Confused about speed and bandwidth?
Internet speed is how fast data moves between your device and the internet. Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data your internet connection can carry at one time.
Think of it like a car on a highway: the car travels at a given speed, and bandwidth is the size of the road. You may have a fast car, but if the highway has traffic, it won’t move quickly. And if you have a slow car, you’ll still be moving slowly no matter how many lanes are available on the highway.
What is internet speed?
Internet speed refers to how quickly data is transferred between your device and the internet. It's measured in megabits per second (Mbps) or gigabits per second (Gbps).
Your internet speed has two parts: download speed and upload speed. Downloads also account for streaming movies, playing online games and downloading apps and files. Every time you open a page in your browser, that’s a download.
Uploads are what you send back to the internet, like backing up or sharing photos and videos, making videocalls or livestreaming. These activities involve two-way movement of data.
What is bandwidth?
Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data an internet connection can carry at one time. More bandwidth means more data that can flow without getting congested. Like a highway, more lanes means more movement.
Why fiber internet improves speed and bandwidth
Speed and bandwidth are different, but they work together. That’s why you want an ISP that can optimize both. Fiber internet is optimal for speed and bandwidth for these main reasons:
- Fiber internet is faster. Fiber internet offers faster speeds at symmetrical rates. Upload speeds and download speeds are the same, and they can reach into the multigig range. Cable internet can only go as fast as about 1 Gig download, with much slower upload speeds.
- Fiber internet provides more bandwidth. Fiber ISPs provide dedicated connections to home. This means that every home equipped with fiber internet connectivity gets it straight to the house. With cable internet, the internet goes to a neighborhood node, and the bandwidth is shared by several homes. That’s why many people with cable internet experience a slow down at “rush hour” when neighbors are coming home and getting online.
Why your internet connection might slow down
Experiencing frustrating slowdowns? Here are some possible reasons and things you can do to improve connectivity:
- Your speed is too slow for what you want to do. Streaming, gaming, browsing, livestreaming, especially at the same time among multiple people, can cause lag. The solution: upgrade to a faster speed plan.
- Your cable ISP could be throttling your service. Throttling happens when bandwidth starts running low, and the ISP slows everyone’s connection down to keep traffic flowing. This can also happen if you have maxxed out your allotted data.
- Old equipment. Find out if your router or extenders are an older model. Solution: upgrade to WiFi 7.
- Get closer to your router, or install WiFi extenders to boost the signal.
- Your router or extenders need to be reset. Simply unplug them or shut them down from the app and restart to possibly experience faster connection times.
For best results, choose fiber internet
Ziply Fiber offers speeds starting at 100/100 Mbps all the way up to 50 Gig, with plenty of extra bandwidth. Ziply Fiber never throttles or caps data usage, because it always has enough bandwidth for every subscriber.
By the way, don’t be fooled by cable ISPs that say their internet is “fiber-powered.” They are still delivering the same copper service from the node to the home, which won’t result in faster speeds or more bandwidth.
Ready to experience the difference of fiber internet? Check your address and switch today: ziplyfiber.com/internet.
