Bandwidth refers to the maximum amount of data that can be transferred by your internet service. Measuring your bandwidth is important in understanding how fast your network is.

Bandwidth is a vital part of using the internet because it allows your devices to download and upload information, for example when watching a show, browsing social media, fetching emails, or gaming.

As an example, if your bandwidth is 100 Mbps, your internet service will be able to transfer data at speeds of 100 Mbps and below.

What does bandwidth mean?

Bandwidth is the maximum capacity of your internet connection. Every activity you carry out online uses bandwidth – including streaming on Netflix, scrolling Instagram, accessing files in the cloud, and checking emails.

There’s a set amount of bandwidth, and some activities use more than others. For example, video conferencing and online gaming require a lot of bandwidth. The more bandwidth each of these activities and devices use, the less is available to carry out other activities.

The amount of bandwidth available will change depending on which activities your devices are carrying out, as well as how many devices are connected to the internet.

A high bandwidth means:

• More data can be transferred at once. This means faster download and upload speeds, smoother streaming, and faster file transfers.

• More people and devices can perform multiple activities at the same time without slowing down the connection. These activities include streaming, gaming and video conferencing.

• Reduced latency, which means less delays in data transfer.

Bandwidth can often be confused with internet speed. Although bandwidth is important to the speed of your internet connection, there is a difference between the two.

To make it simple, think of a road. If the road is wide, more cars can drive along it at faster speeds compared to a narrow road. Think of the road as the bandwidth and the speed of the cars as the speed.

What affects my bandwidth?

There are several things that can affect your bandwidth. These include:

Peak times. Using the internet when lots of other people are online (e.g. evenings and weekends) can have an impact on your bandwidth. If you’re in an apartment building or office with insufficient bandwidth for the number of users, this can also lead to reduced availability.

Types of activities. Some activities use more bandwidth than others.

Examples of activities that use a lot of bandwidth:

• Streaming videos (for example on Netflix or YouTube), especially in HD (high definition) or 4K (ultra high definition)

• Gaming, including downloading and updating games, and playing games with multiple players or high-quality graphics and sound

• Video conferencing, for example using Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Skype, especially when multiple people are on the call or when the video is high definition

• Downloading and uploading large files, from Google Drive, iCloud or Dropbox for example

• Backing up your device to the cloud

• Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) games, apps and devices

Examples of activities that use less bandwidth:

• Sending and receiving text based emails, or emails with small attachments like PDFs

• Browsing sites which are mostly text based, for example news sites

• Viewing pictures and images on social media, and liking posts on platforms like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn

• Messaging through apps like WhatsApp and Slack

• Shopping online

• Editing documents through cloud services like Google Docs or Office 365

Types of devices. Some devices use more bandwidth than others.

Examples of devices that use a lot of bandwidth:

• Smart TVs

• Streaming sticks and boxes e.g. Apple TV and Google Chromecast

• Gaming consoles e.g. Xbox, Nintendo Switch

• Gaming PCs

• Computers and laptops when performing activities like streaming, video conferencing, gaming, or transferring large files

• Smartphones and tablets when streaming videos on services like TikTok, Netflix, or YouTube, or making video calls

• Smart home devices such as smart doorbells or security cameras which stream live footage, especially with a high resolution

• VR headsets

What is a good bandwidth?

A good bandwidth depends on what you want to use the internet for in your home or office.

Standard usage (emails, social media HD streaming, video calls, online gaming)

Bandwidth: 25-50 Mbps

High usage (4K streaming, large file downloads, smart home devices)

Bandwidth: 100-150 Mbps

Very high usage (multiple 4K streams, heavy online gaming, remote work)

Bandwidth: 200-500 Mbps

Gigabit usage (professional streaming, large families, small businesses)

Bandwidth: 1 Gbps (1000 Mbps) or higher

For fast internet with the right bandwidth for you, see our bandwidth options and packages.

What does low bandwidth mean?

Low bandwidth means that your internet connection has limited data transfer capacity. This can slow down your internet and make it difficult to perform certain activities online.

When you have low bandwidth, the rate that data can be downloaded or uploaded is slowed down. It can be frustrating and mean waiting a long time for web pages to load, videos to buffer, or files to download.

Videos may appear lower quality, games may lag, your video calls might drop in and out, and websites with lots of images and videos could take a while to load.

There are things that can help. Find out what to do if you’re experiencing slow speeds.

What is hogging my bandwidth?

What affects bandwidth is often devices hogging it. There are a few different devices and activities that could be hogging your bandwidth:

Automatic cloud backups: cloud services like iCloud and Google Drive can hog bandwidth if they’re left to automatically update in the background.

Automatic gaming updates: updating games or downloading new game content can use a lot of bandwidth. To prevent this, only update games when you aren’t using the internet for lots of other activities.

Peer-to-peer file sharing: BitTorrent, for example, can use a lot of bandwidth.

Continuous streaming: for example Netflix or YouTube. It can be easy to accidentally leave these running.

Security cameras: streaming high resolution video from security cameras can hog your bandwidth.

Software updates: automatically updating software can lead to bandwidth hogging.

Smart home devices: smart devices that communicate with the cloud can hog your bandwidth.

Can bandwidth vary across different devices?

Yes, bandwidth can vary across different devices. This might mean you’re getting fast internet on your smart TV, but access is slow when trying to log in through your laptop.

Some of the factors that affect the bandwidth of your devices are:

• The capabilities of each device. For example, their network interface type, including Ethernet, Wi-Fi 5, and Wi-Fi 6. Older devices might have older network interfaces or less efficient bandwidth adapters.

• The type of connection. Wired connections like Ethernet are typically faster than wireless (Wi-Fi). There are also different Wi-Fi standards (like Wi-Fi 4, Wi-Fi 5, and Wi-Fi 6), which will affect the bandwidth of your device.

• Distance from the router, obstructions (like thick walls), and interference (like other Wi-Fi networks).

• Prioritisation. Some networks allow you to prioritise certain devices.

• Power saving. If your device is set to save power, it may affect the bandwidth.

What is bandwidth on a computer?

Bandwidth on a computer means the maximum rate that data can be transferred to and from the computer over a network connection.

A low bandwidth on a computer is generally under 25 Mbps, but most people need a bandwidth of at least 50 Mbps to be able to perform all of the activities in a household.

What is bandwidth in Wi-Fi?

Bandwidth in Wi-Fi is the maximum rate data can be transferred through your internet connection.

To check the bandwidth of your Wi-Fi:

• Open your browser and go to speedtest.net.

• Click the “Go” button to start the test.

• The test will measure your download and upload speeds.

Or:

• Go to google.com and type “Google speed test” in the search bar.

• Click the “Run Speed Test” button in the Google search results.

• The test will measure and display your download and upload speeds.

If your bandwidth is under 15 Mbps for social media, email, and light streaming, you may need to improve it. If it’s under 50-80 Mbps for gaming or heavy video use, you may need to improve it.

Bandwidth vs internet speed

Bandwidth is often confused with internet speed. They do affect each other, but there is a difference between internet speed and bandwidth.

A simple way to think of the difference between the two is to imagine your bandwidth as a pipe. If the pipe is wide (similar to a higher bandwidth), it can carry more water (in our case data) than a narrow pipe (low bandwidth). The internet speed is like the speed of the water (data) travelling through the pipe. The wider the pipe (bandwidth), the faster the water (data) can flow to and from your devices.

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