Bandwidth vs Latency: What’s the Difference? [Full Guide]

Life is fast now. Everyone wants to perform tasks in less time. For this, they install high-speed routers and Wi-Fi networks.

Besides all these things, internet users should know bandwidth vs latency. These two words are related to networks but have different usage. So, let us explore these terms.

Bandwidth vs Latency vs Throughput vs Speed

• The difference between these three terms is in their measurement. 
• These two terms come together throughout. It refers to the amount of data transferred over a set period. If you have high bandwidth and low latency, throughput is maximum. 
• Bandwidth is the maximum pace at which data may be transferred via a specified route and time, while the amount of time it takes for a packet to transit from one point on a network to another is latency.
• Internet speed and bandwidth are considered the same but different measurements of connection quality. Speed refers to the maximum rate at which data transfers from one place to another. We measure speed in megabits per second, while bandwidth is the maximum amount of data transferred over an internet connection. It measures Mbps. 

What is Bandwidth in Networking?

Bandwidth is the maximum data transmitted over an internet connection within a given amount of time. Internet speed is considered as bandwidth. But, it’s the amount of information.

This information transfers over a network in a given amount of time. These values calculate in megabits per second.

· Understanding of Bandwidth

Bandwidth is how much data or amount is transferred between two connected devices or over an internet connection.

For example, as data moves from A to B, water flows through a pipe. Such pipe has a source at one end and a destination on the other hand.

· Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

Internet service providers typically express the bandwidth in millions of bits per second, megabits, billions of bits, and gigabits.

When the internet has higher bandwidth, the faster computer will download the large files.

What is Latency in Networking?

Network latency is sometimes called lags. This term uses to describe delays in communication over a network. It is the time for a packet of data to transfer, capture, process through multiple devices, receive at the destination, and decode.

When transmission delays are minimum, network latency is low (desirable). When transmission delays are long, the network latency is high. It will create a bottleneck in communication.

For example, there is outsize traffic on the road, and all want to merge into a small lane. No doubt, the road will block.

Same as high latency decreases communication bandwidth. In this way, the communication is temporarily or permanently unavailable. 

Latency is measured in a millisecond or by doing a speed test. No doubt, we all prefer low latency in communication.

However, the standard latency for network communication is slightly different. Latency issues also vary from network to network. 

Causes of Network Latency 

1. Distance: The cause of network latency is distance. It explains how far the device making request is present from the server, reacting to these requests. The time taken for a request to reach a client device is round trip time. While the increase of a few milliseconds might seem negligible, it affects too.
2. Website Construction: The web pages with enormous data, images, or content from several third-party websites may work slowly.
3. End-user Issue: A network problem is responsible for latency, but sometimes the end-user device having low memory or CPU cycle results in RTT latency. It fails to respond in a reasonable time frame.
4. Physical Issues: In physical terms, the common cause of network latency is the component that moves the data from one place to another, like routers and switches access points. In addition to these devices, latency lag due to other network devices like application load balancers, security devices, firewalls, and intrusion prevention systems.

Does Bandwidth Affect Latency?

Bandwidth affects your network speed. Latency is usually the cause of lag or buffering. When the bandwidth increases, the speed of downloading increases, and latency become more noticeable.

For example, an image takes five milliseconds to download. Latency may cause users to wait 100 milliseconds before receiving the first byte of data.

It means latency to account for 90 percent of the time downloading the image. High latency drags down an application’s performance no matter the size of your bandwidth.

How Bandwidth and Latency Affect You?

The effect of bandwidth and latency depends on what activities your server does. The high value of bandwidth helps to play different games simultaneously for gaming servers. If there are fewer users to play games, the effect of bandwidth is minimal.

On the other hand, latency plays a vital role in enjoying a smooth gaming experience.

High latency causes lag in games, and you see a considerable delay between your action and server response. Bandwidth and latency both are important for video and audio streaming services.

What is a Good Latency Speed?

You see, when the latency is high, it will cause a delay in data transmission. No doubt, for a good gaming experience, we need an optimal value of latency.

Latency at 100ms is optimal for online gaming. A low-value latency works well for online games, while high latency can hinder data transmission. 

Final Thoughts

Bandwidth and latency play an essential role in online operations like gaming experience, video streaming, and chatting. We usually use these words interchangeably, but they are different.

These terms play a vital role when you own a website or blog.

So, you must have proper knowledge about these terms to use and understand them. We hope your confusion about the bandwidth vs latency question is no more.