Dictionary · Networking Fundamentals
Throughput
Performance · Intermediate
The amount of data actually transferred in a period, as opposed to the advertised capacity. Loss, delay, congestion, and application limits reduce it.
This measurement is what you actually observed. A gigabit network port may deliver far less if the server, the wireless hop, or packet loss is the real limit.
Example: A file copy averages 180 Mbps across a path whose slowest advertised link is 1 Gbps.
Common misconception
- A speed test result is not the link's capacity. It is one measurement under those conditions.