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3. Sharing Bandwidth

Even the most impressive network can be slowed down if enough people are using it at the same time because the bandwidth has to be shared between all users.

The more bandwidth each person uses, the less is available for everyone else.network bandwidth

So while theoretically a network with 100 Mbps of bandwidth should be sufficient for 50 people, if one of those users hogs the network by streaming video files, the network will seem to slow down for everyone else.

The Contention ratio is the ratio of users compared to available bandwidth.

You may notice this contention problem at home. For example at six o clock on a Sunday evening, your internet connection might seem slow. This may be because lots of people in your road are trying to connect to the internet at the same time. They all have to share the same physical wire/cable down which the data must travel. Another time, when there are fewer people online, for example, 7am on a Monday morning, the connection can seem fast and responsive.

Businesses often need a reliable and fast internet connection and so they are willing to pay the telecom company extra money for a low-contention ratio connection.

For example a contention ratio of 100:1 means up to a hundred users might be sharing the line at any time. Whereas a 1:1 ratio means only a single connection is allowed on the line. This guarantees a constant speed at all times and would be suitable for a business willing to pay the cost.

 

Challenge see if you can find out one extra fact on this topic that we haven't already told you

Click on this link: What is contention ratio