High Speed Internet

High speed internet access means pretty much just that – using the internet at a fast pace. There are a number of factors that come into play when determining speed, including bandwidth and latency.

First things first, though. The internet doesn't travel, function, or perform at any rate of speed. It's just there and the term high speed internet actually refers to the rate of speed your individual computer is capable of sending and receiving data from internet sources, such as websites.

The rate of data transmission is determined by the methods your internet service provider (ISP) uses to provide you with high speed internet service. Some service options include dial-up, high speed dial-up, broadband, wireless, and satellite. Straightforward dial-up service is the oldest and the slowest. Other factors must be taken into consideration to determine the speediness of the other types of high speed internet access services.

Bandwidth is the basis for determining the rate of high speed internet transmissions. Bandwidth is measured in bytes per second (bps) although kbps (kilobytes per second) is a more commonly used term these days, with one kilobyte equal to 1,000 bytes.

Whether your means of transmission is the old-fashioned dial-up service or high speed internet service, all the data on the internet page you access must be electronically transferred from the host site's server to your computer. The larger the number of bps your computer is capable of receiving, the faster your internet access. The number of bps you can receive is determined by the methods your ISP uses to connect you to the world wide web.

Latency is the delay, or lag time, you notice when surfing from page to page on the internet. Different types of internet connectivity methods produce different opportunities for latency.

When your high speed internet service comes to you via satellite, latency occurs during the time the signal travels from the home network, to the satellite(s), and then to you. These messages travel at the speed of light but delays are inherent in the process due to the vast distances traveled.

Transmission delays dictated by the type of equipment used to convey high speed internet service to your computer cause latency issues, as do processing delays, which occur as your message, or web page, is bounced from different (proxy) servers to get to you.

High speed internet service is also delayed, and latency experienced, when the bandwidth upon which your internet service relies is overloaded with signal data, resulting in a bottleneck of data transmission.