Bandwidth - what is it? Easily explained
The term bandwidth comes up again and again, especially with regard to Internet connections. But what is the bandwidth exactly and what does a high or low bandwidth actually mean for me as a user? We explain it to you in a simple and understandable way.
Bandwidth: That is what the term means
The bandwidth has to do with frequency ranges in technical informatics and physics. Signal carriers such as cables have certain frequency ranges on which data is transmitted. The larger the bandwidth, the more data can be transferred at the same time.
- In general, bandwidth is often used to mean the speed of transmission - how fast data is transmitted from one end to the other.
- However, this general wording is not entirely correct. This is because bandwidth actually refers to the low-interference frequency range of a signal carrier. Data can then be transmitted via this without loss.
- In general, however, you can remember that with a higher bandwidth, more data can also be transmitted. So if your videos load quickly or pages build up quickly, you have enough bandwidth for this content.
Examples of bandwidths
- A telephone has a bandwidth of 3100 Hz. This means that conversations can be transmitted relatively well and understandably, but certain frequencies are "cut off". This leads to the characteristic telephone quality.
- The bandwidth of VDSL is a maximum of 12, 000 Hz. This means that a great deal of data can be transmitted at the same time, which is sufficient in many households.
- The bandwidth for fiber optic transmission is up to 50 GHz - i.e. 50, 000, 000, 000 Hz.
We also explain how you measure the actual bandwidth of your internet access.