Bandwidth vs Internet Speed: Simply put, bandwidth refers to how much data you can upload and download while internet speed determines how fast you can upload and download that data. Click on the following sections to learn more.

1. What Is the Difference Between Bandwidth and Internet Speed?
2. How to Check Your Bandwidth vs Internet Speed
3. Why Understanding Bandwidth vs Internet Speed Is Important for Your Business
4. How to Determine How Much Bandwidth You Need for Your Business

If you are having trouble with your internet speeds for your business and would like to find ways to improve it, contact us.

Bandwidth vs Internet Speed

Bandwidth vs Internet Speed: Learn the difference and what it means for your business

1. What Is the Difference Between Bandwidth and Internet Speed?

Bandwidth and internet speed are not the same thing, but they are related. Here is an in-depth explanation of both.

Bandwidth:

Bandwidth refers to the amount of data that can be sent over an internet connection at any given time. It is measured in megabits per second (Mbps). So the amount of bandwidth that you have available will determine the maximum amount of data that you can upload or download from your devices at the same time.

Internet Speed:

Your internet speed refers to how fast you are able to upload or download data from your devices. Your download speed is the speed that you receive (download) information such as text, images, video, music, and other data online. Most of the tasks that you do online involve downloading.

Your upload speed refers to how fast you send (upload) information from your computer to another device online. Internet speed is also measured in Mbps and if you have a faster gigabyte connection, it is measured in Gbps.

The following video will further explain the difference between bandwidth and speed.

Bandwidth vs internet speed are related but they are different things

Highway Analagy:

To better understand the difference between bandwidth vs internet speed, think of the internet as a highway. The cars on the highway are like the data that is moving over your internet.

The more cars that you have on your highway at a given time, the harder it is to go fast. The highway is only so wide and will only allow for so many cars at one time and so as traffic increases, the speed on your highway decreases.

It is the same with bandwidth and internet speed. The more people you have using your internet connection at the same time, the slower your internet speeds will become.

Just like a highway though, if you add an extra lane or two (increase your bandwidth), then your speed will increase as well. Or if you have fewer people using your internet connection at one time, your speed will also improve.

Bandwidth vs internet speed can be compared to highway traffic

2. How to Check Your Bandwidth vs Internet Speed

It is incredibly simple to perform an internet speed test on your business computer or other mobile device. And the best news is that it’s fast to do and it’s free!

You can use a website such as Ookla to perform this test. Ookla was one of the first speed tests available online. It’s a very popular site and it gives you consistent results. To do their speed test simply follow these steps:

1. Go to https://www.speedtest.net/
2. Click the circular “GO” button in the center of the page.
3. The site will first evaluate your download speeds and then your upload speeds.
4. It will give you a summary page once the test is done.

Here are two screenshots of what your test and results will look like.

You can do a free internet speed test online

3. Why Understanding Bandwidth vs Internet Speed Is Important for Your Business

Understanding the difference between bandwidth vs internet speed will help you choose the right internet package for your business. You need to get enough bandwidth so that your employees can work efficiently, but you don’t want to pay for extra bandwidth that you don’t actually need.

Shared vs Dedicated Internet Access (DIA):

It is important to understand the difference between a shared or dedicated internet access when selecting the type of internet package you get. Shared access means that you are sharing bandwidth with other business customers. If you have a smaller company that doesn’t rely heavily on internet access, then this could be an economical option for you.

However if you have a larger number or employees or if you use VoIP for your phone services, you will probably benefit from a dedicated internet access where you don’t have to share your bandwidth.

If you use a VoIP phone system, then you should get a dedicated internet access

4. How to Determine How Much Bandwidth You Need for Your Business

You can figure out approximately how much bandwidth and internet speed you need for your business by taking the following steps.

Step 1: Decide on your level of bandwidth consumption: low vs high

If your business mostly does basic tasks on the internet such as emailing, file sharing of smaller files and intenet browsing, then you would be a low-bandwidth business. If, however, you do more intense data applications such as video meetings, transferring large files, and Voip, then you would be a high-bandwidth business.

Step 2: Determine your approximate bandwidth requirements

Low-bandwidth businesses: Multiply the number of user devices your have sharing your internet by 3Mbps to determine how much bandwidth you should have.

High-bandwidth businesses: Multiply the number of user devices your have sharing your internet by 10Mbps to determine how much bandwidth you should have.

*Note: Don’t simply multiply by the number of people you have because most people will use more than one device on your business network. For example, they would use a desktop, cellphone, and laptop)

Here is how to use this formula:

Low-bandwidth business that has 60 user devices: 60 X 3Mbps = 180 Mbps  – For this example you should be okay with abour a 200 Mbps connection.

High-bandwidth business that has 90 user devices:  90 X 10Mbps = 900 Mbps – For this example you should get about a 1,000 Mbps or 1 G connection.

Determine how many devices are connected to your business internet

Network Telecom can help you get better business internet speeds

If your business internet speeds are not fast enough or if they are slower than what you think you should be experiencing, then we may be able to help. At Network Telecom we partner with Internet service providers like Bell and Rogers to help our clients get the best internet possible at the best price.

We also offer a wide range of other telecommunications services needed in the workplace. We can take a look at your current communications systems and help you discover where you can save money and which systems would be the most effective your your particular needs.