As more and more customers put their computer applications and systems on the cloud, the internet connection is going to become a hot topic.
Here’s a quick primer on “Bandwidth” which is the term used to describe the speed of an internet connection. In general, the higher the bandwidth number, the better the performance of the Internet connection. The table below lists the advertised speed ranges of various technologies.
| Technology |
Upload Speed |
Download Speed |
| Dial up Modem |
0.056 MG |
0.056 MG |
| Satellite |
0.3 MG |
2 MG |
| DSL |
384 to 1 MG |
1 MG to 15 MG |
| Telco T1 |
1.5 MG |
1.5 MG |
| Telco T3 |
45 MG |
45 MG |
| Cable |
2 MG to 10 MG |
12 MG to 50 MG |
| FiOS Fiber Optic |
5 MG to 20 MG |
15 MG to 50 MG |
The first thing to notice about bandwidth speed is that for most of the “high speed” technologies, the speed is asymmetrical, meaning the upload speed is significantly slower than the download speed. Internet service providers deliberately engineered their networks this way because most users download a lot more data than they upload. But what happens if you have to upload scans, image files, or sound files? Those uploads can take longer than you expect in most instances. If uploading files is important to your business, you should pay special attention to the upload speed of the service you are considering.
A second metric that is not included on any service provider’s web page listing the details of their product offerings is the concept of latency. This refers to the time that it takes a packet of information to reach its destination and return to the sender. Latency will vary depending on both the destination and the amount of traffic going to that destination. It is both a measure of speed and congestion. Latency is measured in milliseconds, with 1,000 milliseconds equal to one second. The table below illustrates some average latency values:
| Description |
Average Latency |
| Local Area Network Connection |
1 – 3 |
| T1 or T3 on ‘dedicated circuit’ |
7 – 12 |
| T1, T3, Cable, DSL and FiOS to local location on their respective networks |
12 – 24 |
| T1, T3, Cable, DSL and FiOS to major domestic internet site |
30 – 50 |
To illustrate how the combination of bandwidth and latency impact system performance consider the following examples:
- A database application requires many small packets to establish communications and transmit data. With high latency values, even though there isn’t much data being moved, the nature of the data traffic means the higher latency will have bigger impact on performance. Database applications work best with low latency values like on local area networks.
- A second example is an IP telephone. If the latency rates approach 300 milliseconds, a phone call will start to break up and have silent pauses. IP phone service works best with low latency values.
- A final example is downloading a large image file. In this example, even if the latency is high, there is a benefit of having more bandwidth.
DeckerWright Corporation’s expertise and experience can assist you in selecting the best Internet connections for your company’s download and processing requirements.
About the Author:
Marshall Wright of DeckerWright Corporation has been providing New Jersey businesses with HARDWARE, SOFTWARE & NETWORKING technology consulting services since 1984.
For more information please contact DeckerWright.
