Bandwidth usage is the amount of data transmitted and received by a computer or user. Companies have limits to prevent network clogging. Internet providers track usage and websites may have limits. A bandwidth monitor can help individuals keep track.
Bandwidth usage is the amount of data transmitted and received by a particular computer or user. The more data is exchanged, the greater the potential for network clogging and the more energy a particular user consumes. As a result, some companies have bandwidth usage limits designed to prevent users from transmitting and receiving so much data that it slows down the network, impacting the experience for other users.
In the case of a computer, bandwidth usage refers to all incoming and outgoing traffic. Inbound traffic is data that enters a computer, such as when someone downloads a file from a website. Outgoing traffic is data transmitted from your computer, such as a file attached to an email. Typically, usage is measured in bytes per second (Bps), although other units of measurement may be used, and service providers express bandwidth limits in terms of gigabytes, with typically daily or monthly limits.
Internet providers track bandwidth usage by examining the amount of data passing through a particular connection or by identifying specific computers. On a college campus, for example, where people may use their computers in a variety of locations, it’s commonly tracked by MAC address, and a student who exceeds the limit will receive a message. People can be allowed to pay extra for additional bandwidth or resort to a usage limit on the argument that they need a lot of bandwidth for specific tasks and projects.
Websites may also have bandwidth usage limits, with the host providing the website owner with a fixed amount of bandwidth per month. If traffic to and from the website exceeds this limit, the site may be closed or you may be billed for the excess. A spike in bandwidth usage can also overload a website’s servers, causing them to crash, as commonly happens when small websites are linked to large sites.
For people interested or concerned about bandwidth usage, a bandwidth monitor can be used to keep track of it. In the case of individuals who have limits on bandwidth usage, a monitor can help alert the user that service may be disrupted in the near future. As a rough guideline, something like a streamed movie might take up about two and a half gigabytes, while an email might be two kilobytes.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
