VoIP and Bandwidth

Posted on January 9, 2007 
Filed Under VoIP

VoIP is dependent on a certain amount of bandwidth and it is only due to the widespread acceptance of broadband modems that (useable) VoIP is possible. So – what exactly is bandwidth and how does it affect VoIP?

Bandwidth refers to the amount of digital data that can be transmitted in a certain time period. Internet connections are usually measured in KiloBits Per Second (kbps). To give you an example, take a look at your webpage. It is made up of a few paragraphs of text and a few illustrations. The size of this web page might be about 3,000 bytes or 24,000 bits. At a download speed of 512 kbps this page can be viewed in 0.05 seconds – almost instantaneously.

You maybe yelling, “Hey, my web pages don’t load that fast on my computer.” You won’t reach your maximum transfer speeds for a couple of reasons. First there is latency – the delay caused by the physical limitations of each piece of hardware the data is passed through. Latency is introduced through the transmission medium, the routers that determine the path the data will take, and storage when the data finally reaches your computer.

What this means for VoIP is that enough bandwidth must be supplied to allow for the transmission of the actual voice data in real time as well as extra bandwidth for the overhead required for any data transmission.

There is way to determine the amount of bandwidth your home will need. Using 128 kbps as a base is fine, but it is advisable to increase your kbps to the maximum available, especially if you have several computers and other devices connected to the Internet.

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