Bandwidth refers to the speed at which data can be transferred, measured in bits per second. Greater bandwidth allows for faster data transfer speeds. Uplink bandwidth, which feeds information to the internet, and downlink bandwidth, which retrieves information from the internet, should be equally fast for internet servers. Common connection types include cable modems, DSL, ISDN, and T1 lines, with each providing different speeds and configurations of uplink and downlink bandwidth. The appropriate connection type depends on the expected data traffic demands.

1. About connection types Things to think about

2. Bandwidth In digital systems, bandwidth is the data speed in bits per second (bps). As a relative example, an analog television signal has a bandwidth some 2,000 times as “wide” as an analog telephone voice signal.

3. Why is bandwidth important? The greater your bandwidth the faster you can transfer data. For internet servers your uplink bandwidth should be equally as fast as your downlink. Uplink is the speed you feed information to the internet Downlink is the speed you can get information from the internet

4. Baud & kbps Baud was the prevalent measure for data transmission speed until replaced by a more accurate term, bps (bits per second). One baud is one electronic state change per second, which change can involve more than a single bit of data. K ilo- B its P er S econd. One Kbps is equal to 1,000 bits transmitted in one second, and is a measure of bandwidth. Higher bandwidths are expressed in megabits (Mbps), millions of bits per second, and in gigabits (Gbps), billions of bits per second.

5. Cable Modem Using a cable modem you can achieve a high speed connection to the Internet. But, a cable modem is not a modem at all. It is a broadband network bridge. A device that "bridges" the radio-wave-like signals carried by cable TV into a signal that is used by a standard Ethernet LAN connection. You plug the output of the cable modem into an Ethernet network card attached to your computer system.

6. DSL D igital S ubscriber L ine. Also known as xDSL, it is the general term applied to a whole family of high-speed digital data products. A for Asymmetric, H for High speed, and S for Symmetric. These technologies are expected to be the high-speed data products that will someday replace existing technologies like ISDN and Fractional T-1 lines. With DSL service, you can receive data at rates up to 6.1 Mbps, out of a theoretical 8.448 Mbps. More typically, individual connections will provide from 1.544 Mbps to 512 Kbps downstream and about 128 Kbps upstream. A DSL line can carry both data and voice signals at the same time, and, the data part of the line is continuously connected.

7. ADSL A symmetric D igital S ubscriber L ine. ADSL is an asymmetric technology, where the speed of the link to you is higher than the speed of the connection sent by you. You may have only 128 Kbps of outbound bandwidth, but may be able to receive data at speeds of 8 Mbps.

8. HDSL & SDSL H igh bit-rate DSL . HDSL is symmetrical. For this reason, the maximum data rate is lower than for ADSL. S ymmetric DSL . SDSL is similar to HDSL.

9. Fractional T-1 A full-blown T-1 data connection that has been Fractionalized, or set up so that it offers data throughput only a fraction of standard 1.54 Mbps T-1 speed. Offered in a range of speeds (128, 254, 382, 512, and 764 Kbps), they costing less than the full T-1.

10. ISDN I ntegrated S ervices D igital N etwork. A digital telephone line that can be used for voice, fax, and data communications like a regular analog telephone line, but can transport data about two and one-half times faster than a 56 Kbps modem and allows you talk on the phone with one person while sending data to another.

11. POTS P lain O ld T elephone S ervice. A term that refers to a standard analog telephone line using the standard that hasn't changed since the 1930s, when rotary-dial telephones became available.

12. T1 A digital data connection that operates at 1.54 Mbps and requires a two-pair, four wire, connection between the telephone company Central Office and your home or business. It was introduced in the U.S. in the 1960s – yes, the 1960s. At a higher level, the T-3 line provides 44.736 Mbps.

13. Comparison of relative speeds Regular telephone service or POTS: up to 56 Kbps ISDN: 64 Kbps to 128 Kbps Cable modem: 128 Kbps to 1+ Mbps xDSL: 512 Kbps to 8 Mbps T-1: 1.544 Mbps T-2: 6.312 Mbps T-3: 44.736 Mbps

14. Conslusion Before selecting a connection you must determine what traffic you expect. The higher the demand, the greater your bandwidth should be. While Cable and ADSL is fine to use for internal web surfing you wouldn’t want to host a site because of the poor uplink speeds.