together on network congestion, local cabling problems, and so on and your top bandwidth may simply be 300 Mbps.

Bottom line: A higher bandwidth is improve.

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What is latency?

Latency refers to how much fourth dimension a betoken takes to travel to its destination and back.

For example, latency plays a huge part when gaming online. With low latency, your input is immediately seen on the screen—like jumping over a barrier—considering very piffling time has passed betwixt your push press, the server'southward acknowledgment of your action, and the returned acknowledgment rendered on your screen.

With loftier latency, y'all'll come across a filibuster between your controller input and the resulting jump on your screen because the trip to the server and back takes longer. This filibuster is known as input lag.

Latency isn't merely a gaming issue. Every time yous put in a request to your cyberspace connexion (search for something on Google, check social media, etc.), it sends a signal to the server to call back the information and and so bring it back to you. Since this usually happens pretty apace, latency is measured in milliseconds.

Bottom line: A lower latency is better.

Pro tip:

To test latency, your reckoner can send a pocket-size chip of information to a remote server to measure the round-trip time. For instance, y'all can use the Ping utility to run across how long data takes to reach its destination and back. Gamers apply information technology to determine which server has a faster connection or to discover out why their actions feel sluggish when gaming online. This round-trip time is also known as a "ping rate."

How bandwidth and latency affect y'all

Gaming

Most games with online connectivity don't crave a very fast internet connection, so the impact of bandwidth on your gaming experience is fairly minimal (unless yous have a lot of people gaming at once on the same connexion).

Everything you need to play is already installed on your computer or console. An cyberspace connection comes into play when your game and the server exchange information like controller input, the earth'due south state, role player coordinates, histrion advice, and and so on. If you're playing offline or there's no multiplayer component (similar Mass Effect and Fallout 4 ), bandwidth isn't even an outcome.

But, as we mentioned before, latency is vital to a good experience when gaming online—peculiarly in fast-paced games like Fortnite and Overwatch. Loftier latency manifests as lag and tin can lead to significant delays between your input and your graphic symbol'south action. In other words, y'all could already exist dead while you're still trying to go off a shot, but y'all won't know it until your connexion catches upward.

Streaming

Since streaming involves downloading content from a server, bandwidth tends to be the major gene in both video and audio streaming. That'south because streaming happens with little input on your end: you just click and wait.

Depression bandwidth will normally bear witness itself in two ways. It will either manifest as a painful corporeality of buffering as your connection tries to keep upwards with the size of the content. Or it will bear witness upwardly equally terrible video quality because your streaming service is attempting to compensate for the dull download speed.

Pro tip:

Buffering is when the downloading of streaming media stops. When you brainstorm a stream, the video or sound is downloaded and temporarily stored on your playback device. Once the video or audio starts, the service continues to download the remaining portion in the background. If the download stops for any reason, the video or audio pauses, and a "buffering" bulletin appears on your screen. The message goes away when in that location's enough of the video or audio file to go on playback.

Video chat

Video chatting, like FaceTime or Skype, can be negatively impacted by both low bandwidth and high latency. Low bandwidth will touch the quality of your chat, making things difficult to see. Latency will cause sync issues and freezing.

Browsing

Not even basic, everyday web browsing is allowed to the furnishings of a poor internet connection. Low bandwidth will cause pages to load sloooowly and in segments (like in the old dial-up days).

And with loftier latency, pages may load super fast simply there will be a maddening delay at the beginning where it seems like nothing'due south happening.

Tips for improving your connection speed

If your internet connection is getting yous down, at that place are a few things you can do near it.

Make certain your router settings are solid

Log in to your modem and router, and make sure your settings are not creating bottlenecks. Most routers and wireless gateways take a settings page where you tin can modify your password, suit which channel the router is using, and more.

Usually, the login data is printed correct on a sticker on the lesser of the device. Check out our guide to improving Wi-Fi speed for more details on what to do.

Upgrade your router

Yeah, we go information technology: these things terminal forever. Just if you're still using an old model from 2008, chances are skillful that it's not letting your wireless connection live upward to its true potential. While a new router tin can't increase your plan's bandwidth, it tin can increase your wireless speed.

Upgrade your internet packet

If you've upgraded your equipment and tweaked your settings but still aren't getting the speeds yous want, the next stride is to upgrade to a faster cyberspace package. Not sure how much speed y'all need? We've got a handy speed recommendation tool to help with that.

Notice a new provider

If all else fails and you can't get a good bargain from your current provider, it may be time to move on to someone new. Competition is fierce in the net service loonshit, and most places have at to the lowest degree 2 great provider options.

If you're not sure where to starting time, nosotros provide a roundup of the fastest net providers . You lot can as well encounter all your available options past entering your zip lawmaking in the tool beneath.

The verdict: Bandwidth and latency are both crucial

Bandwidth and latency are both crucial to a bang-up online feel, but the difference can be a picayune confusing. But with your newfound noesis, you can use what you know to get on the fast rails to a better internet experience.

If y'all want to know more than nigh how internet speed works, check out our comprehensive guide to internet speed.

Does your cyberspace program non have plenty bandwidth? Enter your zip lawmaking to see plans and providers virtually you.

FAQ about bandwidth vs. latency

What's the difference between latency and ping charge per unit?

In that location's no difference between latency and ping rate. Both refer to the filibuster betwixt when you perform an action online and when y'all run across the consequence.

What type of cyberspace connexion has the lowest latency?

In full general, cable and fiber internet has the lowest latency, while satellite internet has the highest. Aside from that, other factors—like your router and its location—can as well have an impact on the level of latency you experience when using Wi-Fi.

What's a good latency?

For general browsing and streaming, annihilation under 100ms is fine. For intense gaming, yous'll want to shoot for 50ms maximum, but nether 30ms would be ideal.

How tin can I check my internet speed?

The easiest and quickest way to cheque your internet speed is to apply an online speed test . This volition tell you lot your current connectedness speed. You can compare that to what your plan advertises to help boom down whatsoever problems.