Wirebook › Glossary › Throughput
What is throughput?
In one sentence: How much data actually gets through right now, usually less than the bandwidth because of Wi-Fi, walls and other users.
A little more
Throughput is how much data really gets through right now. It is almost always lower than the bandwidth, because Wi-Fi walls, busy channels, other people using the same connection, or a slow website on the other end all take their share.
A speed test measures throughput. If it is much lower on Wi-Fi than with a cable plugged into the router, the Wi-Fi, not the internet line, is what's holding things up.
It's a bit like… The road may have four lanes, but at rush hour only a trickle of cars actually gets through each minute.
See it in action
- BonusWhy does every speed test give a different answer?A speed test is a water-balloon race: fill a balloon from the internet tap for ten seconds and divide the water by the time.9 min · interactive
- 7Why does Wi-Fi get weaker through walls?Build a little house, drag the router around and watch the Wi-Fi signal spread room by room.7 min · interactive
- BonusWhy does a video call go blurry when the connection is slow?Dial a pretend video call's bandwidth thinner, spend a tiny 10-bit budget on eyes vs mouth vs wallpaper to still read a facial expression, then reveal the clear face.7 min · interactive
- BonusWhy does a video go blurry, then sharp?You press play and the picture is smudgy for a second, then it snaps sharp.8 min · interactive
Do it for real
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