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As the number of computers, phones and tablets increase, demand on internet and Wi-Fi networks
also increase. This increasing demand is slowly pushing servers and ISPs toward a point when
they can't handle any more; we are running out of bandwidth!
Before we start on addressing this problem, we must explain just exactly what bandwidth
is. Bandwidth can be explained as how many users and how much data a network can handle
effectively. Bandwidth can be measured in Bps or Bits per second. Think of it as a group
of people in a large room trying to exit through the same door. The more people there are,
the longer it takes for the entire crowd to move through the door, and larger people take
longer to move through the door than smaller people. Too many devices connected to one
network can exceed its bandwidth but it can also be caused by demanding actions that are
being carried out. Here is the problem: The internet is being
flooded with users and it is creating a problem because we need new and extremely expensive
technologies to increase bandwidth freely. If more internet connected devices are used,
the networks will reach their maximum capacity. When all this happens the prices for internet
will increase. When a network finally runs out of bandwidth,
a number of things will happen. First, as a network nears full capacity, the internet
speed will slow down, webpages will be very slow to load or won't load at all. Online
apps will no longer be able to retain a connection. People will be dropped from the network and
new users will fail to connect. And finally, the computer may crash due to strain on the
system form the slow running apps. Demanding operations that are nightmarish
for the bandwidth include uploading, viewing, or downloading video -- especially in HD,
cloud computing or online backups, and Live streaming which is the most demanding because
as the user uploads, hundreds or even thousands of viewers are downloading at the same time.
The easiest thing you can do to limit the strain on a network is to simply cut back
on internet use (easier said than done) and limit the amount of people connected to the
network at a time. A slightly more advanced solution is to slow down and spread out large
operations (like YouTube uploading). Peak periods of internet activity translates to
nightmares for the ISP, but other times there are less people online, freeing up room, while
a slower upload speed allows others to use the internet while the operation is carried
out with less strain on the network minimizing risk of a system wide crash. Slow and steady
wins the race! I hope you have learned something from this
video. Internet bandwidth is becoming rarer by the minute, so maybe it's time to go outside.
Because sunlight is plentiful and won't be overcrowded anytime soon, unlike the bandwidth
you're using to watch this video.