Category talk:FiOS Basics
From FiOSWiki
bandwidth Bandwidth, in the context of computer networking and digital communication, usually means the transmission capacity of a network. It is measured in the amount of data transferred from one point to another, per unit of time -- usually in bits/second.
In practical terms, bandwidth can be seen as synonymous with "transfer rate," often simply referred to as the "speed" of one's Internet connection. Bandwidth in this sense is usually noted in megabits-per-second (Mbps) and refers to the maximum transfer rate. (Because most data travels through the Internet along multiple linked paths, transfer rates can be affected by the bandwidth of other links that are not on the FiOS network.)
A common analogy of a "pipe" can be used to illustrate the concept of bandwidth -- one could move the same gallon of water through either a drinking straw or an 8-inch-wide water main, but the water main's capacity would make that gallon move much more quickly. Thus, Internet connections with high bandwidth capacity, such as FiOS, are sometimes compared to a "wide pipe."
An Internet provider's bandwidth rates usually are listed as two numbers -- maximum download speed and maximum upload speed, separated by a slash. For example, the consumer-level FiOS bandwidth rates available in most markets are: 5 Mbps/2Mbps, 15 Mbps/2 Mbps and 30 Mbps/5 Mbps. (Most ISPs offer "asymmetrical" service, with download speeds faster than upload speeds, as it is assumed that most people download much more data than they upload.)
The term bandwidth has a slightly different meaning when applied to the concept of web hosting. Many web hosting companies charge web site owners by the amount of activity their sites generate; bandwidth in this sense is usually measured in bytes per month, instead of bits per second. So, if you had a website with a bandwidth limit of 100 megabytes per month, and visitors to your site downloaded a 5-megabyte file from it more than 20 times, you would have exceeded your bandwidth limit, and would most likely have to pay a fee for more bandwidth.
