The Difference between Throughput and Bandwidth

The Difference between Throughput and Bandwidth

Although bandwidth can tell us about how much information a network can move at a period of time, you’ll find that actual network speeds are much lower. We use the term throughput to refer to the actual bandwidth that is available to a network, as opposed to theoretical bandwidth.

Several different things may affect the actual bandwidth a device gets. The number of users accessing the network, the physical media, the network topology, hardware capability, and many other aspects can affect bandwidth.
To calculate data transfer speeds, we use the equation Time = Size / Theoretical Bandwidth.

Bandwidth Throughput

Keep in mind that the above equation is actually what we use to find the “best download.” It assumes optimal network speeds and conditions since we use theoretical bandwidth. So to get a better idea on the typical download speed, we use a different equation: Time = Size / Actual Throughput.