– Where does all the bandwidth on the internet come from? Is there a finite amount or do they just create more and how?

Question

– Where does all the bandwidth on the internet come from? Is there a finite amount or do they just create more and how?

In: 4

Answer 1

Bandwidth is like a highway, and all the cars driving on it are packets of information. The bigger the highway, the more information can fit.

You add more bandwidth by using a bigger cable, or by using a more powerful signal. There’s also a limit to the information that a single site (like reddit) can output, which is determined by the number of servers they have. If there’s not enough servers, or they aren’t optimized very well, it doesn’t matter how big your bandwidth is because there are barely any “cars” on the “highway”.

Everyone’s bandwidth is different, and your effective bandwidth varies depending on the site. Just like how a smaller connecting road can create a traffic jam to your house, your effective bandwidth is determined by the slowest point between you and the site.