Bandwidth
Bandwidth is the maximum capacity of a wired or wireless communications link to transmit data over a network connection in a given amount of time.
Measurement Units: 1. Digital: bps, Kbps, Mbps, Gbps, Tbps. 2. Analog: Hz, KHz, MHz, GHz. Types: Symmetric (Equal Up/Down), Asymmetric (Unequal). Key concepts: Throughput (Actual rate), Goodput (Useful data rate), Latency (Time delay), Jitter (Variation in delay).
graph LR
Center["Bandwidth"]:::main
Pre_data_structures["data-structures"]:::pre --> Center
click Pre_data_structures "/terms/data-structures"
Rel_time_complexity["time-complexity"]:::related -.-> Center
click Rel_time_complexity "/terms/time-complexity"
Rel_space_complexity["space-complexity"]:::related -.-> Center
click Rel_space_complexity "/terms/space-complexity"
Rel_sorting_algorithm["sorting-algorithm"]:::related -.-> Center
click Rel_sorting_algorithm "/terms/sorting-algorithm"
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🧒 Explique-moi comme si j'avais 5 ans
Think of a highway. The 'speed limit' is how fast one car can go ([latency](/fr/terms/latency)). The 'bandwidth' is the number of lanes on the highway. A 10-lane highway has much more bandwidth than a 2-lane road because it can move more total cars at the same time, even if the speed limit is the same.
🤓 Expert Deep Dive
The fundamental limit of bandwidth is defined by the Shannon-Hartley theorem, which states that the channel capacity (C) is a function of the bandwidth (B) and the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR). Technically, we differentiate between 'Baseband' (single signal) and 'Broadband' (multiple simultaneous signals). In modern networking, 'Effective Bandwidth' or 'Throughput' is often lower than the theoretical maximum due to protocol overhead (TCP/IP), packet loss, and congestion. Techniques like 'Wavelength Division Multiplexing' (WDM) in fiber optics allow for massive bandwidth increases by sending multiple data streams at different light frequencies through a single strand.