If you are experiencing slow internet speeds, buffering when streaming video, or poor quality on a video call, your bandwidth may be low. Investing in more bandwidth can increase your network performance and improve your overall user experience. However, the best way to optimize bandwidth is to know how your network works.
Bandwidth is a metric used to describe the maximum Mbps rate your network or Internet connection can handle in a given time frame. This is different from throughput, which describes how fast data moves across the network. A higher bandwidth will naturally provide better internet speed, but the cause of low bandwidth could be a number of things.
Some common causes of slow network bandwidth include faulty equipment, outdated routers, interference, too many connected clients, and bandwidth-hungry applications. Additionally, it is important to remember that high bandwidth doesn’t guarantee optimal network performance. There are other factors that contribute to speed, including latency, jitter, and packet loss.
For most businesses, the ability to work online has become a necessity. From cloud-based collaboration suites to business email, smart devices and streaming video, employees need a stable and reliable network to complete daily tasks. When network performance is slow, it can negatively impact employee productivity and grind operations to a halt. To prevent this from happening, businesses need to understand how to maximize their existing network bandwidth. The first step in this process is identifying the secondary traffic that’s clogging your network. This can be a difficult task because not every network operates the same way.