In simplest terms, bandwidth is the maximum amount of data that your internet connection can transfer in a specific amount of time. Typically, bandwidth is measured in megabits per second (AKA: Mbps) or gigabits per second (Gbps). 

If your internet connection were like a pipe, bandwidth would measure how wide that pipe is. In plumbing, a wider pipe can move more water at once, whereas a narrow one creates a bottleneck. If multiple sources of water are flowing through the pipe at the same time, that bottleneck can be even worse. The same is true for data. 

When it comes to internet activity, you could be streaming video, downloading documents, or taking a video call, and all of that activity draws from the same bandwidth. The more devices and apps that you have running simultaneously on your network, the more that capacity gets divided up. That’s exactly why things slow down when several people are online at once. 

Bandwidth is often confused with latency, but they’re different things. Bandwidth determines how much data can move, but latency determines how quickly it starts moving. A high-bandwidth connection can still feel sluggish if latency is high.

Your ISP sets your bandwidth limit based on your plan. If your speeds consistently fall short of what you’re paying for, it’s worth running a speed test to see what you’re actually getting.